Moxy
      Fruvous
      interview
     
     
      Danielle
      Christensen
      talks
      to
      Mike
      Ford
     
    
   
   
    
     
      6x6
      won’t
      be
      profane,
      I’1l
      be
      profound.’’
     
     
      I
      Right
      now,
      the
      quasi-acapella
     
     
      sensation
      Moxy
      Fruvous
      are
      in
      the
      midst
     
     
      of
      the
      last
      lap
      of
      their
      forty-city
      tour
      of
      Canada.
     
     
      _
      Playing
      everywhere
      except
      St.
      John’s,
      Jan
      Arden
     
     
      is
      opening
      for
      them,
      and
      they
      played
      a
      fabulous
     
     
      show
      at
      the
      Barn
      on
      November
      16.
      Just
      before
     
    
   
   
    
     
      together,
      while
      Mike
      and
      Dave
      Matheson
      had
      a
     
     
      folk
      band.
      For
      a
      while
      they
      had
      a
      wedding
      band,
     
     
      and
      then
      about
      three
      years
      ago
      they
      decided
      to
     
     
      start
      Moxy
      Fruvous.
      As
      mike
      puts
      it,
      ‘“We’re
     
     
      proud
      of
      what
      we
      do.
      We’ve
      been
      slapped
      with
     
     
      a
      novelty
      tag,
      and
      some
      of
      that
      is
      deserved.
      I
     
     
      mean
      ‘‘King
      of
      Spain’’--what
      a
      novel
      idea!’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      no
      commercial
      promotion.
      The
      main
      effect
      of
     
     
      their
      big
      record
      deal
      with
      Warner
      is
      that
      it
      frees
     
     
      them
      from
      the
      responsibilities
      of
      promoting
      the
     
     
      record,
      allowing
      them
      to
      write,
      and
      devote
      their
     
     
      energies
      to
      their
      live
      show,
      which
      Mike
      calls
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “their
      main
      forté’’.
      They
      were
      allowed
      to
      insist
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
      their
      creative
      autonomy
      in
      this
      five
      record
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “We're
      proud
      of
      what
      we
      do.
      We’ve
      been
      slapped
      with
      a
      novelty
     
     
      tag,
      and
      some
      of
      that
      is
      deserved.
      I
      mean
      “King
      of
      Spain”--what
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      concert,
      I
      got
      the
      chance
      to
      talk
      to
      Mike
     
     
      -Ford.
      He
      was
      thrilled
      to
      be
      playing
      with
      Jan
     
     
      Arden.
      Moxy
      Fruvous
      called
      her
      record
      com-
     
     
      pany
      and
      specifically
      asked
      her
      to
      go
      on
      tour
     
     
      with
      them.
      Says
      Mike:
      ‘‘Jan’s
      amazing!
      She’s
     
     
      just
      incredible,
      her
      voice
      is
      so
      beautiful,
      her
     
     
      songs
      are
      so
      great.
      You
      hang
      out
      with
      her
     
     
      backstage,
      and
      she’s
      just
      hilarious,
      which
      her
     
     
      music
      would
      not
      betray.’’
     
    

    
     
      The
      members
      of
      Moxy
      Fruvous
      went
      to
      the
     
     
      same
      high
      school
      in
      Thornhill,
      Ontario,
      al-
     
     
      though
      they
      weren’t
      in
      the
      same
      grade.
      They
     
     
      played
      together
      in
      various
      combinations.
      Jean
     
     
      Ghomeshi
      and
      Murray
      Foster
      had
      a
      funk
      band
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      novel
      idea!”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Basically,
      the
      guys
      were
      just
      getting
      sick
      of
      all
     
     
      the
      commercial
      same
      old
      same-old.
      The
      new
     
     
      album
      ‘‘Bargainville’’
      seems
      to
      havean
      overall
     
     
      more
      mournful
      tone
      than
      the
      songs
      that
      Moxy
     
     
      Fruvous
      is
      best
      known
      for--’’King
      of
      Spain’’
     
     
      and
      ‘‘My
      Baby
      Lovesa
      Bunchof
      Authors’’.
      But
     
     
      Mike
      says
      that
      the
      more
      pessimistic
      tone
      is
      part
     
     
      of
      the
      band’s
      makeup,
      but
      that
      it
      isn’t
      going
      to
     
     
      come
      out
      in
      busking.
      “‘It
      surprises
      some
      peo-
     
     
      pie:
     
    

    
     
      “‘Bargainville’’
      has
      been
      out
      since
      July
      22,
     
     
      and
      sales
      were
      just
      short
      of
      platinum
      as
      of
     
     
      November
      11.
      Their
      six-song
      independent
      cas-
     
     
      sette
      sold
      over
      50
      000
      copies
      nationwide,
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      =
     
    
   
   
    
     
      deal.
      Warner
      is
      allowed
      to
      to
      dump
      the
      band
     
     
      after
      the
      second
      album
      if
      things
      don’t
      go
      well,
     
     
      but
      Moxy
      Fruvous
      is
      in
      for
      the
      full
      five
      records.
     
     
      As
      Mike
      says:
      ‘‘We
      were
      thinking
      of
      recording
     
     
      albums
      #
      3,
      4,
      and
      5
      in
      Charlottetown
      and
     
     
      changing
      our
      name
      to
      the
      Linkups!’’
     
    

    
     
      Moxy
      Fruvous
      has
      been
      number
      1
      on
      the
     
     
      CIMN
      charts
      for
      almost
      every
      week
      since
      the
     
     
      six-song
      cassette
      came
      to
      us
      in
      February
      1992.
     
     
      They
      had
      a
      really
      great
      time
      in
      Charlottetown,
     
     
      and
      everybody
      who
      met
      them
      was
      really
      pleased
     
     
      with
      them.
      It’s
      always
      great
      to
      have
      pleasant
     
     
      people
      playing
      the
      Barn.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Moxy
      Fruvous
      closes
      for
      Jann
      Arden
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Major
      musical
      acts
      rock
      the
      Barn
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Barn
      had
      the
      rare
      treat
      of
      hearing
      two
     
     
      great
      acts
      in
      one
      exciting
      night.
      As
     
     
      night
      fell
      one
      could
      hear
      the
      murmur
      of
      excite-
     
     
      ment
      in
      surround-sound.
      My
      companions
      and
      I
     
     
      arrived
      early,
      as
      all
      good
      journalists
      are
      wont
      to
     
     
      do.
      As
      we
      sat
      in
      the
      lounge
      watching
      other
     
     
      concert-goers
      arrive
      we
      discussed
      the
      rather
     
     
      obvious
      presence
      of
      high
      school
      students
      (my
     
     
      sister
      being
      one
      of
      them)
      at
      this
      soiree.
      True
     
     
      enough,
      it
      was
      a
      wet/dry
      event
      so
      there
      was
      no
     
     
      reason
      for
      them
      not
      to
      attend-
      besides,
      they
     
     
      were
      necessary
      to
      get
      a
      decent
      crowd.
      When
     
     
      9:00
      finally
      rolled
      around,
      my
      intrepid
      col-
     
     
      leagues
      left
      the
      lounge
      for
      the
      noise
      of
      the
     
     
      second
      floor.
     
     
      Jann
      Arden
      finally
      took
      the
      stage
      around
     
     
      9:20
      (twenty
      minutes
      late,
      not
      bad
      by
      concert
     
     
      standards).
      She
      was
      worth
      the
      wait,
      though,
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      O
      n
      November
      16,
      all
      those
      present
      at
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      18/X-Press/December
      2,
      1993
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      her
      strong
      voice
      and
      even
      stronger
      lyrics
      filled
     
     
      the
      Barn.
      Her
      bass/guitar/any
      other
      instrument
     
     
      player
      Mike
      was
      a
      hit,
      too
      (I’m
      still
      not
      entirely
     
     
      certain
      why).
      The
      two
      of
      them
      did
      a
      great
      job,
     
     
      especially
      in
      light
      of
      the
      audience’s
      rather
      odd
     
     
      response
      to
      Mike.
      The
      only
      problem
      I
      had
      with
     
     
      Arden’s
      performance
      was
      that
      it
      wasn’t
      long
     
     
      enough.
      She
      only
      played
      for
      about
      half
      an
      hour-
     
     
      and
      then
      we
      were
      left
      to
      wait
      for
      Moxy
      Fruvous.
     
     
      She
      could
      have
      played
      longer,
      and
      we
      wouldn’t
     
     
      have
      complained.
     
    

    
     
      Moxy
      Fruvous
      kept
      us
      waiting
      for
      what
     
     
      seemed
      like
      forever
      (although
      it
      was
      really
      only
     
     
      about
      half
      an
      hour).
      My
      remaining
      companion
     
     
      and
      I
      were
      not
      happy
      with
      that
      (our
      old
      bones
     
     
      just
      can’t
      take
      it
      anymore).
      When
      Moxy
      Fruvous
     
     
      finally
      hit
      the
      stage
      we
      were
      anxious
      to
      see
      the
     
     
      show
      that
      everyone
      has
      heard
      about.
      It
      wasn’t
     
     
      bad.
      The
      guys
      were
      fun,
      and
      they
      even
      asked
      if
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      audience
      (especially
      the
      first
      couple
      of
     
     
      rows)
      would
      mind
      sitting
      so
      that
      everyone
      could
     
     
      see
      (of
      course,
      the
      audience
      refused).
      The
     
     
      Fruvous
      guys
      are
      obviously
      ex-buskers
      and
     
     
      every
      aspect
      of
      theirconcert
      showedthat.
      They
     
     
      did
      all
      the
      songs
      people
      wanted
      to
      hear
      (and
     
     
      threatened
      to
      do
      three
      hours
      straight
      of
      King
      of
     
     
      Spain).
      They
      left
      my
      personal
      favourite,
      Green
     
     
      Eggs
      and
      Ham,
      until
      late
      in
      the
      show.
      When
     
     
      they
      finally
      left
      the
      building,
      after
      numerous
     
     
      encores
      including
      a
      cover
      of
      ABBA’s
      Dancing
     
     
      Queen
      and
      a
      rather
      odd
      version
      of
      King
      of
     
     
      Spain,
      I
      headed
      home
      to
      study
      for
      my
      mid-term.
     
     
      It
      was
      a
      great
      concert,
      and
      well
      worth
      the
     
     
      money
      we
      paid
      to
      see
      it.
      Speaking
      of
      money,
     
     
      this
      same
      concert
      cost
      $10
      in
      advance
      or
      $14
      at
     
     
      the
      door
      at
      Acadia
      University.
      Gee,
      does
      that
     
    

    
     
      mean
      we
      got
      a
      good
      deal?
      I
      think
      so!
     
     
      CA
      SCHNEIDER