After a two year hiatus, the moe.down music festival returned with seven blistering sets from jam band icons moe. along with stellar support from Fishbone, Railroad Earth, Twiddle, Kung Fu, Mike Dillon and more. The mountainous back drop of the Snow Ridge Ski Resort was echoing with the sounds of soaring guitar jams, wild percussive freakouts, and most importantly, the heartfelt cheers of an elated fanbase. More than anything else, moe.down is about family, or famoe.ly….we’re a very punny bunch.

When I write the word “We” in the context of moe. fans, or moe.rons as we are more generally known, I mean that in the most sincerely personal way. If you’re looking for an unbiased and journalistic review I’m afraid you are out of luck because I am probably the most biased reviewer this event could possibly have. I love moe.down so much I spent five years of my life trying to capture it’s highly coveted “Mayoral” office–and then spent the last three years doing my best to see it return. My name is Rex Thomson and I’m addicted to moe.

Hear Ye, moe.rons: An Open Letter From The Mayor Of moe.down In The Twilight Of His Term

moe.down was founded on a fairly simple premise: a small festival dedicated to the band’s hardcore fans and their love of moe. and music in general. If music is emotionally-installed, then the music these moe.rons hear translates to pure joy in their hearts and minds. I know that when the guitar duo of Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier are weaving their slinky guitar lines, or Jim Loughlin and Vinnie Amico are twisting and turning the beats in on themselves, or Rob Derhak is slapping his bass with his trademark manic intensity, the rest of the world falls away and I am lost in a world of pure sonic bliss.

Of course, after being forced to wait two extra years for our return to Turin, New York and the mayhem on the mountain, this year felt especially new. After such a long build up, thousands poured into the small ski resort, gleefully ignoring the rain showers that were forecast and were, indeed, falling intermittently already. The early arrivers showed the first sparks of what was to be a weekend-long parade of the cooperative community by helping cars get through the mud to get everyone in safely. Neighbors helped pound in tent stakes and stretch tarps to prepare for a wet and wild weekend with wide smiles and hearty laughs.

FRIDAY

The approach to the main stage was slippery, and as fans slid their way in to watch sets in the tent from bands like Hayley Jane and the Primates and Kung Fu, it was easy to see who had started their party early by the amount of mud on their backsides. As moe. guitarist Schnier brought his side band Al & The TransAmericans to the main stage, most everyone had made it in and the front of the stage was full of emotional reunions and heartfelt hugs as people from far and wide came together again to bask in the music being made. Even the sun popped back out to give the audience a much needed chance to warm up for a long night to come.

Al & The TransAmericans, “Everything Here”

Al & The TransAmericans, “Guitar”

Al & The TransAmericans, “Ain’t Wastin Time No More”

moe.

One of the best parts of any moe.down is the unique collaborations that come from it. moe. hand selects their lineup with purpose. The musicians they invite to share the stages are friends and people whose work they also enjoy, and the spirit that comes from that mutual admiration infects everything that goes on during moe.down.

moe., “The Chain” with Ryan Montbleau, Haley Jane & Kirk Juhas

moe., “San Bernadino” with Kung Fu’s Tim Palmieri, Beau Sasser and Robert Somerville 

moe., “Billy Goat”

moe. returned to the stage for a special night one treat, a five song acoustic-tinged encore that featured a mix of covers and classics. Check out a couple of tunes from their final Friday moe.ments below:

moe., “Raise A Glass”

moe., “Blister In The Sun”

SATURDAY

moe.’s day set has traditionally been all about the next generation. The Kids Tent All-Stars once again made an appearance, though now some of the children have grown up enough to take their place alongside the adults on actual, non-inflatable instruments. Check out the next generation of rockers as the proudly proclaim the “We are famoe.ly” Bleow:

“Spine Of A Dog>Buster”

“We Are Famoe.ly”

Directly after moe.’s day set, one of the best sights of the weekend wasn’t on any stage, it was on the mud slicked hills and foot path. A ton of hay was delivered to help solidify the grounds, and after a plea from moe. for volunteers to help spread it over, hundreds of fans swarmed the pile and quickly had the field on the path to recovery.

Blackberry Smoke

Atlanta, Georgia’s southern rock rising stars Blackberry Smoke are being talked about as the next big thing in a genre in need of fresh blood. Check out highlights from their stellar set below:

Blackberry Smoke, “Ought To Know”

Blackberry Smoke, “Six Ways to Sunday>Good One Comin'”

Blackberry Smoke, “Sleeping Dogs Lie>Come Together>Sleeping Dogs Lie”

moe. Night Set

Another night set saw another round of incredible visitors. Long time friends Fishbone came back out to help moe. get nice and funky, while Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr brought a southern rock swagger to an epic “Opium” before Otto Schrang from The Mike Dillon Band took “Recreation Chemistry” to new places with his stellar visit to Loughlin’s percussion world.

moe., “Freddies Dead” With Fishbone

moe., “Opium” with Charlie Starr

moe., “Recreational Chemistry” with Otto Schrang

SUNDAY

The last day featured some of the wildest variances in music, as the anarchic Mike Dillon was followed by the Americana stylings of Railroad Earth. Both acts have worked with moe. in the past and show the dynamic diversity the band is capable of. If you can comfortably go from punk rock lunacy to string salutes to mother earth, it is safe to say you can pretty much do anything musically.

The Mike Dillon Band

Mike Dillon welcomed moe.’s Jim Loughlin for some intense mallet madness during his day opening set in the tent. Check out some of the furious percussion below:

Mike Dillon Band, “Insanity” with Jim Loughlin

Twiddle

Vermont’s beloved Twiddle won themselves new fans and delighted their faithful with one of the strongest sets of the weekend. Check out some of the love below:

Twiddle, “Polluted Beauty”

Twiddle, “Orlando’s”

Twiddle, “The Fantastic Tale of Ricky Snickle”

moe.

When you have been doing the whole “traveling rock star” thing for 27 years, the chances your memoe.ry might get a little hazy are increased exponentially over the standard deterioration brought on by simple aging. That said, the brain freeze suffered by bassist Derhak during the tune “New York City” in the clip below is likely one of the most epic suffered on a stage this year. Anytime you are forced to Google your own lyrics during a track, you have to worry you may have a problem. I’m chalking this one up to an early morning Lacrosse pick up match he participated in with the fans though…those games can get kind of rough.

moe., “Crab Eyes>New York City”

Before the band could return for their second set there was one vitally important task to be taken care of…the election of the next “mayor of moe.down.” As I mentioned earlier, for the last three years I have had the honor of serving as the vital link between the fans and the band. It’s one of the highest positions of power in the festival world, and I have striven to uphold this lofty audience. Though I was more than happy to finally relinquish the title, some sneaky soul snuck me onto the ballot at the last minute.

I could go on and on about the reasons I spent so much time, energy and mental health seeking the office and serving, but in the end it was all about love. The love I feel, the energy I get from the band’s music, the smiles and blissful expressions of my fellow .rons, the hard work put in by the most dedicated crew in the business…it all comes from the same place. Whatever it is in the combination of the five members of moe., their instruments and gear, and a shit ton of electricity that makes my very soul smile, I know that it was easily the smartest thing I ever did, running for and winning my coveted title.

The mayoral election is different than most,  as it is not limited to humans. Heck, I lost to persons, places and even things in my years pursing the office. After multiple rounds of voting, at long last a new mayor was crowned…bass player Derhak’s…uhm…”.bulge.” I want to congratulate the .bulge on running such a stiffly competitive race. I for one am proud to be followed by as impressive a candidate as the .bulge, though hopefully not to closely. Check out the fun of the election hi-jinks below:

“Election”

moe., “Mexico” with Mihali Savoulidis & Ryan Dempsey

The weekend ended with a bang, thanks to the fireworks that marked the finale with a suitable element of finality. We had all been scared that our beloved weekend getaway with moe. might not ever return, and now, at last, we were all experiencing the warm after glow of the return. The music moe. made over the weekend was exactly the reason why we had all been so saddened by the temporary hiatus. In fact, the incredible skill, dexterity, and passion moe. showed over the 7 sets they played, rain or shine, provided a perfect example of why we all fell in love with the band in the first place.

Few bands manage to last as long as moe. has, and fewer still remain as vital and as relevant. The secret seems to be the band’s willingness to evolve and to never take themselves too seriously. Humor has always been a strong component in the band’s sound and it has been said that laughter is the best medicine. As long as there are sources of joy from the music of moe. in our lives, it is obvious that we can make it through any dark times until the sun shines once again.

Oh, and if you enjoyed the melding of moe. and Twiddle then don’t forget the upcoming Colorado run that will feature three epic nights of music from the two bands at the Boulder Theater and Red Rocks!