Moe Greene – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.
RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow performers. Who do you admire in your community, and why?
MG: Wow, where do I begin? The local music community is a close-knit group of individuals who are very supportive and who truly care about each other. One of the Juicer’s first performances was a popular Halloween bash at Pauly’s Hotel in Albany. This show was organized by Pauly Tangarone from the band Society High, and many of the local bands wanted to be part of it. With the help of Kip Finck, I was put in contact with Pauly, and although our band was relativily unknown, he was nice enough to include us in the lineup. That lineup included Society High, Black Cat Elliot, along with Brother T and the boys, all of whom put on very impressive performances and have been very supportive of our band.
RRX: Our style comes from the extension of our influences. It’s like an evolution. We’re influenced, and it inspires us to influence. What can you say about your influences, and what you feel you’ve done with their influence as a musician or band? Have you extended their work?
MG: Over time, music has a way of penetrating your soul. It has a way of connecting time to memories and emotions. After decades of listening to and playing music, I feel like I have absorbed some of the style, tone and techniques of those musicians. Of course, I know who those musicians are, but I get a big kick out of someone who can listen to my music and decipher who my influences are. I can’t speak to me influencing anyone or to me extending anyone else’s work for that matter, but some of the names that have come up in conversation are Clutch, Primus, Frank Zappa and Neil Young. Clearly my soul has been exposed.
RRX: Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Or so they say. Whether you’re off the wagon, on it, or never been, there’s something you got a thirst for. What are some of your basically harmless vices?
MG: Anyone who knows me is well-aware of my lust for fishing. Whether its drifting for stripers on the Hudson, wetting a line in a local trout stream, casting for smallies in lakes and ponds, trolling for king salmon in the Great Lakes, or deep-water ice fishing for lakers, fishing has always been my Zen. My uncle turned me on to fishing when I was a kid, and its always been a big part of my life. It creates a state of consciousness that is intuitive, spontaneous, fearless and even loving. Fish On!
RRX: In the musical world, there are many supporting players. Recording engineers, sound techs, cover art designers. Who are three people that support the craft that you would like to shine a spotlight on?
MG: So true, and what would we do without them? For starters, I’d like to shine the light on my brother Dave Mercier who designed all six album covers for The Whinin’ Boys (my other project which features the music of Hot Tuna), as well as the new album cover for Moe Greene & The Dive Bar Juicers. Give him an idea about what you’re trying to convey, sit back and watch the talent ooze out of him.
Next on the list would be our recording engineers. Lucas Radtke from Wurst Studio in Vooheesville, NY, recorded all of the original material from the Moe Greene project starting back in June of 2023. In just under a year we laid down all the tracks for twenty-three original songs. It was my first time in the studio for a project of this size, and Lucas did a great job of guiding us through the process and capturing the feel of all the songs.
Arthur Scott Verner from DMS in Clarksville, NY is another local gem. Arthur has been at it for most of his life and has been working with my partner Jeff Gonzales for some thirty-five years. He mixed all of The Whinin’ Boys material, and over the past few months, he’s been the guy putting all of the final touches on the Juicer’s songs as well. It’s an honor to be able to work with such fabulous talent.
RRX: Tell me about your most recent song, album, or video (you pick.) Tell me a story about what went into making it. Not a process, but a cool story that took place within the process.
MG: On our soon-to-be-released album Where Did It All Go Wrong? there is a song called “South Skunk Beach.” The song originated from a chat with a friend about her vacation in Virginia Beach. While vacationing, she regularly expressed her displeasure with what she called a “biblical plague of skunks.” “Everywhere we go, we smell skunks; sitting on our balcony, walking on the beach, out to dinner.” Eventually she figured it out. Smoking marijuana had recently been made legal, and in Virginia Beach everyone was now partaking in the stinky pleasure. “Honey, those aren’t skunks you’re smelling.”
RRX: Is there a song you wrote that really died on the vine? Something you all like but somehow just couldn’t make it work. You swear never to play it live, that sort of thing?
MG: During COVID I wrote a song called “You Look Better With Your Mask On.” It was another hard-driving rocker which we recorded during our last session at Wurst Studio. It’s a song about that very attractive woman who, after you got to know her, was not at all what you had anticipated. We performed it live a few times and it went over well, but it just didn’t have the vibe I was looking for. One evening while I was rehearsing with my duo, Moe & Shows, I decided to give it more of a Reggae feel. Now it exists in the universe where it belongs. I’m hoping to get the band back in the studio to re-record it. Hopefully it will get releaed on our next album.
