Exclusive: moe. drummer Vinnie Amico on Buffalo sports, upcoming plans & more

By Darren Paltrowitz

Modified May 10, 2019 02:30 GMT

Founded in 1990, moe. carved a niche for themselves with a distinct blend of Americana, melodic turns, clever songwriting, and jam band ethics. Members Vinnie Amico (drums), Rob Derhak (bass/vocals), Chuck Garvey (guitar/vocals), Jim Loughlin (percussion/vibes) and Al Schnier (guitar/vocals) have built a dedicated following through their extensive touring and musical output.

moe.down -- the New York band's namesake festival, now scheduled for its 17th edition -- officially kicks off moe.'s summer touring season. The band will team up with jam titans Blues Traveler on the co-headline All Roads Runaround Tour, as presented by SiriusXM JamON. The summer run will showcase one set from each band plus a very special collaborative set each night. Special guest G. Love will join as support.

I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with moe. drummer Vinnie Amico, and a few questions from that interview are below, exclusive to Sportskeeda. For tour dates and more information on moe., please visit www.moe.org.

If I've done my research correctly, you grew up in Upstate New York and went to SUNY Buffalo. Are you still a fan of the Bills and/or Sabres?

Vinnie Amico: I am still a fan of the Bills and the Sabres, although I haven’t really paid much attention to hockey because the Sabres have not been good for quite some time.

The Buffalo area has spawned a lot of major recording artists, yet there isn't much of a "Buffalo scene" that I'm aware of. Did moe. have a lot of run-ins with the Goo Goo Dolls or Billy Sheehan in years' past?

Vinnie Amico: Not really. We did record an album at the Goo Goo Dolls' studio a few years back and Robby [Takac] was there a few times, so we hung out and talked a bit.

What was the last live sporting event you attended?

Vinnie Amico: Buffalo Bills vs. the Raiders at New Era Stadium. We smoked them.

Have you ever been part of a national anthem performance at a sporting event?

Vinnie Amico: Never.

Sports aside, what does the near-future look like for moe.?

Vinnie Amico: moe. has a busy summer, starting with Summercamp Music Festival, the Red Rocks in Colorado, then moe.down, then an extensive summer tour with Blues Traveler.

Finally, Vinnie, do you have a career accomplishment you are proudest of?

Vinnie Amico: Getting to play music as my career is a major accomplishment. I have also gotten to play with many of my musical idols/influences. And I’ve gotten to play at many of my dream venues, where I grew up seeing concerts and dreaming of being on those stages.