Moxy Fruvous
A cappella Toronto, Canada-based band Moxy Frvous initially made their name opening for artists such as Bob Dylan and Bryan Adams. The members had, allegedly, previously met on a school trip to a pig-calling contest. They did not win, but shared instead the prize for Most Promising Pig-Caller. Hence Mike Ford (guitar/percussion), Murray Foster (bass/guitar), Jian Ghomeshi (drums) and David Matheson (guitar/bass/accordion) formed a band, taken after the pigs" names; Moxy and Fruvous. They subsequently began to write and rehearse together at high school. However, one pair broke off to write three full-length musicals, while the others started a pop/funk combo called Tall New Buildings. They quartet regrouped while attending university in 1990 and began busking on the streets of Toronto. Their eclectic tastes saw them draw on rap, soca, folk and theatrical traditions. The single unifying factor was the band's distinctive four-part vocal harmonies. The irreverent and occasionally incisive lyrics offered an additional attraction, as on the single "Stuck In The "90s', a grim take on counter-culture and the politics of protest. A self-released cassette was followed by 1993's Bargainville, whose songs were conducted with the type of alternating restraint and fervour which recalled the passionate melodicism of the Proclaimers. Others preferred to compare the quartet to another Canadian band, the Barenaked Ladies. While that band went on to enjoy international success, Moxy Frvous had returned to independent status by the time of 1999"s Thornhill.
Listen to Moxy Fruvous
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Albums
- (1994) Bargainville
Top Tracks
- King of Spain
- My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors
- Spiderman
- The Drinking Song
- Gulf War Song
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