Exposé Online banner

The Muffins

The Muffins
Country
United States
Profile
The Muffins was a Maryland-based progressive rock / avant-jazz group initially influenced largely by Canterbury groups like Soft Machine. They were formed in Washington, DC in the early 70s by Dave Newhouse (keyboards, saxes), Michael Zentner (guitar), and Billy Swann (bass), who were soon joined by Tom Scott (saxes); Paul Sears (drums) was added in 1976. The original group, with some variations, recorded four albums before disbanding in 1981. In the late 90s, after Cuneiform had some success reissuing The Muffins' albums, the group reformed with Newhouse, Swann, Scott, and Sears, a group which returned to recording and performing, often working with other musicians. In 2016, it was announced that the band had permanently broken up, though members have continued to work together in various projects.
Website
http://www.themuffins.org
Related articles (19)
Releases on file (16)
Various Artists — Romantic Warriors III: Canterbury Tales Various Artists — Romantic Warriors III: Canterbury Tales
(Zeitgeist Media 3, 2015, DVD)
The Muffins — Mother Tongue The Muffins — Mother Tongue
(HOBART 003, 2012, CD)
Various Artists — Romantic Warriors II: About Rock in Opposition Various Artists — Romantic Warriors II: About Rock in Opposition
(Zeitgeist Media 2, 2012, DVD)
The Muffins — Palindrome The Muffins — Palindrome
(Musea FGBG 4865, 2010, CD)
Various Artists — Kinections: The ProgDay Support CD Various Artists — Kinections: The ProgDay Support CD
((Not on label) no#, 2005, CD)
The Muffins with Marshall Allen & Knoel Scott — Loveletter #2 The Muffins with Marshall Allen & Knoel Scott — Loveletter #2 "The Ra Sessions"
(HOB002, 2005, CD)
The Muffins — Double Negative The Muffins — Double Negative
(Cuneiform Rune 199, 2004, CD)
The Muffins — Bandwidth The Muffins — Bandwidth
(Cuneiform Rune 161, 2002, CD)
The Muffins — Loveletter #1 The Muffins — Loveletter #1
(CoNtOrTeD CON6, 2001, CD)
Various Artists — Unsettled Scores Various Artists — Unsettled Scores
(Cuneiform Rune 75/76, 1995, 2CD)
The Muffins — Open City The Muffins — Open City
(Cuneiform 55010, 1985/1994, CD)
Various Artists — Recommended Records Sampler Various Artists — Recommended Records Sampler
(Recommended Records (RéR) ReR 25A/B, 1982/2009, 2CD)
The Muffins — <185> The Muffins — <185>
(Cuneiform 55013, 1981/1996, CD)
The Muffins — Manna / Mirage The Muffins — Manna / Mirage
(Cuneiform 55004, 1978/1993, CD)
The Muffins — Secret Signals 1 The Muffins — Secret Signals 1
(New House NH02, 1978/2017, CD)
The Muffins — Chronometers The Muffins — Chronometers
(Cuneiform 55007, 1975/1993, CD)

Latest news

2019-02-21
You Can Be Part of an Ambient Electronic Project – The Gesture of History is a new electronic project put together by Sam Rosenthal of Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Steve Roach, and violist Sam Shadow. The music started as an instrumental track Rosenthal was working on for a Black Tape album, but took on a life of its own and demanded further enhancements. The majority of the funds raised will go to manufacturing costs for LP and CD editions, as well as other items as detailed on the Kickstarter page. » Read more

2019-01-31
Keyboardist Ingo Bischof R.I.P. – Keyboard player Ingo Bischof, best known as the longtime keyboard player of German band Kraan, passed away on January 29th, 2019. Bischof was born January 2, 1951 in Berlin-Kreuzberg and joined Kraan in 1975. » Read more

2019-01-11
Jazz Composer Mark Lomax, II Releases Epic 12CD Set – In addition to being a fine jazz drummer, Dr. Mark Lomax, II is a composer in residence at Ohio State University, where he has been very busy on the compositional front. The year 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first ship bringing African slaves to North America, and in commemoration of this, Lomax has produced 400: An Afrikan Epic, a 12 volume set of CDs featuring a variety of different musical ensembles. » Read more

2019-01-02
Chicago-Based Surabhi Ensemble Tours the World in January – Surabhi Ensemble was formed more than a decade ago in Chicago with the aim of bringing together musicians from varying traditions to make music. Saraswathi Ranganathan, who plays veena, assembled a cast that includes Arabic oud, Spanish guitar, and percussion from Africa and India. This month, the group will be sharing their sounds with concert-goers in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa. » Read more

2018-12-23
Seaprog Festival Seeks Donations – Seaprog is a small festival in Seattle that highlights creative music from many genres with artists from around the world. It's also a US non-profit organization. They're seeking donations to help keep the ball rolling. Starting in 2013, the organization has been growing, and has featured such artists as Free Salamander Exhibit, Jack o' the Clock, Nik Turner, Cabezas de Cera, Miriodor, Thinking Plague, and many more. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Höstsonaten - Winterthrough – I guess sometimes you just shouldn’t question the decisions of an artist. When Fabio Zuffanti decides to record a cycle of four symphonic progressive albums based on the seasons, you shouldn’t ask...  (2009) » Read more

Mauve Sideshow - Meet Me in the Wasteland – Meet Me in the Wasteland is the latest and final musical chapter of Treva (voice, electronics) and Dusty Lee (Mellotron, keyboards, sound collage). Like their self titled CD of two years previous,...  (1994) » Read more

Biglietto per l'Inferno - Biglietto per l'Inferno – Like Banco and Corte dei Miracoli, Italian's Biglietto were a dual-keyboard led group although their music was a much heavier affair than either of those two bands, with a style influenced by hard...  (1995) » Read more

Master Musicians of Bukkake - Totem Two – MMOB is a Seattle-based musician collective with members from Earth, Asva, Burning Witch, The Diminished Men, and special guests from Secret Chiefs 3 and the thriving Istanbul music scene. They...  (2011) » Read more

Wayne Horvitz - A Walk in the Dark & Once Dance Alone – One of Seattle’s finest composers, Wayne Horvitz, has crafted a new ensemble album for his main quartet. Horvitz’ signature technique translates into imploring melodic constructs within...  (2008) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

What to Do in Berlin, Barock Project Style

More recommendations
The Seventeenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival 2019

Print issues