Big Sky Mudflaps celebrate their 40th anniversary
One of Montana’s iconic bands – The Big Sky Mudflaps – turns 40 this year, and celebrates that landmark with three shows in September:
Great Falls: Friday, Sept. 11 at Paris Gibson Square for Arts on Fire
Boulder: Saturday, Sept. 12 for the Boulder Music Festival
Missoula: Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Top Hat Lounge (the place where it all began in 1975)
The band formed in 1975 in Hamilton, with a name bestowed by Paul Stanton (the creator of Duckboy Postcards), who suggested they take advantage of the free publicity afforded by the backsides of pickups. Original members were David Horgan on guitar, Steve Orner on drums (soon to be replaced by Michael Lea), Beth Lo on bass, Dexter Payne on saxophone, Maureen Powell also on bass, and Steve Powell on piano.
The group played roadhouses and clubs up and down the Bitterroot Valley, as well as in Missoula, and within a short time branched out to places like Spokane, Bozeman, Helena, Billings, Portland and Seattle. They played an eclectic range of classic American music, focusing on swing and rhythm and blues.
The ’Flaps recorded their first album, Armchair Cabaret, in 1979, and began touring nationally, appearing at clubs, colleges, and major jazz and folk festivals. They made two live appearances on the NBC “Today Show” in 1981 and 1982 and for several years were semi-regular guests on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion.”
Their second album, Sensible Shoes, was released in 1983 and selected by Billboard magazine as one of its notable albums for that year. The ’Flaps also earned rave reviews in The New York Times, Village Voice, Los Angeles Times, Esquire, and others.
The first two records featured appearances by singer Judy Roderick and violinist Rob Sanders, both members of the group in that era. Payne left the group 1984 (or tried to) and was replaced by Chuck Florence on saxophone.
Shake, Rattle, & Roll debuted in 1987, with high-energy dance tunes from the Mudflaps’ R&B repertoire. Cold Duck Time appeared a decade later, showcasing a full range of the group’s varied musical styles.
The group celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2000 with a series of concerts featuring Mudflaps past and present. The band also released another CD, Armchair Cabaret Live, a recording of a live radio broadcast on Montana Public Radio, featuring songs, comedy, and appearances by a host of guest stars and Mudflap alumni.
The ‘Flaps are still going strong in the new millennium, despite losing founding member and pianist Steve Powell to cancer in 2013 – he’s missed mightily for both his musicianship and positive personality. The keyboard spot has lately been occupied by Jim Rogers, Bob Packwood, or Josh Farmer – all stellar players.
Rich Brinkman has manned the drum seat for over 15 years. Other players who have performed with the group (and sometimes still do, in keeping with the band’s adage, “Once a Mudflap, Always a Mudflap”) include Liz Slater on congas, timbales and other Latin percussion instruments, trumpeter Leon Slater, saxophonist Dexter Payne, trombonist Tom Wogsland, former drummer Michael Lea, violinist Rob Sanders, and percussionist and singer Cody Hollow. On occasion the group teams up with singer Huey Lewis, a good friend and resident of the Bitterroot Valley, to perform events in western Montana.
In honor of its 40th anniversary, the band has re-released on CD their acclaimed first three albums, which were all originally on vinyl. All five of the Mudflaps’ recordings are now available on Spud Records, a subsidiary of Mudco, which “owns everything.”
The group continues to explore new musical territory, including the fiery rhythms of Cuba and Brazil. Several members also belong to the Latin-jazz ensemble Salsa Loca, Western Union, the Ed Norton Big Band, Canta Brasil, Country Kings, River City Swing Band, Trio Noir, and Jazz Graffiti, among others.
In performance, the Big Sky Mudflaps always like to present the full range of their stylistic repertoire, from Kansas City swing to Havana cha-cha-cha. Their hope always is that the audience will have half as much fun as the band.
– David Horgan, BSM guitarist,
who says he might wear the same shirt he wore at the Top Hat gig in 1975 “if I can fit into it”