Giving you moe.

New York jam-rockers celebrate 20 years

'No one's ever heard of us, until you hear of us. Then, all of the sudden, we're everywhere," jokes Al Schnier, guitarist for moe., on the phone from his home in Utica, New York.

"It suits us well and it suits our fans just fine. We can still come into your town and fill out a 2,500-seat theater, and go completely unnoticed by the press and by radio, and we've been doing it for 20 years. Even bands with songs on the radio can't do that, a lot of the times."

Moe. is one of those rock band anomalies that's all over plenty of folks' radars, just not "the radar." Formed in 1990 in Buffalo, N.Y., moe. quickly jumped to the forefront of the rising progressive jam scene, along with groups such as Widespread Panic and Phish.

Anchored by the slap-happy bass leads of Rob Derhak and dual guitarists Schnier and Chuck Garvey, the band's whimsical lyrics belied the complex intricacies of their multipart songs and epic build-ups.

Two decades into their communal craft, moe.'s sound and songwriting have matured noticeably. "Sticks and Stones," the 2008 studio release, is a concise, 10-song collection of tight-knit rock songs. Most contain the potential for extensive live exploration, but also fit the three-and-a-half minute pop mold. Still, radio airplay has eluded the band throughout its career.

"It's not as if we're opposed to (radio), but it's not something we're necessarily pursuing either," says Schnier. "That part of the recording industry is so fraught with scammers and back-handed favors. We just don't know the secret handshake, and it's not worth our time to even fake it."

When moe. took last fall off from touring, its first such break in 20 years, rumor had it that the group might be splitting up or taking a hiatus.

"We didn't know exactly when we were going to pick up again, and couldn't say anymore because we didn't know anymore. We weren't trying to create some kind of mystery," says Schnier. "Our fans started using the 'H' (hiatus) word."

But moe. returned in 2009 at full force, touring consistently throughout the year. Schnier promises that 2010 will bring an even heavier touring schedule, in celebration of their anniversary.

"We've got several destination events planned," says Schnier. This September, they hosted the 10th annual Moe.Down, a major three-day music festival in upstate New York that attracts thousands of moe. fans (called 'moe.rons') from around the country.

Among those in attendance at Moe.Down last month were a pair of Burmese monks who have become Schnier's close friends.

"It's a crazy story of worlds colliding and people connecting, and there's a moe. fan in the middle of the whole thing," he says.

A friend of Schnier's traveled to Burma in 2007 and befriended a monk who explained the dangers the nation's Buddhist monks faced under the military dictatorship. After their two-hour conversation, the friend passed the monk, U Agga, his card and offered his help. Months later, on vacation in Mexico, the friend got a call from a distressed U Agga, desperately trying to escape to Thailand.

A few months later, U Agga was Schnier's neighbor in Utica. At Moe.Down, he danced for the first time in his life.

"The monks are such a positive influence on everyone they meet," says Schnier. "It's such a great presence."

Don't count on dancing monks to show up Saturday at the Music Farm, but moe.'s presence will surely be welcomed back in town, they're first visit since 2004.

"We're in that 30 to 40 degree range up here right now," says Schnier. "I just can't wait to get down there."

If you go

Who: moe.

When: Saturday, 8 p.m.

Where: The Music Farm, 32 Ann St., downtown.

Cost: $25 in advance at www.etix.com, all Cat's Music and Monster Music locations. $30 the day of the show.

Hear the Music: www.moe.org.

Info: 577-6989, www.musicfarm.com.