From the Boston Herald

By Christopher John Treacy
Sunday, February 11, 2007

Scenes from a moe. gig at the Boston Orpheum, early 2007.

Moe. fans sucking nitrous oxide from black balloons on the Hamilton Place walkway. A pair of moe. fans curiously scratching their heads, debating where the remaining LSD could’ve walked off to since they only swallowed two hits each. A moe. employee telling a Herald critic that he’d love to provide him with a set list but fears he’d lose his job. moe. fans with no sense of rhythm hopping from one foot to the other as if standing on hot coals. A soon-to-be-disappointed moe. fan asking a Herald critic where to buy drugs. Moe. fans keeping Orpheum security busy with their stoner logic and silly reindeer games.

Suffice it to say, moe. brought a plethora of party pandemonium to the Orpheum on Friday night. But in all fairness, the band brought some great tunes as well. Back on the road supporting “The Conch,” from which it played four songs, the Buffalo-based quintet fired off two generous sets, reminding the packed house what it’s got that many other jam bands lack: variety and soul. At its best, moe. exudes the same snarky, Zappa-informed sarcasm that shaped Phish’s humor, butmoe. blends it into fat, walloping riffs that can cause a soul shakedown.

The slow-cooking funky stew of opener “Recreational Chemistry” was a prime example, built on frontman Rob Derhak’s gooey-thick bass. Derhak’s toddler son, Zach, wandered onstage in the middle of the tune to jam on a guitar-keyboard hybrid. It was adorable. The overlong, sloppy transition into the new “Blue Jeans Pizza” wasn’t nearly as cute, but it improved with Derhak’s and guitarist Chuck Garvey’s hot falsetto harmonies. Meanwhile, “Chemistry” got revisited both during set two and the encore.

Moe. exhibited rock ’n’ roll chops with “It” and “Not Coming Down,” while “She Sends Me” featured that island-hop “Aiko-Aiko” feel that’s always welcome. Derhak busted out an upright electric fretless bass for the swampy “Another One Gone.” Al Shier moved between guitar and synth on the frontline, while percussionist Jim Loughlin juggled instruments and stoic drummer Vinnie Amico held the fort in back. Set two began strong with the ultra-festive “Rise” and ended with the new tune “Tailspin,” but the, er, recreational chemistry fanning the crowd’s fire had devolved into a musical lampshade-wearing contest.

By that encore, too much of a good thing made it seem like we could’ve been listening to any old (sh)moe.

Music Review: moe. At the Orpheum, Friday night

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From the Daily Egyptian

By Julie Engler

 Three out of five stars.

 It's hard for a jam band to emulate a stage show for a studio album, though for Moe. it seems quite easy.

No sound goes unnoticed that doesn't serve an important purpose on "The Conch," Moe.'s first album in nearly four years. Moe. recorded this album live and went back to the studio to clean it up. What's cool about "The Conch," though, is that Moe. has all of the music necessary for a psychedelic experience, and the rest is up to the imagination.

Moe. keeps interest by blurring the lines between genres and moods with each track with variable results. Starting with a groove that never quite stops, though it does get interrupted a few times, "Blue Jeans Pizza" is a slow, feel-good opener, though its soft vibe isn't a good indication for what's coming next.

With rock-style blues guitar, Moe. cuts though the air with some very well-played lead with back-up provided by instruments ranging from the piano and the marimba to the congas. It takes a little while to feel the energy tension build up, especially after the mellow first three tracks.

By "Tailspin," the energy picks up and satiety really starts to set in. The middle of the track brings in words from President Bush about the war, though with such a laid back and happy melody, it's kind of out of place. Still, as the music presses on for the next hour or so, there's not a wasted riff, lyric or noise.

Moe.'s lyrics really don't mean much of anything, but tell stories that match the music. This is one of the reasons this album won't stay in the player for very long. It's one thing to listen to good music being played, but without some sort of lyrical riddle to ponder, Moe.rons should get bored quite fast.

That's not to say, though, that Moe. wouldn't rock during a live show, though this album is best enjoyed during its newborn years and only when full attention can be devoted to it.