After a nearly three-year break, the psych rock legend moe is ready to return on the road after a long hiatus.
They are currently on tour in the USA through the end, and they’re absolutely thrilled. Jim Loughlin, percussionist, said that people are coming up and everyone is excited to see Chuck [Garvey] again. It’s been amazing.
Jim and moe.’s drummer Vinnie Amico are feeling rejuvenated as they connect via phone and can reconnect with their fans. The possibility of new music being made next year was one of the topics we discussed.
Jim and Vinnie tell stories about their beginnings in music and their success with marijuana. They also discuss changes in the definition of touring artists today and how cannabis affects their creativity.
High Times – What was your first encounter with music? How did each of you discover it?
Vinnie Amico It’s strange, although I knew that I loved to play, when I was in college, I was looking for a different career. But, all I did was to learn how to drum [ laughter ]. Secondarily, music was the only thing that I ever wanted to do.
Jim LoughlinI have been fascinated by music since childhood. It was something I listened to all the time and that’s when I started to play music in seventh grade. When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to study music. Although I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in music, how I would get it to work, I knew it was the right path for me.
Vinnie Amico :Seventh Grade is when you really start to get into Van Halen and other music. You find your friend and set up in the garage, and you begin working on all that music. When you turn twelve, everything starts happening and you get really “bitten by the bug”. While some people do not go on to college, others make it. This is when you start to feel like you know.
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Vinnie Amico I used to just play all the time. The next thing you know you’re in college and you find yourself playing gigs every day. This was something that I enjoyed doing, and not something I wanted to do professionally.
After graduating from school, I found a job but had more fun than working hard at my job. The job no longer meant anything to me. The music became the focus.
Jim Loughlin In seventh grade we had a band that performed together through ninth grade or tenth. Then, in high school I joined a variety of garage bands before taking up music seriously. I was in eleventh grade when I joined a conservatory program. I would spend my mornings studying music at another school, then I would return to school to complete my English and social studies requirements.
After I arrived in Buffalo, New York I met the moe guys. I was the bass player but got a gig as a drummer with them. It was then that it became clear: “Okay, you want to join a band,” it is going to all be about live music.
High Times – Was there a moment that made you feel that music was the best decision for your life?
Vinnie Amico I was a Buffalo-based drummer before the moe. gig. Once moe, the validation arrived. While touring, I was able to perform at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This was my childhood concert venue. That was the moment I knew it. It’s my profession.
The dream was realized. It’s a big dream to stand on the stage when you are sixteen years old and high while you watch a concert at SPAC. It was an affirming moment to become on that stage.
Jim LoughlinWhen we first began playing together, there were a lot local Buffalo gigs. Then we started to branch out and made a few two-hour trips, as well as doing weekend gigs.
We moved together to Albany, New York when we realized “this is it”. Our day jobs were over and we bought a home. We all packed up the stuff, drove the entire trip, and slept on the floors. This was our first real tour. No matter how many people came, it didn’t really matter. It was amazing to see people from Buffalo come down to North Carolina and South Carolina. It was amazing and a wonderful experience that made me think, “I could do this all my life.”
Vinnie Amico That was pre-Internet.
Jim LoughlinNobody knew who we were. At the end of every show we would take down all our equipment and then meet five to six other people. The audience would be like “Hey, that was a great show. Can you find a spot to crash?” and they’d register on our mailing list. Because it was far from where we were used to, it was very impactful.
We were not playing to a crowd of over 5,000, but we still managed only about 100 shows per night. It was amazing to be able go south and see that word was spreading and that people are showing up. This was in ’92, ’93. This was an entirely different time.
High Times – Is it different to what you do now?
Jim LoughlinIt is completely different. It’s hard to imagine what could have happened. You couldn’t make a recording in your bedroom back then. It was necessary to find a place with a tape machine, and all of the equipment. It was difficult to release your own album. Headseed was our first album. We kept physical CDs of it for many years. This wasn’t about “Here’s the link to our new CD.”
Tape trading was a way to get started back then. People traded Grateful Death shows for Phish shows. These were the two biggest bands of our scene that allowed tape recording at their concerts. If there were enough tape left over, such as a Phish concert taking up X amount of tape with 10 minutes of dead space, someone would place a moe. It would have a song. Then, trade the tape with Phish fans and get a Phish concert. At the end you would hear another band and be like “Oh, that’s my favorite song!”
Back then, you had to dig deep. Fans had to put in a lot of effort, and bands had to work a lot. We would mail a lot of flyers to people we knew in the town we were visiting. You would pray for the clubs you wanted to join to hang up flyers in their towns. There was no guarantee.
Today’s bands have so much control of what they do and what happens. They also get to decide where their career is going. However, back in the day we felt like we had much less control. It was a lot more dice that were rolled than now. Post a message on social media now and you can look at the analytics to see which cities are getting most hits. Man, we were flying blind.
This is a double-edged weapon, as these bands put in more work and are under greater stress. You post something, and it will catch on. Back then that stuff was not hanging over your heads. It was simply playing in the band to see what happens.
Vinnie Amico The hard thing about today’s music scene is the sheer number of bands and content available, and that kids have shorter attention spans. There were so few bands, markets, and we competed with them. Now there are a gazillion. People’s attention spans can be as short as two seconds. If you don’t constantly put out content that keeps people interested in your music, then you’re practically irrelevant.
High Times: The music was the engine of the ship back then. Today, social media can help to spread the word, and this can eventually lead to people discovering your music. People can find you through many other avenues than just attending a live performance or listening to tapes.
Jim LoughlinAdam and the Metal Hawks are a Long Island band that started off on TikTok.
They have a great voice and started a TikTok campaign. It was hugely successful on TikTok, attracted a lot of attention, and even got Jack Black to reply to several videos. They did this before going on tour, or releasing a single. Before they ever did a tour, they built up a following. You had to travel for many years in order to get your name out. This is a completely different world. You can also fail before you get to the front door.
Vinnie Amico And can make quite a lot of money from that platform. Advertisers will pay them money if they have a million hits on TikTok–often before they even go on their first road trip.
Jim Loughlin Growing up in the 1980s, I heard the tale of demos. You would go to a show and hand your demo to one of the men so they could hear it. The next thing you know you are living in Los Angeles, recording there. It was all about getting the demo to someone, then they make the record and you sell a lot. Then you head out to promote the record.
Vinnie Amico And you would make an MTV Music Video.
Jim Loughlin When moe. When I first began, my mentality was to just have fun. You can play anywhere. You can play anywhere. Grab the gig. It didn’t matter that we took it all.
It is fascinating to watch the Generation X boys who first started thinking about music back in the 80s, then moved on to playing in the 90s. They are still active today. It’s amazing to see how the landscape has changed over time.
Our live shows have always been the most important thing for us. This has been the foundation of our business and how we measure ourselves. It is how we see how others are doing. This has always been how we gauge the progress of things.
Vinnie AmicoThis program teaches you how to make a great band and play in front of people every night. There will be shitty nights and great nights. But that all changes with time. You may only get one shitty night in your life, but the majority of nights are excellent.
It’s not a good idea to practice in the garage, making videos or stuff. Then you have to play in public. It is a great way to learn and it also helps you be a better musician.
High Times – Where do you get a lot creatively?
Jim Loughlin I take inspiration from all things. There’s something for everyone, from Indian music to pop music.
High Times – How is cannabis part this process?
Jim Loughlin When I was young, all of my friends smoked marijuana. We did that. My room was our meeting place. We got up and started listening to music. We would pass the album cover around to everyone so they could see the liner notes.
It was just a group of children getting high while listening to music. It was much more than that. We had a great time every time.
It’s possible to let go of your brain and accept new things. When you’re a little high, music hits you differently sometimes–especially back when we were younger, and getting high was a new thing. When I do smoke it, I only use it to help me sleep and relax. Even though I write songs or record at home, it’s only for a few hits. Things just flow better.
Vinnie AmicoIn my experience, listening over and over to music was how I learnt a lot as a youngster. My room was full of people who were stoned. I would sit in silence and listen to music with headphones, and learned a lot.
My first gig as a musician was in the early days of my career. I can’t recall ever being so high when I got onstage. Before I started playing, I smoked marijuana. Smoking pot definitely makes you feel more relaxed and freed up your mind. You’re less anxious when playing and you’re not so focused on making mistakes.
In my 50s I have stopped smoking and am now more interested in the recreational hobby of growing marijuana and giving away all that I grow. While it is still an important part of creativity, the fun of growing weed with your own plants has diminished.
High Times – Are you more Indica or Sativa guys?
Jim Loughlin I’m Indica. Sativa is not something I want to smoke anymore. It’s what makes me anxious and paranoid, and it also causes me to look over my shoulder. As it is, I prefer to be calm and relaxed. Sativa is just so wrong for me now. I still get that 8th-grade feeling, “Everybody is looking at me, man.”
Vinnie Amico : I agree with Jim. But for me, it just depends on how many cigarettes I smoke and if I get a huge hit that causes my cough to go crazy. When that happens I will need to run from people, as I won’t be able deal with it.
Indica is much more effective at night because you can rest assured that you will be able sleep.
This summer I grew a Sativa as part of my garden. The Indica isn’t scary or paranoid, but it does give me a clean high. This is the middle part of the spectrum.
Jim Loughlin I can swear for Vin’s Inica [ laughter].
High Times – Are there any plans to record new music and tour?
Jim Loughlin Our tour is our first in nearly three years. Chuck [Garvey] is back which is huge. It was strange to play without Chuck [Garvey]. It was like I had lost my limb, but it felt like I could still feel it.
Playing again, and playing lots–the shows are really great. Everyone is showing up. Chuck has returned to the stage and everyone’s excited that they’re back. It has been amazing.
Nate Wilson, who is also a new member of the band, adds a fresh flavor to the mix. It’s really exciting to have something different after doing this for 30 years. It’s exciting to see where it all goes and what the end result will be.
Vinnie Amico Next year will be full of shows, rehearsals, and getting the band in its groove again. So next year we plan on recording and writing new music.
Chuck’s presence is a great help and makes the band feel whole. Nate adds an additional aspect to improvisation so that our ears can hear a fresh, new sound and be able to collaborate. It’s a wonderful time.
For tickets and information , follow @moetheband on Twitter at http://moe.org
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