The members of Moxy Fruvous could have their very own gold cassettes for sales of 50,000 copies of their debut independent tape.
But they would have to do it themselves.
"You have to get one of your own and spray paint it - literally," says Murray Foster, one-fourth of the Toronto acoustic music/vocal group.
But if Bargainville, the new Moxy Fruvous album, goes gold there shouldn't be much fuss over plaques. Warner music will take care of it.
Warner also signed Toronto's Barenaked Ladies after big independent success and pundits have burdened Moxy Fruvous with the weight of following in their footsteps.
"I guess that's what leads people to expect big sales from Fruvous," Foster said from Toronto. "Who knows? I don't. We've been a year behind the Ladies all along."
After the group - rounded out by Michael Ford, Jean Ghomeshi and David Matheson - got together seriously in 1990 and became busking university students, the Moxy Fruvous sound began to take shape. All kinds of musical styles were adapted to four-part harmonies and aspects like comedy and political satire came to the fore.
Three years later the band is looking at a 50-date Canadian tour beginning in the fall and future international release of the album.
"We've never been here before so everyday is a new experience. It feels great. We've come through a lot in the last few months - we've recorded the album, made a video and did all the artwork for the CD ourselves... We're through the worst of it," Foster said.
Moxy Fruvous already had a bit of a national following through CBC appearances doing made-to-order satirical songs on topics of the day. Some of that tone is in the Bargainville material, which makes it more difficult to write than standard love songs.
"Exponentially more difficult," Foster says. "I don't know where the talent comes from. I guess it comes from being socially aware and being up on the issues."
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