Big Muffin Serious Band
Purveyors of fine (and often silly) ukulele music in Hamilton and New Zealand since 1983. General musical classification; country-punk-skiffle/barbershop rock. Instrumentation incorporates ukulele, tea-chest bass, snare drum, home-made gadgets, various toys and miscellaneous non-musical implements. Also known for shadow-puppetry, stilt-walking, ludicrous costumes and general clowning.
Founding members were Graeme Cairns, Jim Fulton (ex-Maiden Britain) and the late Ian Coldham-Fussell, with their first performance at the Waikato Winter Show in May 1983. The band has had numerous lineup changes, with Cairns and Fulton constants throughout. In 2013 the band released a celebratory video for their 30th Anniversary, Mr T. Pot; it was the bands first official music video, and all former members were invited to be in the video, with twelve present and past members appearing.
Contents
BMSB Musicians[edit]
- Graeme Cairns: 1983- present
- Jim Fulton: 1983- present
- Ian Coldham-Fussell: 1983
- Chris Allen: 1984
- Mark Walles: 1984
- Keith MacMillan: 1985-86
- Peter (P. Bagg) Caldwell: 1986-88
- Paul VanWering: 1988-89
- Bryce Galloway: 1989-90
- Jeff Howell: 1991-92
- Steve Matich: 1990-95
- Matthew Shirley: 1993-95
- Bevan (Baz) Galbraith: 1997-present
- Tony Wyeth: 1999
- Nick Clothier: 2004-2012
- Adam Fulton: 2005-2???
- Paul Tregilgas: 2???-present
- James Sutherland: 2???-present
BMSB bottlers/dancers/guest musicians[edit]
- The Naughty See-Monkey (original go-go dancer): 1986-88
- Trudy Kendall (go-go): 1988-93
- Alec Forbes (go-go): 1989-95
- Adrian (Droid) Holroyd (go-go): 1995-99
- Craig Beere (go-go): 2003-2005
- Adrienne Carthew (stilts): 2004
- Donald Nicholls: 2???-present
Releases[edit]
- Jabberwocky Goes To Town, vinyl 1987; 2003 CD re-release
- Heavens To Murgatroyd CD, 2002
- Itsy Bitsy CD, 2012
- The song Look Out, There's a Monster Coming appeared on the 2020 compilation In Thrust We Trust.
Shows[edit]
- The Eggplant that Ate Otago. Shadow Puppetry/Theatre/Music.
- The Complete History of Music. Radio Broadcast/Live Seminar
- Homemade Instruments for Beginners. Workshop
Some of these recordings are available from the University Library.
Published Articles[edit]
- Big Muffin Meets Members for a Cup of Tea, Hamilton Press, 19 June 2013, P33
External Links[edit]
- Mr T. Pot video
- Muffin.net - For a more complete bio, pictures and info on associated instrumental ukulele groups
