Robert Derhak, also known simply as Rob, is the

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

player and a founding member of the American

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts and live albums substantially feature improvisational "jam session, jamming". Typically, jam bands will play variations of pre-existing songs, extending them to musical improvisation, improvise ove ...

moe.

History

Derhak's earliest known time performing as a member of a band was on Halloween 1989, playing at a party with guitarist Chuck Garvey and a drummer named Ray Schwartz. He officially formed a band with Garvey, Schwartz, and others, in the Winter of 1990, calling themselves "Five Guys Named Moe", after the

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

song. They played several shows in the

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

area. By the fall of 1990 the band was officially called moe., with the full stop being added the following year. Derhak went to college at State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY) where the band moe. was solidified. Derhak was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer in July 2017, prompting moe to go on indefinite hiatus to allow time for his treatment. Derhak was declared cancer-free in December 2017 which coincided with moe. announcing a 2018 return to live performance. Moe returned to the stage at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester NY on February 2, 2018 and have since resumed a regular touring schedule.

Side projects

Besides his full-time job in moe., Derhak was also a member of Ha Ha the Moose, a band with fellow moe. members Garvey and Jim Loughlin (drums). The band's name comes from a saying of Derhak's son, Eddie, about a

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. The band has only played a handful of shows between 2000 and 2008, most of which were in the Northeastern part of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Ha Ha The Moose has also played at Summercamp and most recently at moe.down IX, where they briefly sat in with The PMG and played an unannounced late night set after moe.'s third set on Saturday, August 30 (actually the early hours of Sunday, August 31). In 2003 Derhak teamed up with several members of Assembly of Dust, including Andy Herrick (drums), Adam Terrell (guitar) and Nate Wilson (keyboards). The group called themselves "Swampdonkey" and performed also exclusively in the Northeastern United States, playing several shows at the Alehouse in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, at moe.down IV, and finally at the Revolution Hall in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

References

moe.Links FAQOfficial moe. webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derhak, Rob American rock musicians 1968 births Living people People from Whitestown, New York Guitarists from New York (state) 20th-century American bass guitarists