Matt Butler showed off a fun wrinkle to his always enjoyable Everyone Orchestra concept by using the entire moe. band as the basis for his Friday Red Barn late night collaboration with members of EOTO, The Shook Twins and The Hip Abduction at Summer Camp. The guys from moe. are no strangers to Butler’s mix and mash-up concept, or the wonderful opportunities to create something completely unique that is the result of the shows. Guitarist Al Schnier has even sat in for Butler as guest conductor in the past.
To avoid keeping the neighbors up all night, the late night tunes at Summer Camp are held at “The Red Barn.” Tickets are sold on a “First come, first served” basis online and again for a short while on-site, always disappearing instantly. To add to the exclusive nature of the indoor shows, they are often fun, conceptual outings and rare pairings like this one.
Matt Butler had some fun adds in mind for the moe.EO set, bringing in the vocalists Katelyn and Laurie Shook of The Shook Twins, Dave Johnson and John Holt III of The Hip Abduction and both Jason Haan and Michael Travis, both from show closer EOTO and The String Cheese Incident. All have worked with Butler in the past and were ready to be part of the magic of the moment.
While horn players like Johnson are used to creating on the fly, it is extra impressive to see vocalists work out lyrics and harmonies on the stage and build them into a song almost instantly. While the twins used their innate sonic rapport to guide them, Travis and Haan used their almost identical rhythm and thought patterns to paint the corners of the pocket wider and wider while Vinnie Amico and Jim Loughlin found grooves and patterns they were more than happy to lock into and flourish.
Butler, to his credit, would seek to ensure that every nook and cranny was either filled to the brim or tantalizingly empty. Watching such dedicated touring musicians who are masters of their own material embrace the spirit of free shared creation was, as always, a powerful thing. In a field he created, Matt Butler is truly both a pioneer and a musical mastermind.
Our own resident Mayor of moe.ville” and videographer Rex Thomson caught all the craziness that resulted when the blending of all that talent got underway. He’s shared the three longs creations that resulted from this extraordinaire pool of talent below! Enjoy!
“moe.EO”
“It’s Not What You Think It Is”
“moe.EO.EOTO”