Our Inside Out WTNS podcast series enters March with a moe.riffic episode featuring Al Schnier (guitar, keys, vocals) and Jim Loughlin (percussion/vocals) of moe., as well as L4LM contributor and reigning “Mayor of moe.down,” Rex Thomson. After a brief interview during which Thomson relates how he became the “Mayor of moe.down,” hosts Seth Weiner and Rob Turner sit with Schnier and Loughlin on the band’s bus and discuss a young moe. jamming with Bob Weir while on the 1997 Furthur Festival.
Loughlin relates his experience returning to an evolved moe. after his brief period away from them around the same time, saying, “it was tough at first because they had done two records worth of material and some other stuff… that I did not know.”
Schnier and Loughlin go into detail on improvisation, spontaneity and songwriting. However, industry folks may be most compelled by the thinking behind the band’s recent decisions, first to let their manager of 20-plus years go, and then to defray management duties across the band.
Schnier talks about being overwhelmed by his initial efforts to take on all of the management tasks alone. “It was really intense at first… I didn’t sleep for two weeks, probably. I was working 12 to 15 to 18 hour days and was **so** stressed out,” says Schnier, but he ultimately gained control of the situation. Part of this involved the band defraying management tasks across the band members themselves. “We realized how little we knew about our own business and how stuff works,” Loughlin says, “we figured out that, before we bring anyone else in, we needed to figure out our own internal workings.” The result is a moe. band now intimately involved in every aspect of their operations.
The episode concludes with moe. performing brand new Loughlin (“Don’t Wanna Be”) and Schnier (“Angel”) compositions in their entirety, recorded on the band’s 2017 Winter Tour. You can listen to the newest episode, streaming below.
The long-running Inside Out With Turner And Seth podcast brings you a fresh take on the music scene by combining behind-the-scenes and fan perspectives. Each episode features engaging interviews with your favorite artists and insightful commentary from genre veterans sprinkled with comedy. For more Inside Out With Turner And Seth episodes, head to their SoundCloud or their page on iTunes. You can also email the Podcast here (insideoutwtns@gmail.com), to submit feedback that may be read on future episodes!
[Photo via Rex Thomson]