01	Monkey With The Golden Eyes						04:02
	02	Hobart Got Burned						05:59
	03	Amelia Earhart						15:47
	04	The Adventures Of Captain Boomerang						22:46

The Muffins
Manna/Mirage
Cuneiform Records (55004)
USA 1991

Billy Swan, bass, piano, guitar, percussives;
Paul Sears, drums, gong, xylophone, vibes, percussives, pots, pans, pennywhistle;
Tom Scott, piccolo, e flat, alto and c flutes, soprano, alto and baritone saxophones, b flat and alto clarinets, oboe, soprano recorder, percussives;
Dave Newhouse, pianos, organ, piccolo, flute, alto and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet, cereal box whistle, percussives;

with John Schmidt, baritone horn and tuba; Doug Elliot, trombone; Larry Elliot, trumpet; Steve Feigenbaum, guitar, underwater guitar; Greg Yaskovich, bubble trumpet

Tracklist:
1. Monkey with the Golden Eyes - 4:02
2. Hobart Got Burned - 5:55
3. Amelia Earhart - 15:44
4. The Adventures of Captain Boomerang (for Mike Forrester) - 22:48


bob

This is a beautifully flowing and jazzy Canterbury-style album (I seem to be reviewing a lot of those lately) that takes a few detours into slightly more experimental areas. The opening track is a relaxed piece that floats along for a couple minutes, then slowly builds up a xylophone part in unison with several keyboards and some sax. Just as this reaches a peak, the disc shifts into the avant experimentation of the first half of "Hobart Got Burned". After a few minutes, that track turns into an upbeat and catchy jazz-rock number.
"Amelia Earhart" begins with an atmospheric section of percussion, chimes and whistles. After a couple minutes, this turns into another upbeat track incorporating rock and jazz elements. There's an odd section mid-way through the song where a bass melody alternates with a Morse code-like flute part. Interesting. At the end of the song, there's a sudden change into a dark and foreboding section with the bass repeating one note over and over while the guitar glissandos away in the background and percussion twitters in all directions. Eventually the flute is added, and for some reason this section reminds me of Genesis at their oddest.

The album ends with that grand tradition of prog, a side-long track. I won't describe it in detail, suffice to say that it's another nice slab of Canterbury-style prog. Lots of tasty keyboards, horns galore, odd percussion and a whimsical sense of humor. Well played, and interesting enough compositionally that it doesn't get boring even after twenty minutes.

There have been recent announcements of this band playing concerts again. I'd love to see them get invited to by one of the east coast prog festivals - they could fill a niche that's been unfortunately empty since Volare played ProgDay in '97.





Muffins, The [USA]
Updated 3/28/03
Discography
Secret Signals II (75)
Manna/Mirage (77)
Air Friction (79)
<185> (81)
Open City (85, Compilation)
Chronometers (92, Compilation of unreleased material, Recorded 1975-76)
Bandwidth (02)
Air Live (02?)


Reviews

The Muffins were a DC area Canterbury inspired band that existed from about 1975 to 81, who, during their time released three regular albums, and contributed to the Random Radar Sampler - an excellent compilation of many of the artists who recorded on that now defunct label. The Muffins were Dave Newhouse (keyboards,reeds,winds and percussion), Tom Scott (reeds,winds, percussion), Billy Swann (bass,piano,guitar) and Paul Sears (Drums,saxes). Other band members came and went, playing drums, violin, harmonica, guitar and so on, and most of the albums have at least a few guests sitting in - including one-time producer Fred Frith. Their sound is heavily jazz influenced, but solidly rooted in progressive rock. As might be suspected from the lineup, saxes, flutes, clarinets and other woodwinds play a major role in their sound, which early on could be compared to the likes of Soft Machine circa Third or the instrumental flights of early Caravan. As time went on, their sound became more improvisational sounding, jagged and experimental, full of fiery urgency, and moved more in RIO directions. Chronometers is a disc full of early recordings from the 75/76 period and is a good showcase of their early sound (parts of Chronometers had appeared on the Random Radar sampler LP). The band's first regular album was Manna/Mirage, from around 78; by this time they had embraced a more improvisational direction. Later albums like Air Fiction show more of Frith's RIO influence: unusual rhythms, irregular melodies and rampant dissonance, all delivered with a vengeance. All these albums are excellent, as the Muffins were a masterful crew of top-notch musicians. Start with Chronometers and work your way forward. In addition to Chronometers, Cuneiform has also reissued Manna/Mirage and Open City, a posthumous release of recordings from the 77-80 time period and a couple tracks originally recorded for Fred Frith's Gravity with backing by The Muffins. This one is due for a CD reissue any day with 20 minutes of extra material. Hopefully the others will not be long to follow.

Manna/Mirage is a release originally on Wayside's old label (their only label now being the eclectic Cuneiform), Manna/Mirage is an American approach to the style of Henry Cow. A sometimes noisy, but well composed offering, The Muffins cover the realms of prog rock and experimental fusion, falling well on the fusion side. The four bandmembers play multiple instruments, including strings and woodwinds, giving their music a non-centered sort of sound, always doing the unexpected. This is a winner if you like Henry Cow or National Health and might even get a rise out of the fans of other forms of complex music, such as Gentle Giant or Gryphon.
This Washington D.C.-based avante garde fusion band was one of the few who could out-Cow Henry Cow. :) So it comes as no surprise that <185> was produced by Fred Frith. The album is a veritable cacophony of squeaking, bleating clarinets, wild wailing saxophones, deep fuzz bass and Frith's distinctive guitar playing. Anyone who thought no-one could outdo "Nirvana For Mice" ought to hear "Angle Dance" or "Zoom Resume" from this album--incredible! Open City is a collection of posthumously released recordings. Quite restrained in comparison to <185>, the album is full of jazzy reed-solos in the middle Soft Machine mode. Also included, a pair of outtakes from Frith's Gravity album. One begins to wonder why they weren't released before. -- Mike Ohman
The Muffins re-banded in 2001 (the same four guys, unlike some other "re-banding") and have released a new album, Bandwidth in 2002 on Cuneiform. They are currently working on another studio album, tentatively titled Double Negative. They have also launched a nifty web site (Internet Explorer recommended, rather than Netscape), see link below.
Also, though obliquely mentioned above, The Muffins played with Fred Frith on his Gravity album prior to their breakup after <185>, hence the link to Frith below. -- Fred Trafton


Click here for The Muffins' web site http://www.themuffins.org/
Click here for a great Muffins fan web site http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/1166/muff.html
Click here for The Muffin's page on the Cuneiform web site http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/muffins.html



The Muffins
Formed 197?
Disbanded 1980

Almost entirely instrumental, the Muffins' music was a unique blend of Canterbury progressive, fusion, improvisation and much more. The group was formed in the Washington, DC area in the early '70s by Dave Newhouse (keyboards), Billy Swan (vocals, bass and guitar), Tom Scott (woodwinds) and Michael Zentner (guitar and violin). Stuart Abramowitz played drums from August 1975 until July 1976. This group recorded the home and studio demo recordings heard on the Chronometers CD.
Zentner and Abramowitz left in July 1976. Drummer Paul Sears joined the next month, setting the stage for the group's most popular period. The group released Manna/Mirage in 1978, and soon after released a limited-edition, live LP called Air Fiction. The band also worked with Fred Frith on his solo LP, Gravity. Frith produced the band's next LP, 185, in late 1980. The Muffins disbanded six months later. In the early '90s, the band played at a private party, resulting in "Hobart Got Burned" on the Unsettled Scores compilation (Cuneiform,1995), and it wasn't until July 16, 1998, that group came together again - this time for a reunion show in Washington, D.C. This reunion lasted, leading to a number of concerts by the Muffins over the next several years. Tom Scott, Paul Sears, Billy Swan and Dave Newhouse also hit the studios in 2001. - Jim Dorsch


1978 Manna/Mirage Random Radar
1980 185 Random Radar
1981 CHR(060)185chr(062) Cuneiform
1993 Chronometers Cuneiform
1994 Open City Cuneiform
2002 Bandwidth Cuneiform
Air Live


There once was a crazy progressive rock/improv band and they called themselves The Muffins...

AFTER 20 some odd years, THE MUFFINS still are:


Dave Newhouse - piano, organ, baritone, alto & soprano sax, bass clarinet, percussion
Tom Scott - alto & soprano sax, Bb & alto clarinet, oboe, flutes, percussion
Billy Swann - Electric ZOOM bass, guitar, percussion, vocals
Paul Sears - drums, percussion



The Muffins story begins in the fall of 1973, with the break up of a Maryland band called Tunc. Former members Dave Newhouse and Michael Zentner decide to form a new band. At the same time, Billy Swann happens to pick up a friend of Michael's who is hitch-hiking with a guitar case. Naturally, the conversation centers on musicians and local bands, and Billy learns about Michael and Dave's band. Billy contacts Michael, and they set about to work over the winter, creating a new polyrhythmic music. Dave, Billy, and Michael all move into a large farmhouse in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and like their predecessors CAN (who lived together in a castle in Germany) lived and worked together in a music-type commune. The new group goes nameless until one day, while the three argue over potential names, a friend enters the house, loudly shouting, "The Muffins are here!" and bearing a tray of hot blueberry muffins as a housewarming gift. The well-wisher's timing is perfect and the band becomes The Muffins.


Dave Newhouse
A number of drummers come and go over the next few months. In the summer of 1974, multi-reedist Tom Scott (from the Virginia based group Black Orchid) joins and eventually moves into the Gaithersburg band house. Dave writes original material, their sound comes together bit by bit, and the band rehearse steadily, practicing four nights a week. The Muffins' communal lifestyle and heavy practice schedule continues for many years, leading to their intuitive musical interaction.

In early fall, 1975, drummer Stuart Abramowitz joins the band. The rock energy of Stuart's drumming compliments the bands more cerebral compositions. The Muffins' sound tightens into a distinctive personality, although influences of bands like Soft Machine, Hatfield & the North, and The Mothers of Invention are still evident. They record studio and home demos in late 1975 and early 1976, none intended for release, but the majority of which would later be released as "Chronometers" (Cuneiform 55007).

In mid-summer the band undergoes a major shakeup in personnel. On July 9th, they play their last show with Stuart and Michael. On the verge of dissolving altogether, Tom pushes hard for them to remain together as a group. They continue rehearsing as an improvising trio, even playing a few shows with this three piece line-up.

Improvisation was always a vital ingredient in The Muffins. All three played or worked in improvisational settings before the Muffins, and Billy and Dave are both fans of "energy" jazz, Sun Ra, and the AACM movement. From the earliest days of the band they would always feature one or two improvisations in their sets, but this period as a trio really forges the group into an improvising unit.

In the fall of 1976, they meet drummer Paul Sears. Paul's powerful, intricate style is exactly what the band needs. The new quartet immediately gets to work, improvising and slowly developing new compositions. They decide to drop the almost two hours of older material and start fresh.


Tom Scott
The first gig with this new line up (Billy, Tom, Dave, and Paul) took place at American University in Washington, DC on October 2, 1976, playing with another suburban Washington band: GRITS (Cuneiform 55008). By the spring of 1977, they have about an hour of written material. Their concerts in this period feature a 50/50 mix of written material to improvisation.

Throughout the years, members of the Muffins surround themselves with other musicians. They work with friends and encourage them to form bands reflecting divergent styles of music (free improv, space rock, etc.). During the summers of 1976-77, they sponsor free concerts every weekend in the field behind the Gaithersburg farmhouse, which are usually attended by anywhere from ten to a hundred people. Immersed in music, their next natural step is to form a record label to release these new sounds: Random Radar Records.

Eventually they leave Gaithersburg and move to a house in nearby "suburban" Rockville. Throughout much of 1977 they record their first LP, "Manna/Mirage," Cuneiform 55004) on Tom Scott's recently purchased Tascam 8-track. While a little "slicker" than their live sound, "Manna/Mirage" captures the charm of the band in this period quite well. The record's biggest drawback is a weak mastering job, which amplifies the technical deficiencies of the home recording. The "Manna/Mirage" period is the band's popular peak, as they play out more frequently than ever before or after.


. They continue to rehearse four nights a week, though never average more than 10-12 shows a year. "Manna/Mirage" receives positive press and college radio airplay. With the help of a postcard enclosed in each album, they begin to assemble an amazingly diverse mailing list, from places as far away as Hong Kong and India.

In mid 1979 they record and release their second LP, "Air Fiction" featuring all improvisations: one side live, one side home studio recordings. With the help of their mailing list, they offer this recording exclusively to their fans via mail order in a limited edition of 1,000. Hastily recorded and assembled, it shows the least attractive and thoughtful side of their improvisations. By late 1979, The Muffins' sound is evolving and changing. The more gentle jazz-rock stylings of their sets are giving way to a harder-edge sound. Billy is given an incredibly cheap ($15.00) electric guitar which he tunes completely idiosyncratically and uses in a unique fashion. Dave is playing less keyboards and writing pieces for two saxes, bass and drums. Fred Frith (from the British band Henry Cow) moves to New York in the late 70's and becomes a great fan and friend of The Muffins, providing stimulus and influence. A long time champion of the band, Fred Frith features them as a backup band on his popular solo LP "Gravity" which brings their names to many new listeners.



By late 1980, frustrations are mounting. Years of hard work are definitely NOT paying off. By the time they are ready to record their last studio album, "185" (Random Radar 010), there is enough disagreement and tension about recording it that they decide to use Fred Frith as producer, deferring all production decisions to Fred.

"Open City" may be the greatest collection of the Muffins music on one disc. The pieces are arranged chronologically, starting with the later pieces and working their way back to the earliest.

Like their name suggests, The Muffins are always hot and piping! Though they "technically" broke up in 1981, they have gotten back together a handful of times during the last three years. During this time they have played concerts at prestigious venues, like the Knitting Factory and a jazz festival in Rome. They are alaso releasing a new album! So who can say they ever broke up!?!?


Dave Newhouse is now a teacher in Maryland; Paul Sears continues to work with computers and play music with several bands in the D.C. area; Tom Scott lives in the hills of Virginia as a woodworker, and Billy Swann lives and works in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Billy is currently performing on weekends with his country rock band, Fender Benders, and with his vintage psychedelic & experimental band:

SIBERIAN MINE BLAST

Siberian Mine Blast, or SMB for short, has been together since the fall of 1996. This vintage psych trio has performed a handful of wild shows in and around Columbia. If you would be interested in booking this group or would like to purchase their debut CD, featuring obscure psychedlic covers of songs by Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, Electric Prunes, West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Pink Floyd, the Muffins and much more, check out the SMB Website for more info....



Photos by Shawn Pruitt, and unknown.
Text is taken directly from the OPEN CITY CD booklet
(C)1994 Cuneiform Records




Manna/Mirage
Date of Release 1978

Manna/Mirage was the Muffins' first album and remained their best work. It is a fantastic blend of Canterbury prog and Henry Cow-ish intricacy, with a soupзon of improvisation. Completely instrumental, the music can also be linked to Happy the Man for its melodic side. "Monkey With the Golden Eyes" is a nice introductory track seguing into the fantastic "Hobart Got Burned," which starts with a calm atonal improvisation and builds up to a bombastic main theme. Then comes "Amelia Earhart" (16 minutes), a track superior to anything that came out of Canterbury. You must hear it to believe it. Canterbury-type prog never got that good. Finally, "The Adventures of Captain Boomerang" (23 minutes) is a long complex suite, with a humorous touch not unlike some of National Health's material. Manna/Mirage would have become a classic prog album, if only it had come out of Canterbury instead of late-'70s U.S.A. Since Cuneiform Records reissued it on CD in 1991, the album has enjoyed quite a bit of fame in progressive rock circles. - Franзois Couture

Kit Watkins - Technical Advisor
The Muffins - Mixing
Tom Scott - Flute, Percussion, Soprano, Flute (Alto), Oboe, Piccolo, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone), Clarinet (Alto)
Billy Swan - Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Piano
Dave Newhouse - Organ, Flute, Percussion, Piano, Clarinet (Bass), Piccolo, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone), Reeds (Multiple)
Paul Sears - Percussion, Drums, Gong, Xylophone, Penny Whistle, Vibe Master, Pans, Pots
Roger Seibel - Pre-Mastering
John Schmidt - Tuba, Horn (Baritone)
Steven Feigenbaum - Guitar
Paula Millet - Graphic Conversion
Ellen Vincent - Cover Art
Steve Abramowitz - Photography
George Lowe - Master Tape Preparation
Doug Elliot - Trombone
Diane Falcone - Design, Back Cover

1978 LP Random Radar 003
Random Radar RRR-003
1995 CD Cuneiform 55004