The fellows in Moxy Fruvous are bringing their barber-shop quartet on acid routine back to Canal Street Tavern next week for one night.
The Canadian group mixes vocal harmonies, political commentary, folksy acoustic guitars, show tune arrangements, social critiques and out-of-left-field percussion into a Quisinart an dcomes up with a new day vaudevillian blowout that is without peer.
The band formed in the early '90s as an a capella group busking on street corners. In a storybook twist of fate, the four singers were discovered by a suit from Canada's CBC Radio and within days, the lads from Moxy Fruvous were writing topical songs for the station.
The radio gig grew and soon David Matheson, Jean [sic] Ghomeshi, Murray Foster, and Michael Ford were contributing satirical songs weekly. During this period, the singers/musicians began honing their songwriting in earnest and developed the multi-flavored sound that has become the Fruvous trademark.
In 1992, the quartet pooled their resources and self-released a six-song cassette of their original compositions. The tape eventually went gold (500,000 copies sold) in Canada and soon major labels were calling.
Moxy Fruvous signed a deal with Warner Canada and their official debut, _Bargainville_, was soon in stores.
The disc quickly went platinum (1,000,000 copies sold) in Canada and catapulted the band to Bare Naked [sic] Ladies-like status in their homeland.
_Wood_ from '95 and _You Will Go to the Moon_ from '97 were as successful as _Bargainville_ in the Great White North, but the quartet has still been unable to crack into the American mainstream like fellow Canadians Bare Naked [sic] Ladies.
In mid-1998, the quartet released _Live Noise_ (Bottom Line Record Company), the best representation to date of the Fruvous experience and a good introduction to the band's world of sound.
Moxy Fruvous returns to town on Wednesday, Feb. 3, for a show at Canal Street Tavern. To find out more, check out the band's official website at www.fruvous.com or call [937] 461-9343.
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