Mumsdollar was a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band formed in 1998 with Ben Claxton on lead vocals, Dave Barr on guitar and backing vocals, Tim Beale on drums, and brothers Pete Wood, on guitar, and Steve Wood on bass and backing vocals.

History

Mumsdollar was formed when Ben Claxton on lead vocals, Dave Barr on guitar and backing vocals, Tim Beale on drums, and brothers Pete Wood, on guitars, and Steve Wood on bass and backing vocals got together to enter YFC Capital Teen Convention (CTC) band competition. Their name was chosen when Ben was at Hillsong Conference and at offering time only had 1 dollar, his mum's dollar. They originally intended to change the name after CTC but it just stuck.

Since then Mumsdollar has become one of the biggest bands in the kiwi music scene. They have also released their album A Beautiful Life in Japan. Mumsdollar are also one of the favourites at the New Zealand Christian music festival Parachute

Parachute music festival

The Parachute Music Festival is a Christian music festival held annually at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.The festival is run by Parachute Music and lasts for four days and three nights. 'Parachute' is the Southern Hemisphere's largest Christian music festival, primarily...

.

In 2009 their Album "Ruins" won a Vodafone

Vodafone

Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...

 New Zealand Music Award for "Best Gospel/Christian Album" beating Parachute Band

Parachute Band

Parachute Band is a worship band from Auckland, New Zealand, formed out of the New Zealand-based Christian organisation Parachute MusicThe band makes pop/rock music and is currently in its second generation, with the current line-up regularly topping the mainstream MySpace NZ Music Charts for acts...

, The Ember Days and Primalband. It also Charted at #15 on the New Zealand Album charts in late January 2009.

Break Up

In 2009 Mumsdollar announced that they would be breaking up at the end of the year due to lead singer Ben Claxton going on his OE. They performed a final tour around New Zealand in early December. Ben Claxton now works in England as a Physical education Teacher at a secondary school.

Future Projects

Dave and Ben, along with members formerly of the band My Life Story formed a new band called Grande Vue. They played their debut show at Parachute Music Festival

Parachute music festival

The Parachute Music Festival is a Christian music festival held annually at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, New Zealand.The festival is run by Parachute Music and lasts for four days and three nights. 'Parachute' is the Southern Hemisphere's largest Christian music festival, primarily...

 2011.

Related Projects

Ben and Dave from Mumsdollar also make up an acoustic band called Shooting Stars.

Current members

• Ben Claxton – lead vocals (1998–2009)
• Dave Barr – guitar
  Electric guitar
  An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
  
  , backing vocals
  Backing vocalist
  A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
  
   (1998–2009)
• Steve Wood – bass guitar
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  , backing vocals (1998–2009)
• Pete Wood – guitar (1998–2009)
• Tim Beale – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  (1998–2009)

Discography

• Buy This Album So We Can Make A Good One (demo) (2000)
• For Christ's Sake (2001)
• Eastern Time (2002)
• Eastern Time (re-release) (2004)
• A Beautiful Life EP (2005)
• A Beautiful Life (2005)
• Ruins (2008)

Sources

• http://www.mumsdollar.com/bio.htm
• http://www.muzic.net.nz/artists/574.html
• http://www.amplifier.co.nz/artist/20320/mumsdollar.html?full=1
• http://www.soulpurpose.co.nz/music/bands-artists/mumsdollar-goodness/

http://www.nzmusicawards.co.nz/2009/08/13/209/