Buffalo, NY based jamband moe. has toured throughout the U.S. and internationally. This year, moe. is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Through ups and downs, moe. serves as a cornerstone of their musical genre and has triumphantly been on the road in support of their recent studio release, "Circle of Giants". I recently caught up with Vinnie Amico (drummer) on location at People Fest in Hillsboro, WI.
Vinnie, hi, how has summer tour, or as moe. Instagram has now named it, the Dog Days of Summer Tour (a reference to the song “Letter Home”) been treating you and the band?
So far so good, we are just getting underway. We played a festival in Pennsylvania which was a lot of fun. We played our first gig with Eggy (New Haven, CT based) the other night, they’re freakin great, had them all up on the encore. We are just getting rolling here. We’ve got 4 shows in a row coming up then a day off then we have 5 shows next week.
How was moe.tana?
It was great, it is beautiful out there, pictures don’t do it justice. We’ve been playing at that venue for the last 3 years; it’s this little gem in the rough. A little dinky stage almost in the woods, but the vibe and the people, the views… there is just something about it, it’s awesome!
Did you do some outdoor recreation while out there?
We went to a watering hole that was amazing. The water was cold, but we had a blast with a lot of friends there. My daughter came in from the east coast, she ended up staying out for a few extra days and went to Yellowstone. I didn’t have the time so I missed out on Yellowstone unfortunately, I will be getting back there for sure.
On the road, do you ever get a chance to cook and do you have any new summer recipes?
I do every once in a while… I cooked when we were out on ski tour. Some friends of ours had a room with a kitchen so I got together and cooked for them. The other day I went to a friend’s BBQ. They smoked a bunch of meat and made a bunch of food. They had a phenomenal tomato garden, so they had tons of tomatoes and fresh basil. I ended up cutting up a bunch of tomatoes and made a nice caprese tomato salad, no mozzarella, but tons of fresh ingredients, homegrown tomatoes, olive oil, basil, a little balsamic, it was delicious!
The festival in PA was Bear’s Picnic that took place over Jerry Day weekend. What was it like playing that smaller festival and celebrating that weekend the music of Jerry Garcia?
It was a cool festival, pretty hippie festival with a very family-oriented vibe. I talked to a few people who have been going the whole time, it’s 20 years in. They have been doing it their own way the whole time. The response was great; the festival was very well run. Nice spot, hidden away, I really dug it.
The setlist included a cover of “West L.A. Fadeaway” and the “Other One”, very appropriate. With the current collaboration with Eggy, how did the encore of another Dead cover “Deal” with them come about?
Nate (Wilson, keys) wrote that setlist and we asked, hey, you guys want to play on Deal? That’s the process (laughs). We have known those guys for a while, we get along really well, so it’s like this song is on the list, do you want to play it? Yup, that is it (laughs).
How many shows are you playing with Eggy?
8 or 9…
Sounds like that collaboration will grow with the tour?
I think it absolutely will.
Moe. also played the Great South Bay Music Festival on Long Island, NY recently and collaborated with longtime colleagues Umphrey’s McGee. Can you talk about the history of the 2 bands connecting?
I don’t remember exactly how it started, but I do remember we got a tape of them playing “Rebubula” and we were like who are these guys and were psyched about it. Then we started playing Summer Camp (Music Festival) together and that may have been our first collaboration. As soon as we met them, we got along, and we have been playing together 25 or more years. The more we hang with them the more fun we have and the more we collaborate, the more we are like boom, we should go out on tour together. Be looking forward to something like that in the future, hopefully.
The collaboration with UM at Great South Bay seemed extra special since you played a cover of Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard.” How has Ozzy Osbourne influenced you and the music of moe.?
Me personally, one of the first albums I remember buying was “Blizzard of Oz.” I think I was in 7th grade, so I must have been like 12 years old so that is an early influence. As I got older, I got more into the Sabbath stuff, in college I played in a band that played a bunch of Sabbath songs. Moe. has always tinkered around playing some Black Sabbath. We did the Black Sabbath Halloween show (in 2021) which was so fun. Those songs are so great, it’s very inspirational to dive into them. We all come from a classic rock background so Black Sabbath and Ozzy (solo) have always been on everyone’s radar and in their back pocket because that is what was on the radio growing up.
My buddy dressed up as a bat vendor for that Black Sabbath Halloween show. He was handing out rubber bats for everyone to snack on.
(Laughs) That’s awesome!
It’s great to hear that Ozzy was such a huge figure and inspiration for you guys.
It’s wild as he got older and sicker his influence grew. He was a legend in the 80’s because of his behavior and the music of course, but I mean he became know because he was a freakin crazy man. All along he has been a great song writer and singer. It took for a new generation and a reality show on MTV to put him into legend status. People were made aware of Ozzy and what a kind soul he was, not just the Prince of Darkness.
I feel “The Wizard” song choice speaks towards the overlapping influence of moe. and the connection you have to UM.
Sure, right.
Over Labor Day moe. will be headlining the Adirondack Independence Music Festival in Lake George, NY, that seems to have become a summer tradition. What is it like celebrating that holiday weekend so close to home? Is that festival a sentimental replacement for moe.down?
For me it’s awesome, I live half an hour away so it’s really easy. It’s also a hometown show for me so my family goes, got a ton of friends there. The spot is beautiful, right on Lake George I can see the lake from the stage, and it has kind of has become a replacement for moe.down. We haven’t done moe.down in a few years, but Adirondack is right in our region, it’s got a lot of hometown fans and friends, great vibe, and it just seems to work.
On September 7th you play Bowl in the Pines in Sidney, ME with Gov’t Mule. What is moe.’s history collaboration with Mule and Warren Haynes?
Ever since I joined the band, it started in ’97 I remember meeting Warren at the fall version of High Sierra Music Festival. The bands that did the Summer Sessions tour were there. It was Stringcheese Incident, Galactic, Gov’t Mule and us. We played the same night as Mule and we hit it off right from the beginning with Warren. When we put together the Summer Sessions Tour in ’99 we played 6-8 weeks with them and developed quite a friendship. Warren plays moe. songs in his set and we play Mule songs (laughs), we actually nod to each other outside of collaborating which is pretty cool.
Do you have any onstage highlights playing with Warren?
Yeah, every single time for me. He is one of my favorite guitar players on the planet. He’s an awesome dude and we have become friends over time. Every time he steps on stage it makes the band better. We have a blast listening to him, communicating with him, all of it. He just played with us in Syracuse, NY, played “No Quarter” (Led Zepplin) with us and it was freakin sick! It was the first time we played that song with him.
Gov’t Mule is my favorite Warren Haynes project because of the rock n roll sound. That sound is also a big reason I am a moe.ron.
That’s awesome man, power trio, nothing like it.
Soon after ME, moe. is heading to Las Vegas, NV for SCI’s Bender Jamboree. Including Stringcheese, there are a lot of great bands playing at that festival. Do you anticipate any collaborations while there?
I have not been to that event yet so I am not sure who will be there when we are that Thursday. If our friends are there when we are we will try to get them up on stage with us, I wouldn’t count it out…
Or does what happen in Vegas stay in Vegas?
(Laughs) Sure, yes.
Sandwiched into this very busy tour schedule is the September 5th performance at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ. Has moe. ever played that venue and what does it mean for you to return to New Jersey?
No, I don’t think we have ever played it. Jersey is definitely a stronghold for moe. since our formative years. Every time we play in New Jersey we have a great time. The fanbase there for us is awesome. Crowds are great, we see a lot of old friends who are really into moe. My daughter went to school there, at Drew University in Madison, NJ so I’m excited to be in Morristown, NJ, to be at the theater, since I have walked by it a bunch.
Fall ’25 tour for moe. is getting booked. There are show dates announced now until January ’26. What does it mean to you for the band to be so busy and to have so much current moe.mentum?
Over the last few years, we have had some hardships, some ups and downs… The fact that we are now going full steam ahead right now, firing on all cylinders, with everyone on board, management, the band and crew, for what we are trying to accomplish is fantastic. We are psyched to be out playing, building momentum trying to carry that into the future. We want to be doing this for as long as we can. We don’t have any alternatives, I think we are hitting a good stride, making good music and the fans are digging it so we just want to carry that on.
More information about moe., the upcoming 9/5/25 show at the Mayo Performing Arts Center (Morristown, NJ) and moe. Dog Days of Summer tour and upcoming fall tour can by found at moe.org.
PHOTOS BY CHRIS PAUL
