Rob Derhak

Robert Derhak, also known simply as Rob, is the bass guitarist and a founding member of the American jam band 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 forms a band with Garvey, Schwartz, and others, in the Winter of 1990, calling themselves "Five Guys Named Moe", after the Louis Jordan song. They played several shows in the Buffalo, New York area.

• See moe. for more details on the formation of the band.

Derhak went to college at State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY) where the band moe. was solidified.

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 toy moose. The band, though, has only played a handful of shows between 2000 and 2008, most of which were in the Northeastern part of the United States. Ha Ha The Moose has also played at Summercamp and, most recently, moe.down IX, where, after briefly sitting in with The PMG, they played an unannounced late night set after moe.'s third set on Saturday, August 30. But it was around 2:30 a.m., so one could argue it took place on 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, at moe.down IV, and finally at the Revolution Hall in Troy, New York.