via 98.9 WCLZ

moe. will play a two-night run at Portland, ME’s State Theatre this weekend, and a few of the band’s members dropped by local radio station 98.9 WCLZ recently to preview the shows with a few acoustic tunes—including a brand new original—and a brief interview, in which they discussed their recent hiatus due to bassist Rob Derhak’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

Derhak was joined by his bandmates and guitarists Chuck Garvey and Al Schnier for the radio spot, which started out with acoustic renditions of “St. Augustine” and “What Can I Say”—the latter of which was just debuted at moe.’s return-from-hiatus show at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY—and rounded out with “Spine of a Dog.”

For the interview portion, with the trio discussed how they all had taken the time during the hiatus to do some songwriting and hold band rehearsals (somewhat rare for the veteran touring group), reflected in the four debut originals revealed throughout their two-night run at The Cap. “You’re welcome,” Derhak joked about providing the reason for the break. The chat also covered Garvey and Schnier’s shows with Matt Butler’s Everyone Orchestra and the band’s performance with Phil Lesh at LOCKN’ Festival 2017, with Derhak revealing the fact he had a remote-control car equipped with a camera that he drove around the LOCKN’ stage from his home in Maine, just to keep an eye on his bandmates.

“I was trying to stay away from Phil,” Derhak notes. “I didn’t want him to trip on it and break his hip or something. That would’ve been the worst. While I was watching these guys, I was driving my car around, trying to torture people.” Garvey and Schnier also discuss how they kept their collaboration with Lesh open to last-second changes, like when Lesh called an audible and motioned for a new solo section near the beginning of opening song “Box of Rain.” 

Listen below. moe. play Portland’s State Theatre this weekend, February 16–17.