One of the many gems on the line-up at The Gum Ball festival next week is The Main Guy and the Other Guys, playing at 8pm on Friday, April 26. The front man of the band is well-known and loved local musician named Erling Gronhaug, known to many as Duke.
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If you want to learn about Novocastrian music history, it's worth chatting with the 46 year-old Norwegian who came to Australia to do a communications degree at the University of Newcastle while also pursuing his rock star dreams.
Gronhaug describes his current band as "100 per cent comedy and musical variety."
"We sing songs of all styles, with words of all sorts, for people of all kinds," Gronhaug says. "We have been described as the four uncles at a wedding that won't get off stage, but also, no one wants us to."
Current members include brand new addition Andy Jones (also singer/guitarist in The Hedonist), Jake Stuart on drums and Sean Costigan on bass. (Costigan has been an official "Other Guy" since the band's inception in 2012.) Gronhaug is on keys. All band members sing and a few of the songs have a horn section as well.
Because they're a comedy band, they don't want the joke to get old. They only play once a year, so Gum Ball is all the fans get for 2024.
Gronhaug first played at Gum Ball in 2019 with Zackari Watt as The Hauntingly Beautiful Mousemoon, which coincidentally was the first band Gronhaug ever joined in Newcastle at the end of 2001. They hadn't played in years; it was a bit of a revival show. After Mousemoon, Gronhaug would go on to play for a popular band that was then known as Mojo Juju & the Snake Oil Merchants (now known as Mo'Ju).
Up until the Main Guy and the Other Guys, Gronhaug was always the drummer. He has fond memories of forming bands in Newcastle. His years of study were mostly a strategy to get visas to stay in Australia and play music with his mates, although eventually the degrees came in handy. He went on to pursue a successful film and videography career including working for NBN.
The story of The Main Guy and the Other Guys begins over 20 years ago with young Gronhaug and Watt in Wickham. The two moved into the Morrow Park Bowling Club to build a studio and make a Mousemoon album, but they couldn't agree on a musical direction. Mousemoon broke up to save the friendship. But Gronhaug kept making music in the space. He stayed up many nights making "stupid comedy party songs" on his Casio keyboard.
"Out of that came a different ridiculous 14-piece, lycra/spandex band called Ergo Beanbag and His All Action All Stars" Gronhaug says.
The backup singers in that band included Watt, Mo'Ju and Kira Piru.
The enormous band went on to play exactly 10 gigs including The Big Day Out, twice!
But sadly a 14-member-band was a bit tricky to manage and it didn't last long. Fortunately the songs were saved, they're what Gronhaug plays now for The Main Guy and the Other Guys. The lycra is less, but the spirit of Ergo Beanbag lives on.
Gronhaug has pouched his drum sticks, preferring his annual moment in the spotlight.
"I was the drummer in all the other bands in my life. This was my time to shine," Gronhaug says.
