Four years ago to the month, New York-based jam band moe. had scheduled a three-night Ski Tour run at the Egyptian Theatre.
Then the coronavirus shut everything down.
“That was very disappointing for many reasons,” said guitarist Al Schnier. “Unlike many bands who exist as a touring band only when it comes up in their schedule as needed in an album cycle, we just sort of tour all of the time.”
Since that year, the band — Schnier, guitarist Chuck Garvey, drummer Vinnie Amico, bassist Rob Derhak and percussionist Jim Loughlin, along with the official addition keyboardist Nate Wilson — had been working to bring the Ski Tour back to Park City.
Fans will see and hear the fruits of that labor next week, when moe. returns for five nights, March 6 through March 10, to the Egyptian Theatre.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Schnier said. “Touring is the primary thing we do. It’s the main way we connect with our fans, share our music and perform for an audience. It’s also a way band members largely coexist with each other.”
Coexist doesn’t fully explain the bond shared by the band’s three core members — Schnier, Garvey and Derhak — who began playing together in 1989.
“You can imagine after 34 years of that much time together, we have gotten to know each other so well,” Schnier said. “We’re very much like family to the point where you know everybody’s habits and inclinations. We also know who are morning people, and who are night people. And we know what foods they like or whether they are organized or not.”
Those tidbits also apply to the context of creating music together, according to Schnier.
“We’re very much like the old couple who finish each other’s sentences,” he said.
Still, 34 years hasn’t been all creating music and touring.
Garvey suffered a stroke in 2021, just on the heels of Derhak’s battle with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2017, Schnier said.
“Rob’s cancer really shook our world,” he said. “For me, personally, it scared the crap out of me. It completely freaked me out, because I didn’t know what was going to happen with Rob and his family. I didn’t know how that would affect myself and my family.”
Schnier began to feel better shortly after the diagnosis, because doctors came up with a prognosis and a plan.
“There was treatment and progress, and there wasn’t anything for us to do, other than be faithful, lean on that process and remain positive,” he said.
The band’s fans also made a difference in Derhak’s recovery.
“The positivity that they shared and gave us during that time was amazing,” he said.
Derhak announced he was cancer free by the end of the year, and his situation had kind of prepared his bandmates for the stroke thatt would happen to Garvey, who was able to return to the band last year, according to Schnier.
“When we got to the situation with Chuck, it had the same sort of impact, except there was this huge unknown,” he said. “We didn’t know what the prognosis was or what the treatment would be or if he would ever recover and return to playing with us.”
Regardless of those uncertainties, the band rallied behind Garvey like it did with Derhak.
“We were all hands on deck,” Schnier said. “We spent time with Chuck and his wife, did everything we could to be part of the rehab process to help encourage him along.”
Schnier says the band as a whole is “stronger and more resilient” after going through those experiences.
“Let’s hope this is the last time, because we’ve been through a lot,” he said. “Now, we can get back to work, which was what we’ve been doing the past year, and it feels so good.”
While Schnier and his bandmates have a lot to be grateful for, he often marvels when he looks back on the past three-and-a-half decades.
“You know, there was never a time when we thought we’d be doing this 34 years from when we got together, but I will say there was never a time that we didn’t think it was possible,” he said. “I think part of it is being an independent band and the working-class band that we are, so we don’t set our sights on anything further out a couple of months or, maybe, a year down the road. We would set these goals and objectives, and push the boulder up the hill.”
By taking one goal at a time, the tasks seemed “tangible and realistic,” Schnier said.
“I’ve always told people that if you can run a mile, you can run a marathon,” he said. “Sure, you will need training, but it’s really running one mile 26 times.”
For Schnier, playing guitar for the past 34 years is his long-distance race.
“Before I picked up the guitar, I had played piano for years, and it was all classical music,” he said. “That wasn’t fun for me. I like rock music, and my piano teacher didn’t teach me rock music. And when you’re a kid listening to rock music in your bedroom, it’s so much fun to pick up a tennis racquet and jump around on your bed. So, the guitar seemed like the likely thing to do.”
In hindsight Schnier said he should have spent more time developing some chops on the bass and drums.
“But when it comes down to it, I’m pretty happy as a guitar player,” he said. “I’ve been able to up my game because of the kind of band we are. We’ll go into a live setting with something only roughly mapped out, and not rehearsed and try it on stage.”
In addition to taking the Ski Tour back onto the road, moe. has been working on new music, Schnier said.
“We’ve been writing and performing new songs, and we have some recording time built into the calendar,” he said. “We’re also talking about release dates and all of that kind of stuff. So, yes, there is a new album very much on the horizon.”