The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band
Encyclopedia
The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band was an Australia
n band, active throughout the 1970s. It was based in Melbourne and centred around singer and multi-instrumentalist Mic Conway
("Captain Matchbox") and his brother Jim Conway
, who is widely regarded as one of Australia's finest exponents of the blues
harmonica
.
Inspired by early jazz recordings and the jug band
music they heard on reel-to-reel tapes as teenagers, they formed a band which grew within a couple of years from an underground art school band to a national icon, with film and television appearances and regular appearances in the charts. Their debut LP Smoke Dreams (1972) was released in the USA in the DynaQuad quadraphonic
format. Their second LP Wangaratta Wahine
featured a cover illustration by noted Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig
.
The brothers continued the group through many lineup changes until a tragic truck crash while on tour in 1979 which ruined the band financially and emotionally, and after paying off their debts they disbanded.
Mic Conway continues to record and perform regularly, both as a solo artist and with his National Junk Band. Jim Conway has also worked on many musical projects and remains a sought-after soloist, although in recent years his health (but not his playing) has been significantly affected by the onset of Multiple Sclerosis
. He now uses a wheelchair
and has formed his dream band Jim Conways Big Wheel.
The band reformed in 1996 for the Port Fairy Folk Festival
, and again in 2010 under the name "Captain Matchbox Re-Ignited" for the Woodford Folk Festival
, with shows at Bluesfest
and Sydney and Melbourne. Members: Mic Conway, Jim Conway, Jeremy Cook, Don Hopkins, Phil Donnison, Cazzbo Johns, Jess Green and George Washingmachine. In October 2010, Smoke Dreams (1973) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
.
Albums
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n band, active throughout the 1970s. It was based in Melbourne and centred around singer and multi-instrumentalist Mic Conway
Mic Conway
Mic Conway is an Australian vocalist and with his brother, Jim Conway, was a co-founder of the 1970s humour, theatre and rock group, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band.Conway also was a founding member of Soapbox Circus and Circus Oz....
("Captain Matchbox") and his brother Jim Conway
Jim Conway
Jim Conway is an Australian harmonica player and with his brother, Mic Conway, was a co-founder of the 1970s humour, theatre and rock group, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band....
, who is widely regarded as one of Australia's finest exponents of the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
.
Inspired by early jazz recordings and the jug band
Jug band
A Jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. These home-made instruments are ordinary objects adapted to or modified for making of sound, like the washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe and comb & tissue paper...
music they heard on reel-to-reel tapes as teenagers, they formed a band which grew within a couple of years from an underground art school band to a national icon, with film and television appearances and regular appearances in the charts. Their debut LP Smoke Dreams (1972) was released in the USA in the DynaQuad quadraphonic
Quadraphonic
Quadraphonic sound – the most widely used early term for what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of one another...
format. Their second LP Wangaratta Wahine
Wangaratta Wahine
Wangaratta Wahine is an album by Australian band The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, released in 1974.- Band members :*Mic Conway *Jim Conway...
featured a cover illustration by noted Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig
Michael Leunig
Michael Leunig , typically referred to as Leunig, is an Australian poet, cartoonist and cultural commentator. His best known works include The Adventures of Vasco Pyjama and the Curly Flats series...
.
The brothers continued the group through many lineup changes until a tragic truck crash while on tour in 1979 which ruined the band financially and emotionally, and after paying off their debts they disbanded.
Mic Conway continues to record and perform regularly, both as a solo artist and with his National Junk Band. Jim Conway has also worked on many musical projects and remains a sought-after soloist, although in recent years his health (but not his playing) has been significantly affected by the onset of Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. He now uses a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
and has formed his dream band Jim Conways Big Wheel.
The band reformed in 1996 for the Port Fairy Folk Festival
Port Fairy Folk Festival
The Port Fairy Folk Festival is a popular annual four-day music festival based in the historic fishing village of Port Fairy in Victoria, Australia....
, and again in 2010 under the name "Captain Matchbox Re-Ignited" for the Woodford Folk Festival
Woodford Folk Festival
The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music festival held near the small country town of Woodford, 72 km north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia....
, with shows at Bluesfest
East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
The East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, also known as Byron Bay Bluesfest, is an annual music festival held for five days over the Easter long weekend at Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia...
and Sydney and Melbourne. Members: Mic Conway, Jim Conway, Jeremy Cook, Don Hopkins, Phil Donnison, Cazzbo Johns, Jess Green and George Washingmachine. In October 2010, Smoke Dreams (1973) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
.
Band members
- Mic Conway (vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, WashboardWashboardA washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
, PhonographPhonographThe phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
, HornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, UkuleleUkuleleThe ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, JugJug (musical instrument)The jug as a musical instrument reached its height of popularity in the 1920s, when jug bands, such as Cannon's Jug Stompers were popular. The jug is just that: an empty jug played with the mouth...
) - Jim ConwayJim ConwayJim Conway is an Australian harmonica player and with his brother, Mic Conway, was a co-founder of the 1970s humour, theatre and rock group, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band....
(HarmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, KazooKazooThe kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of mirliton, which is a membranophone, a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane."Kazoo" was the name given by...
, WhistlesWhistlesWhistles is a clothing brand with 40 stores across Britain. It was founded in the early 1980s by Lucille and Richard Lewin.In January 2008, Jane Shepherdson, former Topshop director, signed a deal to purchase a 20 per cent stake in Whistles and was appointed the job of chief executive.-Style:In the...
, Vocals) - Fred Olbrei (ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, Vocals) - Dave Flett (BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Vocals, Harmonies, Ukulele) - Geoff Hales (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, Washboard, Tap Dancing) - Jim Niven (keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) - Mick Fleming (BanjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, MandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
) - Jon Snyder (GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Eric McCusker (Guitar)
- Peter Muhleisen (Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Louis McManusLouis McManusLouis McManus was an American television engineer, film editor, and designer of the 1930s and 1940s. He is best known as the designer for the appearance of the Emmy award and symbol for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.During the 1930s, McManus worked primarily as an editor and edited...
(fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
/mandolin/guitar) - Rick Ludbrook (vocals/guitar/saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
) - Gordon McLean (drums)
- Tony Burkys (guitar/bazooki)
- Jeffrey Cheesman (Guitar)
- Inge De Koster (Violin)
Discography
Singles- 1972 - My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes / Nagasaki
- 1973 - I Can't Dance (Got Ants in My Pants) / Jungle Dance
- 1974 - Your Feets Too Big / Wait for Me Juanita
- 1974 - Hernando's Hideaway / Down Undergroundsville
- 1974 - Wangaratta Wahine / Go Down Adam
- 1975 - Australia / Christopher Columbus
- 1977 - If I Can't Hav-Anna in Cuba / Chiropodist Shop (as Soapbox Circus)
- 1978 - Sleep / Victims of Circumstance (as Matchbox)
- 1978 - Love is Like a Rainbow / Slow Down Speedy (as Matchbox)
Albums
- 1973 - Smoke Dreams (Australia & US)
- 1974 - Wangaratta WahineWangaratta WahineWangaratta Wahine is an album by Australian band The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, released in 1974.- Band members :*Mic Conway *Jim Conway...
(Australia) - 1975 - Australia (Australia)
- 1976 - Makin' Whoopee (Australia)
- 1976 - The Great Stumble Forward (Australia) (as Matchbox and the APG)
- 1979 - Slightly Troppo (Australia) (as Matchbox)