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New York’s own progressive jam-kings, moe. have been touring the country this year to celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band. It’s quite a milestone, as only a handful of popular groups can claim such a career together. But since their inception, the boys have always done things their way and look poised to continue doing so for maybe another twenty.
Though they have flown relatively under the radar for most of their existence, moe. has garnered an incredibly die-hard following of fans, and have amassed a large catalog of original songs ranging from psychedelic jazz and blues, to hard core rock n’ roll. And to help celebrate their milestone, they’ve released a tongue-in-cheek collection of those beloved fan-favorite tunes on their latest, entitled Smash Hits. But of course, this not exactly your typical great hits, as the offering is more of a time capsule of the band’s illustrious history, showing how the songwriting and live exploration has progressed from the days of playing in college bars to the present day of selling out rooms across the country.
Yet what really makes this a fantastic effort is the delivery. Rather than just remaster their old stuff, the band chose to head back into the studio and re-record each song. Sure, it’s not the original version, but
it was a genius move, as not only will passive fans get an excellent compilation of moe. tunes, but long-time fans get to hear new, fresh versions of those comfortable originals.
The actual song structures and chorus lines are intact, but the tempos and jams are altered. "Yodelittle" gets an upgrade and clocks in at almost eight minutes long, while crowd favorite, "Mexico," gets a shiny paint job and shows off an extended jam full of rocking crescendos and some exploratory musicianship by all five members. "Seat of My Pants," the goofy "Spine of a Dog", and arguably their most well-known concert staple "Rebubula" round out the roster.
The last twenty years has been undoubtedly a roller coaster for moe., but they have proven that hard work, determination, and some serious skills can indeed carry a group so unique. Cheers to twenty more!
