A little less than a week back, I went down to the Historic Ashland Armory to check out the moe. show with special guest Orgone. It was a great night filled with excellent musicianship, and I was excited to be there. I hadn’t seen moe. in concert before and from what I read about them online, their live performances are the icing on the cake for moe.‘s family of fans.
I got there about 7:30pm, just in time for Orgone‘s last two songs. I had heard a lot about these artists, was looking forward to checking them out, and was kind of sad I didn’t get there earlier. With a soulful singer and vibrant collection of players, Orgone definitely knows what funky booty shakin’ good times are all about. Their wicked horns, rocking keys & guitar, deep groovin’ bass, tight percussion, and sultry vocals kept the crowd and I on our dancing feet! The music of Orgone was a perfect way to start out the night.
After Orgone completed their set, I looked around and could tell that moe. and Orgone both had a very loyal following of fans. Most people huddled in the beer pit or went outside while we all waited for moe. to take the stage. From their posts on Facebook, I knew that moe. would be playing 2 full sets and hopefully an encore as well. It felt strange to me to be at the show so early because most headliners start things out around 10pm or so. That strangeness turned into curiosity as I thought about what lay in store that evening. A little bit later, the crowd lights dimmed and the stage lights flared. It was time for moe.
I had come down earlier in the day to help out with production and saw the big lighting columns and expensive lights that moe. had brought with them. Now, as moe. began their set, that heavy stage lighting came to life beautifully. So beautifully in fact that I made sure to turn my flash off so I could capture the extreme visuals that swirled around the room. I do believe that the images I captured during this show could be some of my most dramatic work yet. Therefore, right here and now I want to thank the lighting wizard who organized and directed the setup. It was MAGNIFICENT!!!
Just like the lights, the music moe. conjured up on stage was nothing short of amazing. To me, their music sounded a lot like Phish, very tight and organized while still maintaining an improvisational jam oriented style. The guitar work was off the charts and I mean OFF THE CHARTS! I also liked how each of the three front men took turns with lead vocals, widening the range of their tunes. Solid booming bass lines, intricate melodic percussion, and serious drum beats backed it all up, meshing perfectly into a unique rock and roll sound.
The clincher for me was how moe. was always able to bring it back, spot on at a moment’s notice, after they had traveled off, way out there, into the great musical abyss, showing their instrumental mastery and love for experimental jams. Truly masters of their craft, moe. excited and delighted everyone in the room that night in a huge way. I definitely hope to catch them in the act again the next time they come around the Rogue Valley.
Please check out the beautiful gallery of images I captured at the show HERE.
Super BIG Thanks to JMAX Productions for having me on board for this event and for continually bringing World Class Musicians to Southern Oregon and Beyond!!!
Much Love, More Strength, and Massive Respect…
♥ BOOM ♥
