The Songs of Captian Matchbox – Rodeo Grounds

Inspired by early jug band music and jazz recordings they heard on reel-to-reel tapes as teenagers, brothers Mic Conway and Jim Conway formed a raggle-taggle group which grew from an underground art school band to a national icon, with a cult following, film and television appearances, Top 10 hits and two Gold Records.   From 1970-1980, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band toured the length and breadth of Australia, performing more than 2,000 shows, supported by the likes of Skyhooks, Cold Chisel, Split Endz and others along the way.

They were a very odd sock in the glam-rock world and Aussie pub scene. Their debut LP “Smoke Dreams” went to Gold in 1972 and was released in the USA. This year, “Smoke Dreams” has been listed among The 100 Best Australian Albums. Their second LP “Wangaratta Wahine” featured a classic cover design by Michael Leunig which won the award for Album Cover of the Year in 1974. Assisted by their memorable first appearance on Countdown performing “Wangaratta Wahine”, this album became their biggest success.

Especially for HITCH TO THE STICKS, Mic Conway and a hot 6-piece band return to Wangaratta to present the songs, silliness and satire from the Matchbox repertoire including “My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes”, “That Cat is High”, “Smoke Dreams”, “Hernando’s Hideaway”,  “Who Walks in When I Walk Out?” and many more.