"Muscular guitar pop with room for rambling." - Rolling Stone

"moe. have evolved into a euphoric hurricane." - Blender Magazine

(New York, NY) -- STICKS AND STONES, the stellar new album from moe., features eight new songs that have never been performed live and two previously unreleased songs. Produced by the band and John Siket (Dave Matthews Band, Dispatch, Yo La Tango), who worked with the band on several of their critically acclaimed records, including DITHER (2001), STICKS AND STONES follows moe.'s release THE CONCH by just a year and will be released on moe.'s record label Fatboy Records on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. The album will also be available in limited edition vinyl; a first for moe. in this format.

STICKS AND STONES is a departure from the unique recording process moe. used on WORMWOOD (2003) and THE CONCH (2007) in which live rhythm tracks were combined with studio overdubs. Excluding "Conviction Song" and "All Roads Lead To Home", STICKS AND STONES was written entirely during the recording sessions. moe. formed in 1990 and this is the first time they have recorded an album of unheard, new material.

"The material differs quite a bit from THE CONCH and WORMWOOD which were largely cultivated from songs nurtured through live improvisation," says guitarist Al Schnier. "The songs that comprise STICKS AND STONES are much more straight, like many classic songs in the moe. canon, and have a roots rock quality to them, as opposed to the more progressive rock element of THE CONCH."

The usual moe. songwriting process starts by one band member bringing in the core of a song, the band learns and arranges it. The song is then performed live for at least a year. It morphs through many tweaks and edits and then one day it finally gets recorded. Not so on STICKS AND STONES.

moe. rented an old church in the mountains of New England and brought their own recording gear. The idea was to create a unique, comfortable situation that was conducive to creativity.

"We wrote & recorded the bulk of the album in about three weeks," says Schnier. "The songwriting was largely collaborative, whereas in the past it had been much more singular."

"When you work on something for a few years it ends up getting compromised from its original intent," adds bassist Rob Derhak. "Think of Van Gogh painting sunflowers for two years and everyone adding their opinions until the next thing you know he's painted dolphins, that's not to say that the dolphins aren't great, but they aren't sunflowers."

"The excitement for us is that we pulled it out of thin air while still working on the arrangements," says guitarist Chuck Garvey. "This album is very raw and not over thought. It's made up of our first instincts - which is not what you get when you play songs for a year or two and then record them."

Taking the songs to album first, rather than taking them right on the road, allows us to hear moe. for the first time before the material develops into Olympian jam classics. The band's influences are apparent, and yet moe.'s sound has matured over the past seventeen years into their own uniquely distilled fine mash.

With ten songs clocking in at just under forty-one minutes, STICKS AND STONES is moe.'s most concise recording to date. Various overdubs and final mixing were done at the world-renowned Allaire Studios in the Catskills. Mastering was handled by the legendary and Grammy Award winning Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Beck, Pearl Jam).

Guest musicians include Cornmeal's Allie Kral playing violin and viola on "Cathedral", "Conviction Song", "September" and "Raise A Glass". Emilio China also played violin on "Cathedral". Friends Umphrey's McGee added backing vocals to "Raise A Glass", and Nadine Lafond lends additional vocals on several songs.