7/15/98: Kingston This Week Kingston This Week
Wednesday, July 15, 1998
p. 10B

ALL FOLKS' FESTIVAL CELEBTRATES MUSIC FROM AROUND WORLD

By Melanie Dugan


[photo - YWGTM promo shot; caption: Moxy Fruvous is one of the bands performing at the All Folks Festival this weekend. The band members are (l-r) Murray Foster, Dave Matheson, Jian Ghomeshi and Mike Ford.]

[article snipped - background on All Folks' Festival and other performers]

Moxy Fruvous

The umlaut raises a lot of questions about Moxy Fruvous. It's the two little dots over the "u," designed to drive typesetters mad. Why the umlaut? What does it signify? What, for that matter, does Moxy Fruvous mean?

Apart from idiosyncratic, subversive lyrics and notable melodies? "Moxy," if you can find it in the dictionary -- not at all a sure bet -- means chutzpah, shameless audacity, nerve, of which these guys have a lot.

Emerging from a cappella-dom on the streets of Toronto, Jian Ghomeshi, Dave Matheson, Murray Foster and Mike Ford have carved out a niche for themselves in the pantheon of Canadian music.

They've also attracted a group of followers calling themselves "Fruheads," who run a website: www.fruvous.com).

Fruvous might have its roots in the word frivolous, except these guys aren't. Entertaining, they are, and eclectic and satirical at times, but frivolous -- no. Not nervous either, from the in-your-face sound of their music. Furious maybe -- furiously successful, considering their platinum CD and their Juno nomination.

So, while the etymology of the band's name may be obscure, the reasons for their appeal aren't. Anyone who appreciates intelligent, sometimes outrageous, often provocative music knows that these guys make it -- umlaut or no. Catch them at 6:30 pm, Sunday on the Main Stage.

The festival runs from 11 am to 11 pm, Saturday and 11 am to 7:30 pm, Sunday.

[article snipped - How to Get Tickets]



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