HISTORY
A long time ago, in a basement far, far away...
The origins of Bowser began like many other bands before them: the basement of a parent. Exact dates and times are hard to recall, and since have been blurred by hundreds of gigs, practice sessions, good times and bad. However, when the band-that-would-become Bowser began jamming together in a basement on Crystal Lake, WI, it was quite different than the band it is today. It all started out when childhood friends Luke Abler (guitar), Owen Mooney (keyboards), and Brian Wieland (drums) began to plunk around in the Abler household basement on some equipment of Luke’s father. Very quickly the trio realized that music was not only fun, but a passion. This enthusiasm hastily snowballed into daily practice, song writing, and an urge to perform for a live audience.
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From L - R: Ehlenbeck, Abler, Mooney, Wieland (circa 2003)
After several weeks of practice, the trio felt they had enough material to perform live. There was, however, one small drawback…there was no one to fill the low end of their musical spectrum. The band lacked a bass player and desperately needed one to fill the void. Enter Wieland’s brother Derek. Derek Wieland (bass) was not only a perfect fit for the band’s missing low end, but was eager to contribute to song writing and provided an undeniable presence amongst the younger founding members. With the band now complete, the foursome could now focus on fine-tuning their music and learning to perform.
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Derek Wieland during a recording session at UW Oshkosh (circa 2002)
From L - R: D. Wieland, Mooney, Abler at The Brown Baer (circa 2003)
By the time the band was ready to perform their first “official” gig, Abler and Mooney were entering into their junior year of high school in Elkhart Lake, WI. Brian Wieland was entering his senior year 20 miles to the west in Fond Du Lac, WI, and his brother Derek was attending the University of Madison. The band practiced adamantly throughout the summer of 2000, and their hard work culminated in their initiation performance to a group of friends and family on August 27, 2000 on the deck of the Mooney household. This was unofficially billed as “The Moon Deck”, and was a testament to what the band had worked for and what they wanted to pursue.
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Clockwise from left: Abler, Mooney, B. Wieland, D. Wieland, Neal at the first annual "Moon Deck" gig (circa 2000)
The following year saw the band continue to practice, perform, and evolve. It also saw the addition of several key members to the band and crew. In the fall of 2001, Bowser brought on additional percussionist and longtime friend Charles Ehlenbeck. Ehlenbeck brought a new rhythmic approach to the band’s evolving style and would play a full drum set for practice and several live shows. Eventually, Wieland and Ehlenbeck would combine forces with two full drum sets, an undeniable powerhouse that truly sculpted the Bowser sound. The band also integrated lighting engineer Cory Gumieny into their act. A mutual friend and passionate music aficionado, Gumieny’s dedication to live performance lighting has been a signature of the band for nearly a decade now. It was also around this time that Bowser began working with a fellow area musician by the name of Jon Prigge. Prigge had been playing with several different bands for a number of years already, and was keen on putting his distinctive harmonica sound and vocal into Bowser. Prigge would periodically sit in with the band, and eventually his presence became a permanent fixture in the band’s arsenal.
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Ehlenbeck during a band practice session (circa 2001)
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Prigge and D. Wieland at Turner Hall (circa 2003)
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Gumieny (forefront) and Abler (stage) during soundcheck at Turner Hall (circa 2007)
From the Fall of ’01 throughout the Summer of ’02, the band was relentless in performing and continued to produce music with their unique touch. Memorable shows of that year included “Brendan and Michael’s Backyard Blowout” in Oshkosh, “The Return of the Moon Deck”, “A Very Bowser Christmas” at Anchor Lanes, “The H20 Show” with The Cool Waters Band and Waterlounge, and the inaugural “Chazstock” event performed with the Twofold Band. The first annual Chazstock would be the first of several large events hosted by the band, but the second annual Chazstock the following year would redefine and immortalize the concept of a “Bowser Party”.
All images & content © Bowser 2000 - 2010
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