Warmer weather in Durango means the patios of restaurants and venues around town again are open for dining and music.
Moe’s is no exception. The Friday Afternoon Club concert series kicked off last week and will continue throughout the summer.
This afternoon’s guests are The Moetones, a band whose name is completely coincidental to the bar at which they are playing. The Moetones are a Montezuma County band representing the growing Mancos/Dolores/Cortez roots rock scene playing original music in the alterna-country and the punk-abilly form.
They sometimes are a trio and sometimes a quartet; a Chuck Taylor-wearing garage band that may channel the Beat Farmers or Richard Hell while remaining true to the simple rock ’n’ roll formula of up-tempo blues-based music veering toward the country band the Stones wanted to be and the punk band the Sex Pistols were.
The Moetones are Moe Cooley on guitar and vocals, Tomoe Gozen on bass, Peter Ortego on drums and, sometimes, Justin Richert on guitar. Their six-song release “Lowbrow” came out last summer.
Cooley is a Texan, born in Houston, who spent decades in Austin. When he moved to the Cortez area four years ago, he was all but done with music, perhaps a victim of the cruel, compassionless and unpredictable business side of the industry.
And while Austin remains a great musical city and SXSW is a great festival, there comes a time when some people have just had enough.
Moving to Montezuma County, Cooley would have been happy jumping to the front- or back-porch approach to making music: low-key, no pressure and no business.
“When I moved here four years ago, I wasn’t expecting to play ever again. It was pretty much a sitting in the backyard picking with friends kind of a thing,” Cooley said. “Tomoe really wanted to play bass. She had musical training; I was surprised how fast she picked it up. We locked in with Peter, and the next thing you know, we’re actually trying to book gigs.”
As a songwriter, Cooley represents the music that has shaped millions: simple chord structure, catchy hooks and lyrics that are representative of stories everyone has lived or wished they had. It’s familiar. He straddles a fence between rock band leader and oddball folkie.
“I’m kind of a messed-up songwriter,” he said jokingly.
Musically, the Moetones are not genre-bending. They are not writing songs that will go out and change the world, start a movement or be the soundtrack for a protest. That’s fine, and that’s why it’s great. It’s rock music made just for the sake of making music, with as many originals as interesting covers. It’s a bonus that they’re so good.
“Musically, we’re all over the board,” Cooley said. “We’ll do George Jones, and turn right around and play the Sex Pistols.”
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s Best
Friday: Fundraiser for the Everyday Mural and the Dumpster Beautification Project with The RD Unit, Diabolical Sound Platoon and more, 6 p.m., $5, The Summit, 600 Main Ave., 382-2529.
Saturday: Reggae with Richie Spice, Bonfire Dub, DJ I-Gene and Emcee Rasta Stevie, 9 p.m., $20/$25, The Summit, 247-2324.
