moe. drummer Vinnie Amico talks music-forged brotherhood ahead of Oct. 7 show at Liberty Hall

moe. // Photo by Paul Citone

Founded in 1990 at the University of Buffalo by a group of musically-minded friends who would become more like family through performing together, moe. is more than just another jam band: Their commitment to musical experimentation and building community spaces for their fans has been the pillar of their last 30 years of success in touring together.

The band is comprised of Rob Derhak on bass, Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier on guitar and vocals, Vinnie Amico on drums, Jim Loughlin on rhythm guitar, and newly-added Nate Wilson on keyboards. Amico joined the band in 1996 and sat down with us for a chat before the moe.’s upcoming set at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, on Saturday, October 7. Their new album, This is Not, We Are, is out now on all streaming platforms.

The Pitch: First, can you speak to your experience as the drummer of moe.? What makes you love playing with these guys so much that you’ve been doing it for nearly 30 years?

Vinnie Amico: I love the songs, and songwriting is awesome—and the freedom in the playing. The guys in the band aren’t so rigid, like, I have to play it exactly this way. I have the freedom to put my own stamp on the songs and to improvise those songs as well, so we can all take the songs to different places every night.

I’m extremely glad to hear that your guitarist, Chuck Garvey, is back on the road with you after his stroke last year. What has it been like having him back on tour, and what was it like having him out for his health last year?

Well, having him out on tour is awesome. You know, we got part of an arm, leg, 20 fingers of the band back. My brother’s back with us. It’s very inspiring because he went through hell and back having a severe stroke, and then being able to bounce back and be able to play again, sound as good as he is, and continue to improve is amazing. Not having him was interesting because we had someone filling in his shoes who was a great player, and that added something different to the band, but not having that voice there was weird. I even missed a few cues, because Chuck’s voice—his guitar playing— wasn’t there, and I’m so used to it.

You’ve also made your keyboardist, Nate Wilson, a recent permanent band fixture. How has his influence changed your music or the way the band plays together?

Well, he’s a phenomenal player. He’s just ridiculous. So, adding another voice to the band—another instrument—fills out a spot that wasn’t there before. Plus, his musicianship takes the songs to a new level. Whether he’s soloing or just backing up the rest of the band, he just has such a knowledge of music that it always kicks it up a notch.

You guys have toured internationally, played along the seas as part of music-themed cruises, and even spearheaded your own music festivals—snoe.down and moe.down. What is your favorite part about playing for fans in the Midwest or at smaller venues? 

Well, I can tell you that playing Liberty Hall is amazing. They’ve always been stand-up shows, and the crowd’s amazing. We haven’t played there in a while, so I’m really looking forward to it, just because of years past and how much fun we’ve had at the place. The Midwest has always been a big, big thing for us. Chicago’s such a big city, and we’ve always had great crowds there and in St. Louis and Kansas City. We’ve been a part of curating and starting every Summer Camp. That festival is a really big Midwest festival, and we’ve been on it since the beginning. We started it 23 years ago or something like that. So, we’ve always had a soft spot in our hearts for the Midwest.

Can we expect the snoe.down or moe.down festivals to make a return anytime soon?

Well, we’re kind of hoping for both of those at some point. With the amount of festivals and other activities and the music climate as a whole, it’s a tough venture to jump back into. But, we have been discussing it and trying to figure out the right way to do it so that it’s a great experience for the fans and it’s a great experience for us, and so we can actually make a few dollars and not just break even or lose money.

It’s kind of a balancing act of all the above. So, we are working on moe.down and snoe.down., because we’ve always loved to do that interactive skiing and snow sporting event with a concert. So, we’re working on it. It just may take a lot of work to do it right. We want to just not jump right back into it. We want to take our time and make sure we can plan these things correctly so everybody has a good time.

You recently released your 12th studio album, This is Not, We Are. What was your process like creating this album? 

Our albums are all fun to do, and they’re all our best albums. [Laughs] But the people we worked with in Tank Studios in Burlington were just super pro and really great guys—Ben Collette and Rob O’Dea. We all got along really well in the studio. It was a very creative process for us. All the wheels were turning. The process was really easy for us. We just went in every day, and we did our work. We were able to produce and make good music, and everything flowed really well in the whole process.

Tell us about your new Not Normal EP and the five songs that comprise it. 

We did all the songs together as part of that recording [for This is Not, We Are]. We were in the studio all month or six weeks or whatever it was up in Burlington, and we recorded a bunch of songs—more than we could put on one release. So, we had to go through the process of what songs to play as a record and what to do with the rest of them. We came up with an EP, which was Not Normal.

I love jam bands, but for our readers who might not instantly see the appeal in 6+ minute-long songs, could you give us a spiel about why you love jamming and why you’re drawn to this genre/form?

I grew up in the ‘80s, and my father was a jazz musician. So, I was exposed to improvisational music early on in my life. I also got into the Grateful Dead in high school. I just love bands in that kind of genre, like all my brothers. Led Zeppelin was a jam band, way before there was ever a moniker of “jam band.” Bands like that were just out there playing music and improvising every day doing that, and that’s just kind of the music I like. I like the freedom of playing improvisational music, and the fact that it’s never the same, and your communication onstage. Everybody is listening and playing together. The whole gamut of what music is and what it entails is what I like about it.

Can you tell us about any projects you have upcoming after the conclusion of your current tour? 

Well, we’re going to be on the road through October, and then we’re going to work. We’re in the process of writing and producing new material. So, we’ll do some more of that on our little break. Then we have some shows at the Capitol Theatre coming in December. New Year’s shows are coming. And then the next year, we have a full year slated, including, hopefully, recording a new album and getting that out there as well. So, we have a lot on the docket. Lots of stuff in the pot.

Catch moe. at Liberty Hall on Saturday, October 7. Tickets available here.