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CONTACT BLISS RAGSDALE (blissbragsdale@hotmail.com), ED BARBIER (EBARBIER@UWYO.EDU) OR J SHOGREN (JAHAJUNTI@HOTMAIL.COM)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECORDED AT THUNDERGROUND STUDIOS IN LARAMIE (DAN TINKER AND CREW)...-----------------------------------------------------

Tony5, Ed, Bliss, Jerry G., Birgit B, Shogi.----------------------------------

A recent story that gives the history of the Mpeggers--------------

Mumbletypeg band to perform

at Centennial bash Saturday----------

Branding Iron

27 Oct 2006

By Brian Dekle

bdekle@uwyo.edu---------------

An Albany County rock band hopes to wake the ghosts of the old west with a Halloween bash Saturday night in the rustic, tiny but hopping town of Centennial, 30 miles west of Laramie on Highway 130.

Mumbletypeg, a six-piece rock outfit whose sonic cauldron bubbles over with 60s and 70s psychedelia, jam band and contemporary music ingredients, will begin stirring their musical potion at 10 p.m. Saturday at the Trading Post Dinner House and Saloon, 2753 Highway 130, Centennial.

“This is the annual Halloween gig at the Trading Post, which we have been playing for the last several years. It has become a tradition, with wild costumes and outrageous behavior (within reasonable bounds). Expect lots of variations on tie-dye. It has become one of those [famous] ‘Centennial parties’ that should not be missed,” Ed Barbier, Mumbletypeg drummer, vocalist and harmonica player, said.

Barbier said the band plans to play their usual rock originals and eclectic line-up of covers, with some special Halloween tunes such as “Werewolves of London.” Mumbletypeg, consisting of Barbier, vocalist and acoustic guitarist Tony Thunker, lead guitarist and vocalist Bliss Ragsdale, electric bassist and vocalist Jerry Gallegos, vocalist and mandolin player Birgit Burke and lead/slide guitarist and vocalist Jay Shogren, was formed in early 2001 as a jam session in Barbier’s basement between Thunker and Gallegos. Other members joined later, and now the band averages about 15 gigs a year, including Centennial’s Jerryfest, Poker Run and the Halloween bash. The band also plays private parties.

Each member brings different influences to the table, further lending to the band’s eccentric sonic concoction, Barbier said. “I was trained as a jazz drummer, and I grew up playing a lot with my father’s traditional and Dixieland jazz bands. However, my own playing evolved toward more modern jazz music, and so my big influences were drummers such as Tony Williams, Elvin Jones and Jack DeJohnette. In addition, I have been a long time fan of the Grateful Dead, and so as a rock drummer I have modeled myself after Bill Kreutzman and similar drummers who play rock with a jazz style. My favorite harmonica player is Little Walter,” he said

“There are many influences on our band—David Crosby, the Grateful Dead, U2, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Cowboy Junkies, the Beatles, Allman Brothers, the Stones, etc.” Mumbletypeg, with a lineup of around 15 original songs, will begin recording their first album next week at the Music Box in Laramie. Barbier said he appreciates the discipline required in studio recording and the magic of hearing it all come together on tape, but still gets the biggest thrill from playing live. Barbier said the band’s writing style involves individual ideas brought to the table and then tweaked by other band members.

“All the members of the band except me have written songs, although Tony Thunker writes most of the originals. Usually, one person brings a song for others to hear and put together the band sound and feel for the song. I am usually given complete freedom to interpret and lay down the rhythm for each song. It is nice that each songwriter has that confidence in me to let me do that,” he said.

For more information about Mumbletypeg or to book them for private gatherings, contact Ed Barbier at ebarbier@uwyo.edu,Jay Shogren at jahajunti@hotmail.com, or Bliss Ragsdale at blissragsdale@hotmail. com.