The Muddy Basin Ramblers are one of Taiwan’s most beloved swing-blues bands, and a favorite in Taipei’s live music scene. Not only do they charm with infectious old-time grooves, they are fun to watch.
Armed with a homemade washtub bass, washboard, banjos, ukuleles, resonator guitars and an assortment of brass and woodwinds instruments, the Ramblers have been winning over audiences – whether diehard music lovers at a club or unsuspecting passersby on the street – for more than a decade with their unique, energetic take on jug band music, folk, blues and jazz from the 1920s and 30s. Their ability to incorporate elements of Taiwanese and Asian folk music has also won them a wide following in Taiwan.
Originally formed in 2003 by six US/UK expats living in Taipei, the Ramblers have grown into a rotating collective of talented acoustic roots musicians whose aim remains to always throw a good hootenanny.
Their fun, free-wheeling spirit was captured on their epic double album “Formosa Medicine Show,” (2013) which was well-received in Taiwan’s indie music scene and even earned a Grammy nomination for best album package design. Their latest album is “Hold That Tiger,” (2019), another double-length record of quirky, original songs that sees the band pushing their music to new heights.
