Moe.Down!
It's finally here, the weekend we've all been waiting for is here. Moe.Down, three days of great vibes, music & hops. The stuff dreams are made of! I hope everyone has the absolute best time, this year is going to be great. I can't believe that this campaign began 9 months ago. I've had a lot of fun running (for Mayor)and meeting people throughout the country. This has been a blast! Now, hopefully with all of your support I can walk away from this years event "Mayor of Moe.ville". I will be posting again, early next week to let you all know how I faired in the election. Thanks to all of you, I might be posting an acceptance speech. Well, I've got to go pack. Have a Blast! I hope to see you there & remember what happened to that man who was suddenly given everything he ever wanted... He lived happily ever after...
---Top Hat
Hey Everybody!
YEAH!
2 Days! Count 'em 2 Days 'til the Moe.down, and if you don't think this Top Hat totin' Politician isn't excited, then your Crazy! This years Moe.down is going to be the absolute best. A great line-up, lots of heads & plenty of treats sure to make everyone happy will be in store.
The finalized line-up has been out & there are some great acts on the bill. I will definatly be in the concert area for some of my favorite acts, Here's a little preview of what I'll be catching at this years festivities:
Todd Pasternack will be playing at his record setting third Moe.down with his band Marlow. I am a big Seapods fan, having seen them countless times in my hometown. I will be in the Beer tent to watch Todd do his thing for The THIRD TIME!
Peter Prince & The Trauma Unit: A year or 2 ago a friend & I were talking to Peter Downstairs @ Valentines. We talked about all sorts of things in the music world & he gave us some great answers & anectodotes. Then we asked him why he still hadn't played a Moe.Down yet, He paused & said "You know thats a real good question...I better get those guys (moe.) on the phone & get myself on the bill". This year that comes to fruition, Peter opens the Main Stage on Sunday morning with his Moonboots & superhero Fueled Soul.
Lynch consists of Terry & Shannon Lynch from the now defunct Conehead Buddha. Buddha is another band that I always felt should play the Moe.down, but I guess that was not to be. Catch this brother/sister funk act in the Side Stage!
Reid Genauer was a founding member of Strangefolk, he left the group a few years ago and has taken his songwriting to the road with the Assembly of Dust.
Umphrey's McGee From what I've heard, this is a sick band, a must see on your Saturday afternoon.
They Might Be Giants have been bringing us they're strange songwriting for years, but strange can be oh so good!
The Flaming Lips I am very excited about the Lips appearance at the Moe.Down this year. Strong Songwriting with Strong music with one of the best visual stage show's out there make this punk outfit a must see.
I could go on talking about this years line-up for days, but I won't do that to your eyes. Remember when your at the Moe.down this year that Top Hat is the name. This is the most creative & successful campaign ever run for the Mayor of Moe.ville & I want to thank everyone for the outpouring support. I hope to have another commentary up before election day & I will definatly have one up after Moe.down. Thank you all & VOTE TOP HAT in 2003!
Until then,
I ask you to remember what happened to that man who was suddenly given everything he ever wanted... He lived happily ever after...
-Top Hat
Kickin� It With the Top Hat
8/7/03
Welcome back,
Last week was fantastic. I caught moe. twice, once in my hometown (@ K-Rock-a-thon) & again in Portland, Maine. The K-Rock-a-thon was a considerably small show with only about a thousand fans in attendance, but everyone there seemed to be in bright spirits even though it appeared that it was going to rain. The weather held out though & it assured everyone a good time. Moe. took the stage for a 2 hour set that featured a plethora of crowd favorites. "Moth>Timmy" was sick as was the Wormwood Jam of "Not Coming Down>Wormwood>Okayalright".
Just before the Altamont show, Rob Derhak was pulled over & ticketed on his way to the fairgrounds. Rob was treated unfairly & harrassed before they let him go. I unfortunatly understand how Rob feels. Just a week before I joined some friends on a swimming trip in Schoharie. As we drove down route 20, we were being followed by a cop named Officer Romano. We had done nothing wrong & were eventually pulled over in another town in another county by the PD. Romano claimed that we had "crossed the white line to the right" 4.5 miles back. He then wrote my friend a ticket. Then Romano pulled us out of the car and accused us of smuggling/selling/doing drugs. We repeatedly told him that we weren't into that & that we had nothing. So after being threatened, he searched us & the entire car. He searched every place imaginable & found ***SURPRISE*** NOTHING!!! The other Cop on the scene, Officer Dvorscak told my best friend, "You're parents & Uncle are ashamed of how you live your life". Why the hell did this cop feel it necessary to say something like that to my friend, at what turned out to be nothing more than a regular traffic stop. That is absolutly disgusting. The fuzz let us go after wasting an hour of our time. Rob I feel Your Pain, the sort of treatment in this town from the law is absolutely despicable. I wouldn't be suprised if they had conspired to take out all of the moe.rons who pass through this town. I assure all of you, if elected Mayor of Moe.ville that none of my police staff would ever harass anyone like this unless they were seriously provoked. It makes me sick how the law can try to take advantage of law abiding citizens. But anyway...
None of that could stop us from driving out to Maine & catching the free show @ Monument Square. I found Portland to be a pretty cool city, but I was a little depressed that I didn't see author Steven King @ the show. Moe. played a very impressive 2.5 hour set that featured AOD members Nate Wilson and Adam Terrell sitting in with moe. The Keyboards were so sick. Moe. again hit the crowd off with "Timmy". One thing I noticed at both shows is that, during the jam the band currently plays for that one, is that Robs thundering bass sounds just like the Bass-line from Micheal Jackson's "Billy Jean". When they play "Timmy" at the Moe.down, take a close listen to Rob. You'll here it Boo-doo-dah-doom-dee-doo-dat-um. "Timmy" also featured an incredible "The Other One" Jam with Al on Vocals. "Rise > Bring It Back Home > Rububula" finished out the set before we were hit off with a "Okayalright" encore. I then went to 25 cent draft night & hung out at the beach.
It's coming real quick, the 2003 Moe.down is almost here. I hope to get a few more posts up before then. It is going to be a fantastic time. The Campaign flyers are ready & so is my trusty Top Hat. Down with the clown, cuz Mr. Top Hat's phat. I'll see you all there Until then,
I ask you to remember what happened to that man who was suddenly given everything he ever wanted... He lived happily ever after...
-Top Hat
P.S.- I'd like to send out a special "FUCK YOU" to Officers Romano & Dvorscak!
7/18/03
Welcome back!
What a scorcher this summer has turned out to be, I hope it�s a sign of good things to come for this years Moe.Down. I�ve enjoyed the delightful weather by catching some great shows & partying with friends. I recently attended the Moe./Willie/Dead show in Vernon Downs (a short drive from Moe.ville) & it was a full day of classic music! As we parked in the lot, I tore into two 22�s & capped it off with a Smirnoff Ice. I then made my way down Shakedown Street to check out the Vendors. I could soon hear moe. Start their set inside so along with members of my campaign team from Albany. As I walked towards the gate I was called over by another person wearing a Top Hat. I went over to him & introduced myself & handed him a campaign flyer. The man responded with great joy, �You�re Mr. Top Hat too!?!�. When I told him I was, he said that he also goes by the same moniker. He was excited to see that I was making Good of the �Top Hat� name & was very supportive of my run for office. In fact Mr. Top Hat taught me a great trick that I will use every time I put my top hat on. He told me that I need to keep a rabbit in my hat like him & I would be on the road to success. It was great meeting the other Mr. Top Hat & listening to his words of wisdom, I am forever in his debt.
I then entered the show and was treated to the sweet sounds of
moe. Throughout the day I was approached by people from all over, they were very supportive of the run for mayor. I gave them all flyers & with the help of Rowdy Roddy Tommy we plastered the racetrack with flyers. Soon Willie Nelson hit the stage and he must have played every song in his whole catalog! Willie looked great & sounded just as good. He would later join the Dead for a few songs in the Dead�s first set including the classic �Big Boss Man�. Al also joined the Dead later in the night for 2 songs during the second set. It was a classic event.
The next stop on the Campaign tour is in my hometown at the Altamont Fairgrounds. It will be the second time in 2 years moe. will have played Altamont & this year features a great line-up that includes John Browns Body, The Figgs & my personal favorite Peter Prince. After that I�m on my way to Portland, Maine to catch the free show. I hope to see some of you there, If not have a great Summer & I�ll see you @ the Moe.down. Remember: If you�re gonna vote, then vote Top Hat!
Remember what happened to that man who was suddenly given everything he ever wanted... He lived happily ever after...
-Top Hat
P.S. Happy Birthday Justin!
6/08/03
Welcome Back!
Festival season is so close you can almost feel it! I'm looking very foward to this summer, I'm catching a bunch of great shows & I can't wait to get on the Campaign trail. I've already got my ticket for The Dead, Moe. & Willie at Vernon Downs. The Vernon Raceway is a big place, I've driven by it on occasion & I know that theres gonna' be ALOT of people there. I'm also planning on catching Moe. on July 31st in Portland, that's a free show & I encourage all of the Moe.ville citizens living in New England to attend this special performance. I will also be attending a wide variety of shows this summer spanning many genres. And of course I will be at the Grand-daddy of them all, the 2003 Moe.Down! Which brings me to this, I know alot of people will be attending this years festival for the first time, so I thought I'd help by writing this little "guide" to help ensure the best possible time for everyone.
Planning:
Many people usually come up with some sort of game plan before attending festivals, but I am living proof that this step is not necessary to ensure oneself a good time. When I attended the first Moe.Down I had fifteen minutes to pack my stuff & go. Seriously, due to an unexpected family emergency I had to leave the area for a few days, I hadn't planned on getting back until Saturday (which was the second day of the first Moe.down). But I got home around noon on Friday. Friday is also payday so I walked to work to pick up my check. On my way home my friend Justin pulled over & told me to get in the car because "We're going to the Moe.Down!", I got in & he drove me to my house & told me to pack my stuff quick. I ran to my room grabbed a bunch of clothes & threw them in my bookbag. Then I grabbed my Tye-Dye Comforter & pillow. Then I did something that would change the entire course of history, I grabbed a huge Top Hat with a Skull & Roses on it and placed it on my head. It was the official birth of Mr. Top Hat! I ran to the car & we took off. It was the quickest that I've ever prepared for a vacation, but it is proof that it can be done.
Now I know that this technique of preparation is not the "norm", but I am just simply stating you can have a great time without any planning going in to it at all. But for those of you looking for some more tips here you go:
Tent:
You really will want to bring one of these, because if it's a festival in upstate New York then you know it's gonna' probably rain once during the weekend. Investing in a good tent will be worth it in the long run for the regular festival-goer. You'll also want to bring a sleeping bag & pillow.
Clothes:
Bring clothes for all types of weather, Rain jacket, warm jacket, jeans, shorts, T-shirts, Long sleeve shirts, Sweaters, cute hippie dresses (if your a girl), Socks, Lots of Socks & at least 2 pairs of shoes. I forgot to bring an extra jacket to Moe. Down 2, so we drove 5 minutes down the road on Saturday to Boonville & I bought a warm flannel jacket at the strip mall. Here's a hint for all of you, to avoid having your clothes getting soaked due to a leaky tent, leave them in your car & change in your car. That way no one takes that awesome bootleg tee you got 6 years ago on tour & they stay nice & dry.
Food:
First of all if you're brining food, be cool & bring a cooler. Bring fruits & veggies (don't forget the dip). Peanut Butter, Jelly, Fluff, bread, Chips & snacks are all essentials. If you bring a grill to cook food remember that any meat you may want to cook could spoil over the course of the weekend.
Drinks:
Alcohol, you want to bring Alcohol! Bring your favorite beers, but remember that glass bottle are not allowed so bring canned beers. Now I have brought liquor to past Moe.Downs and many types of those spirits come in glass bottles, so what I did was keep the liquor in my tent/cooler and I made sure to carry it out with me on the way out.
You will also want to bring a gallon or 2 of water, remember we're 73% H2O, so you wanna keep hydrated. Soda & gatorade are also great drink ideas. DO NOT BRING MILK, it will spoil!
Money:
Just because you paid for you're ticket doesn't mean that's the only money you'll spend on the weekend. Ideally you'll want to go with at least $100, but I recomend bringing more. Remember to take into account Gas & Tolls, any other souvinir's that you may want to buy. Magic Hat beer went for $3.50 a pop last year just to give you a heads up on their price if you were planning on having a #9 weekend.
Misc.
Sun Glasses, Top Hats, Sunscreen, towel(s), lawn chair(s), a flag, plastic silverwear, paper plates, Sandals, camera, a radio, a cellphone for emergencies & a small first aid kit.
POT & other drugs:
Here's the official word from the .ORG:
* The sale of illegal drugs is strictly prohibited
* No illegal drugs or controlled substances
Even though drugs are not allowed you will more than likely be exposed to them at some point during the weekend. But for those of you who ignore these rules heres some facts. Buying pot or drugs at festiavls means you're probably payin festival prices, which in some cases can be very high and in others very low. The best way to assure you're not getting ripped off is to bring you're own stuff if you already have a good connection at your home. Also if you do buy anything at the Moe.down make sure the guy selling it to you isn't real shady. Don't do anything stupid like buy something from someone in a Lewis County PD uniform. Unless you really know your stuff don't go buying opium & hash, every year I hear kids complaining about how they just got ripped off on bunk shit. Don't Buy what You Don't Know!
Please remember to know your limits, you're going to Moe.Down to have a good time, not come home in a body bag.
Mayor Of Moe.Ville:
Every year on Sunday night the election for the next years Moe.Down takes place. It's always great fun because the candidates always come up with great gimmicks. And with your's truly running for Mayor this year I hope to see all of you showing your Top Hat Support!
I just would like to thank everyone who has come up to me at shows & everyone that has signed the Top Hat Guestbook. The response has been great. I promise to make you all proud.
Well, I think that pretty much covers all the topics of Moe.Down Survival.
One thing before I go, I ask you to remember what happened to that man who was suddenly given everything he ever wanted... He lived happily ever after.
-Mr. Top Hat
4/24/03
Greetings,
Happy Spring to all. The recent shift in weather has finally cleared away the snow here. It's a good change, I can finally walk on grass.
I hope everyone had a great 4/20 day, I sure did. I also recently took a spring holiday to Cancun, which was just fantastic! Beautiful blue water, endless beaches and alcohol everywhere. I made the trek with ten close friends. I even was able to drink a little Wormwood while I was there (It was very expensive, but I recommend it).
When I got home from my venture, I found out that the Moe.Down had officially been announced! Naturally it's Labor Day Weekend @ Snow Ridge. They should be announcing Bands for this event soon & I'm gonna have total coverage on it on this page!
We've been coming up with some great support for the "Top Hat for Mayor" Campaign. I want to thank those of you who have coming up to me at shows and telling me they love the campaign, the website & the top hat! It has been a lot of fun running this campaign & this year's Moe.Down will be WAY more fun!
Well that's about all for now, I'll be updating this page very soon when the Moe.Down line up is released.
Until then, I ask you to remember what happened to that man who was suddenly given everything he ever wanted... He lived happily ever after.
-Top Hat
GREETINGS FROM THE FROZEN CITY OF ALBANY!
- 1/20/03 -
This winter has turned out to be great so far, but I am anxious for spring to arrive. The last couple of Nor-easters have blanketed our Upstate Campaign Headquarters with over three feet of snow. It will take a lot more than a few big storms to hold back this campaign. This past week, I decided to align myself with the Bull-Moose Party. The BMP has supported such Presidential candidates as Teddy Roosevelt, Rob Derhak (with Jim Loughlin on the VP card). I feel that the BMP is a good party, they want to provide for the people much like I want to provide for the citizens of Moe.ville. Speaking of the citizens, I would like to commend the Moe.ville citizens that participate every year in organized games, golf games, & hunts to raise money for charities. Another charity that has truly made a difference made it's debut last year. The Moe. Basketball Association was a hit with legions of fans & it raised money for a good cause! The MBA gave the athletes, the true superstars of the court, a chance to shine in front of their friends and fellow Moe.ville citizens. I support the MBA and the good things it represents.
Making new friends at the Moe.Down is great & the Open Forum used to be a fun way to meet people from all over the country! It'd be great to see a return of the forum.
I would like to see legislation pass for music all night in the beer tent.
Everyone wants to feel the rush of Utica Club @ Moe.down, (wouldn't it be great if there could be little commemerotive Moe.down Steins!). Even if legislation to legalize Utica Club in Moe.ville never passes, I'll always have a cold UC waiting for me in my tent.
Now to touch on another issue that I became aware this week. I knew that by announcing that I was running for Mayor of Moe.ville in December, I would set the trend for other moe.rons to begin campaigning. It has come to my attention that one Glow Girl has entered the race. I was excited to learn who my competition would be, and shocked by the rubbish she wrote about me on the Glow Girl Website,> she says:
�I am not one to sling political mud at my opposition, but I sense a definite lack of creativity and the drive necessary to seize this year's race. I also note, that Mr.Top Hat's No more scandals campaign slogan, mocks the very democratic process he hopes to use to obtain the prestigious title of Mayor of Moeville!� says Glow Girl. (Who happens to hail from THE very county that caused the Chad Scandal;)
Well despite what Glow Girl say's about not slinging mud, she already threw it, it's ok, it's part of politics, and I'll toss it right back. I love & honor the Democratic society we live in. I see no mockery of the Democratic system in wanting to assure a fair & just election.Glow Girl comes from &THE very county that caused the Chad Scandal, it's possible she has experience in cheating in elections. I'm sorry if Rob went totally Dade County on us last year, but the past is the past. This years election will be fair and will end with the popular vote of the people.
And by the way, the only lack of creativity that I'm aware of is when one Candidate bases their entire campaign on slandering another. While being slandered by my new opponent, I have talked about the issues; Utica Club & Dancing 'til the early Morn'! This campaign is no joke Glow Girl, Bring on the issues. The race for mayor has heated up ladies & gentlemen. It's gonna' be a fun ride.
Campaign 2003 has launched in Chicago & it's gonna run strong all the way through Labor Day weekend! This is gonna be a great year! I hope that everyone catches some awesome shows in the next few weeks. I plan on hitting up the Al show in Oneota. I'll also be kickin' it at a Gov't Mule show or two, and I will DEFINATELY will be seen at the Ominous Seapods Reunion Show! That last one really has me excited. The Ominous Seapods are Moe.Down veterans and my favorite hometown band, and I would love to see the 'Pods make a return appearance to Moe.down.
That's about it for this edition, But before I go, I ask you to remember what happened to that man who was suddenly given everything he ever wanted... Well, He lived happily ever after.
See You Soon,
-Top Hat-
-1/4/03-
Greetings & Happiest of New Years from Campaign Headquarters!
The holidays were truly grand, I spent Christmas with the closest of friends and family and spent New Years with many of you the Moe.ville community and moe. themselves in Chicago. I had a great time and wore one of my most special top hats for the occasion. It was my first time in Chicago and I had a great time listening to my favorite band moe. At Park West, I stood in the front row, right in front of Chuck. The band ripped through a smokey "Opium" and rocked through the second set with "Bring it Back Home" & "Captain America". On New Years Eve, moe. jammed in style at the historic Aragon Ballroom. The place was packed to the rafters and it was impossible to move. moe. kicked off the night ripping into "Not Coming Down", I can't wait to hear this song on "Wormwood" because it's a phat tune. The first set also included favorites "New York City" & "Spine of a Dog". Chuck & Al led the way through most of the second set, ripping out "Akimbo/Seat Of My Pants/Money/Four/Not Coming Down reprise", with Jim & Vinnie crashing away at "Seat Of My Pants". The "Not Coming Down reprise" was a first and if you didn't hear it, your gonna want to! The second set came to a close with the thundering bass skills of Rob ripping away at "Rebubula". Throughout the two shows moe.rons were coming up to me and showing much support for me in my bid for Mayor. I wore a sign attached to my top hat announcing that I am Running for Mayor of moe.ville. It was surely a hit with everyone. I met so many people and shook so many hands, it was fascinating. So I thank you all for the show of support, I truly appreciate it.
I was informed that a poll was conducted at the Aragon Ballroom and it showed me in the lead. Now, polls don't really mean much to me, but the early reults are in and they are as follows:
The polls show me at 98% with 2% undecided! I hope that we can keep this political machine running right through Moe.Down! 2002 was a great year, but we're gonna have a blast in 2003! So until next time I wish you all the best, a Happy New Year, and I hope to see you at some shows this coming Spring.
Until Then,
Mr. Top Hat
***
12/18/02
Hello everyone, and welcome as usual.
It's been a while since I've written again, (but what can you do when you work fulltime & also report for Headseed?) Anyway, what a year 2002 has been! This years Moe.Down was the obvious highlight & will also be the main topic of this piece. The weather this year was absolutely perfect and the vibe went untainted.
Until, the election for mayor of Moe.Ville took place. There were many candidates on this years card to replace former mayor G.I. Joe, but the race came down to a close finish by two of the candidates. �Beer-Man� & �Flute Girl� were the front runners in a race that ended in travesty. The election had been running smoothly all weekend as the Candidates hit the dirt campaign trail through �Tent City�. Some of them used stickers and flyers to entice citizens to come out and vote. �Flute Girl� even went the extra mile and performed with the band on Saturday night. I have seen her use these tactics at shows all over the great State of NY, just winning over more fans. Although I don�t think this strategy is considered cheating, but it does give her an advantage in an election situation. Moe.s own Rob Derhak tallied the Votes on Sunday night of the festival, and determined that �Flute Girl� was the winner� However, the tape of the show proves the real winner was "Beer Man"! It was as if Rob had a Florida moment of judgement and lost total sense of thought.
So to this I say No More!
No More Scandals!
To see this through I am now, Officailly entering myself into contention for Mayor of Moe.ville 2003! That�s right, I�m throwing my "Tophat" in the race for political office!
I know the campaign road is long and hard, and that�s why I�m getting an early start. I promise you all change for the better! Now you might be asking yourself,
�What changes need to be made to the Moe.Down?�,
Well I�ll tell you:
Utica Club: Firstly, Magic Hat is the official beer of the festival, but the boys are from Utica, which leads me to believe Utica Club Should also be served at the Moe.down. I know all of you would love to cool off after a hard day of jammin� out, with a Utica Club!
Open Forum: Also, I will work to bring back the "Open Forum". you might be wondering what �Open Forum� is, well at Moe.Down 1, there was this round pavilion that had bar stools. You could walk into the Open Forum all bombed off your ass on whatever and talk with total strangers about anything. It was a great thing that I miss.
Dancin' All Night: I also have heard from many concerned Moe.ville citizens that they would like it if they played Music all night in the beer tent, so that the party animals can jam all night long!
No Cheating: I will also work to see that no controversial decisions are ever made again in regards to naming the Mayor.
My Crown: Finally, I believe the Mayor of Moe.ville should be given a crown! One that would fit perfectly over my Tophat.
I just want you the people to know that I�ll be here for you if you elect me to serve as Mayor next year. So when you're sitting on the mountain, on September 1, 2003 and they announce my name as a cantidate, I want all of you crazy mother-fuckers to scream for me! I thank you, and leave you with this thought:
Ever hear what happened to that man who was suddenly was given everything he wanted? Well, he lived happily ever after,
---Mr. Top Hat
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Copyright 2002-2003 Mr. Top Hat for Mayor of Moe.ville