Moxy Fruvous is a Canadian folk-pop band formed in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. It is a band whose songs and lyrics are mostly aimed at politics and societal ills and exhibited in a satirical manner.
The band was formed in 1989 and lived through only over a decade as they were disbanded in 2001. Mostly known for their Folk Rock, Comedy Rock, and Soft Rock genres of music, Moxy Fruvous was a band that defied most conventional methods used by bands that era and focused their theme to be around their immediate environment and human experience.
Ultimately, the Moxy Fruvous band was formed from a convergence of a group of Canadian high school friends after college who decided to combine their love for music, theatre and humor.
They initially started by singing Capella’s in the streets of Toronto for change but over the years, the band has built a solid fan base and has won multiple awards for their style of music amidst certain challenges and negative encounters while together.
Popularly known as the Fruvs, the most important thing they are characterized by is their intricate four-part harmonies, satirical songs, unique performances, and a huge fan base called ‘Fruheads’ to further boost their music.
They were first noticed by a CBC radio executive while they were playing on the streets of Toronto and then after a cassette of the band reached number 1 on Canadian Indie charts, they were signed by Atlantic and they released their first album titled ‘Bargainville’ in early 1994.
By the year 2001, the band performed for the last time together at the Annual Fan Convention but officially gave its last concert in the year 2000.
In other news, the name of the band ‘Moxy Fruvous’ has been a question on the minds and lips of a lot of people seeking to know its meaning and origin. Unfortunately, the group members never came up with anything reasonable. The name is meaningless and just like the idea of their band, it just sought to be unconventional and weird.
Who Are The Members Of Moxy Fruvous?
1. Jian (Jean) Ghomeshi OF Moxy Fruvous
Jian Ghomeshi is a Persian-Canadian broadcaster, writer, musician, and producer who was a vocalist and drummer with the Moxy Fruvous from its conception till disbandment.
He was born on the 9th of June 1967 to Iranian parents Farhang (Frank) who was a civil engineer and Azar (Sara) Ghomeshi. He has a sister named Jila Ghomeshi and his family moved to Canada when he was 7 years old.
Jian was born into a Muslim household but his family was a secular one that celebrated Christmas and Easter.
He was previously in a band formed by him and his friends, Murray Foster, Tracy Jones, Reno Manfredi, and John Ruttle. The band was founded in 1983 and was called ‘Tall New Buildings’. They released two EP’s and played on various stages in and out of Toronto before finally breaking up in 1988.
After this breakup, Jian, Murray, and Mike Ford then formed another band named the Chia Pets and when Dave Matheson joined them, they formed the Moxy Fruvous and recorded 8 albums together before the end of this band.
2. Murray Foster
Murray Foster is a Canadian musician, vocalist, songwriter, director, playwright, screenwriter, and environmentalist who was born on the 26th of June 1967 in Thornhill, Ontario. He attended Thornlea Secondary School and also the University of Toronto where he graduated with a BA in English Literature.
He had his first gig at the age of 12 when he and Jian attended a Peter Frampton concert. He is known as the electric and upright bassist in Moxy Fruvous and in another Canadian band named Great Big Sea.
Murray has been part of 5 groups which include; Tall New Buildings, Moxy Fruvous, Great Big Sea, The Cocksure Lads, and The Lesters.
3. Mike Ford Of Moxy Fruvous Band
Mike Ford is a Canadian Singer-songwriter and teacher. He was born on the 27th of September 1962. He was a Guitarist for the Moxy Fruvous and also a vocalist. He was part of the Cocksure Lads which has the following releases to their names; two albums and a movie about the fictional history of the band. Mike has had quite a great solo career since the breakup of the Moxy Fruvous band.
4. Dave Matheson
Dave is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, actor, and multi-instrumentalist. Though the least known of the group, he was of huge importance to the successes achieved by the Moxy Fruvous band as he joined them in 1989.
He was initially part of a group called ‘Graduates’ with Mike Ford and has written quite a number of songs with his bandmates like; The Gulf War Song and The King of Spain.
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What Are The Moxy Fruvous Band Members Up To In Recent Time?
After the band’s breakup in 2001, they met up again, and on the 5th of September 2005, Mike Ford, Murray Foster, and Jian Ghomeshi performed on CUIT FM. They also performed on CBC Radio One on March 1, 2010, as a farewell to the Metro Morning host, Andy Barrie.
Towards the end of 2014, Jian Ghomeshi was arrested and charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking, and by the 8th of January 2015, three more counts were added to his initial charges from women.
Ghomeshi was acquitted of 5 of the charges on the 26th of March 2016 and the last charge was withdrawn after he signed a peace bond and apologized to the accuser. By 2017, Jian launched an online venture called ‘The Ideation Project’, and the following year he published an article titled ‘Reflections from a Hashtag’ which led to an uproar and widespread criticism.
In response to the charges, Murray spoke on behalf of the rest of the band members and stated that through their times together, they never suspected Jian to be such a man and totally abhorred the idea of the crimes he was accused of. Murray wished the plaintiffs healing and good health and did not speak further on the issue.
Mike Ford however began a solo career and has released a couple of albums from 2004 to 2008. He has also received an Ontario Arts Council artist in education grant and regularly tours schools across Ontario performing in concerts while helping students create their own songs about their environment.
Ford has been part of many recordings and albums and has been performing at a summer camp called Camp Kodiak since 2006.
Murray Foster seems to have had the busiest time since the breakup of Moxy Fruvous. Between acting a lead role in the movie ‘Toronto Noir’, releasing close to 50 songs, launching a songwriting school, establishing a Choir Nation, being the director of a non-profit organization; ‘Our Place Initiative’, writing articles, and giving speeches, he has partnered with Andreas Kalogiannidis to found a non-profit organization named ‘Toronto Music City’ whose aim is to build affordable houses for musicians as well as update and coordinate music education in Toronto.
Dave Matheson works as a producer, songwriter, and studio musician who has done quite a number of original songs for the Royal Canadian Air Force as well as writing commercial jingles.
