Thirty-five years ago, a posse of University of Buffalo-based musician-friends got together to play music. Out of freewheeling sessions bursting with bold, genre-defying creativity and tongue-in-cheek humor, a 6-headed monster named moe. emerged.

Decades later, moe.’s tireless work ethic, DIY resourcefulness, infectious songwriting, and highly-engaged fanbase—the Famoe.ly—have enabled the sextet to earn a successful career. Yet, the guys have never rested on their laurels as “jam band pioneers.” They average 100 shows per year, and regularly release vital new music, including the band’s latest album, Circle of Giants (ATO), its 13th release.

Circle of Giants was nearly complete when bassist/vocalist Rob Derhak’s 25-year-old son tragically passed away. The album reflects the band’s resilience, channeling their grief into a collection that brims with grace, humor, and musical brilliance. Creatively invigorated by the addition of keyboardist Nate Wilson to the full-time lineup, moe. has created a milestone album while processing an unfathomable loss.

“Making this record started off very joyfully, but then we experienced a severely traumatic event. The way through the darkness was to do what we do—make music,” says guitarist/vocalist Al Schnier.

moe. is a brotherhood, featuring Derhak, Schnier, guitarist/vocalist Chuck Garvey, drummer Vinnie Amico, percussionist/vibraphonist Jim Loughlin, and keyboardist Nate Wilson. The six-piece band came up in the primordial pouch of the early jam band scene, alongside Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic, and Phish.

Lauded by American Songwriter for its “mind-bending musicality,” moe. is beloved for its sonic adventurousness, unbridled showmanship, and its witty and insightful songwriting. NYS Music has said: “moe. has redefined what’s possible within the genre, leaving a lasting impact and challenging listeners to rethink the limits of musical expression.”

Since releasing its foundational album, Fatboy, in 1992, moe. has issued a vast and varied series of now-classic records. Select studio album highlights include 1998’s Tin Cans & Car Tires; 2004’s Wormwood; 2007’s The Conch (which reached #1 on Billboard’s “Heatseekers” chart); and 2012’s critically-acclaimed What Happened To The La Las.

moe. has undertaken innumerable headline tours. Played international festival sets from Bonnaroo to Japan’s famed Fuji Rock. And performed on music-themed cruises, and at sold-out shows alongside the Allman Brothers Band,  members of the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, and The Who, among others. In addition, moe. has both promoted and headlined at multiple festivals of its own, including snoe.down and moe.down.

In the past few years, the band’s mettle has been tested when two of its founding members battled life-threatening illnesses. Derhak triumphed over nasopharyngeal cancer, and Garvey bounded back from a stroke.

Much of Circle of Giants was written during COVID lockdown after the health scares, but before Derhak’s son’s passing. The recording sessions were enhanced by Wilson, the new guy, who initially came onboard to fill out the sound while Garvey recovered from his stroke. Wilson came to the sessions bursting with inspiration, savant-level musicianship, and a brace of songs.

With fresh blood and no shortage of new material, the guys went into Tank  Recording Studio in Burlington, Vermont with longtime recording engineer Ben Collette (Phish, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, Snarky Puppy). It was during those the sessions that Derhak’s son took his own life. “My wife and I made a decision to be honest and open up a dialogue about mental illness to benefit others who may be contemplating taking their lives,” Derhak says.

As a creative catharsis, moe. reconvened at Derhak’s barn studio after the Tank Studio sessions. There, they recorded more tracks, one being Wilson’s song “Giants.” A powerful series of synchronicities involving Garvey playing the New York Times’ Wordle, the song “Giants,” and a dream Derhak had about his late son inspired the album name, Circle of Giants.

The record brazenly opens, lunging forward with “Yellow Tigers,” a song brimming with swaggering, blues-rock riffs, and dazzling wah-wah drenched guitar solos. The slinky, Latin-flavored “Bat Country” comes complete with airy flute, a Santana-styled vamp, and dexterous guitar soloing. “Bat Country” was written before Derhak’s son’s passing, but it lyrically mixes fiction and true elements of Derhak’s son’s painfully complicated life.

The Schnier song, “Band In The Sky,” is an uplifting and expansive mid-tempo track with a fantastical escapist narrative inspired by Douglas Adams’ counterculture gem, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The breezy, harmony-laden “Ups And Downs” speaks directly to the band’s hardships over the past few years.

Circle of Giants concludes with the imaginatively-arranged, “Living Again,” a Schnier song with a fictionalized vignette about a single mom. “Living Again” was written around the time of the iconic album, The Conch, and this is the first time it has been officially recorded. The song’s back half features nuanced group improvisation which washes together into a huge tidal wave of sound.

Up next, moe. is finally able to enjoy its 35th anniversary, albeit a year late. “It feels good to celebrate after the amount of shit we’ve been through,” Dehrak says with a good-natured laugh. Schinier adds: “We have always found our way forward because we have each other.” Garvey concludes: “It’s this brotherhood and our extended moe. family that always gets us through.”