The Gomers
by Mike Huberty
April 2006
Madison's The Gomers on the cover of Maximum Ink in April 2006
Very few bands can say that they have had the mayor name a day after them (Feb. 1, 2003), and when it comes to Madison area bands, very few (if any) have matched the longevity, durability, or diversity of The Gomers. As guitarist Biff Blumfumgagnge explains, when they formed in 1986, “the band was initially a goofy punk project to entertain bored Emerald Choir members after rehearsal. Well, I had a bunch of silly songs, and so did Gordon. The early shows were theme-heavy (meat and toys, have a nice day) affairs with sometimes just a three-piece of Gordon and I and a rotating drummer that established a base of goofy songs about fish, alien abduction, antennae, big ideas and such. That was Gomers part 1.”
The Gomers Part Two was established as a Comedy Sportz band around 1988, which prompted them to learn a gi-normous amount of cover tunes, as well as beginning their, according to Biff, “bizarre and creative” musical exploration, often being compared to Zappa. The period included shows with national acts like Mojo Nixon and Molly Hatchet, as well as Wisconsin greats like Poopshovel and Couch Flambeau.
Rock Star Gomeroke, now a weekly staple of the Madison music scene, is live band karaoke every Tuesday night at The High Noon Saloon, playing from a setlist of thousands of songs. The current Gomers lineup is “eight dudes strong” and, to give you some idea of their enormous range, they recently played the entire “In the Jungle Groove” album by James Brown with Madison’s legendary funky drummer Clyde Stubblefield, and later in the evening offered a full presentation of Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light.” On April 22, they’ll be performing Led Zeppelin II in its entirety at the Maximum Ink’s Ten Year Anniversary Party at the Annex..
Funk, new-wave, hard rock, punk, pop, they’re not afraid of any song and they’re also on the verge releasing an album of new material, “MIKE ZERKEL” (after the Smart Studios engineer), later this year. After twenty years, there’s no sign of stopping the rock or of taking their tongues out of their cheeks, as Biff concludes, “I never in a million thought from the start we’d be where we are. The lesson is: Keep at it, keep loving it, and keep it fun. It keeps you running, yeah, it keeps you running…” For more info go to
MySpace.com/thegomers.