Moe.
Moe. is an American rock band.
One of their biggest influences is Frank Zappa.
"The early repertoire – a convergence of punk and new wave, classic rock and pop, with eccentric notes drawn from Frank Zappa and Steely Dan – provides a crucial clue to moe.’s eventual stock in trade: quizzical, tightly-constructed songs refracted through compelling, extended improvisation. “We were all fans of musicianship and good songwriting,” Chuck explains. “The one consistent factor was that we all really liked Frank Zappa,” Rob adds. “His ideal sort of modeled what we wanted to do. That’s what we were emulating, in our own way.”[1]
"Zappa was the rock guy who plastered classical, highbrow, blues, lowbrow, reggae and god knows what else into a style that was uniquely his own. Not only because of the juxtaposition of many diverse, seemingly unrelated styles, but also because of his strongly developed personal “signature” in compositions – rhythms and melodies that are heretofore unheard. And, they were typically performed at knuckle busting, blowtorch-to-the-head speed. His guitar tone and style are also immediately recognizable – honking, stinking, too-loud, delicate and flourishing, ornate, melodic, knuckle-dragging inspiration in every note. I believe his appeal ranges from the Academic highs, to the beer swillin’ lowbrows and everything in between. He also stood up to the PMRC, Tipper Gore and Right Wing Bullshit at large and was drug and alcohol free. Made everyone outside “Zappaworld” seem like an anachronistic afterthought with humor and talent out the wazoo." [2] - Chuck Garvey, reflecting on Zappa's 70th anniversary on December 21, 2010.
