You might remember the band Green Jellÿ as “Green Jelly” from back in the glory days of MTV. Well, did you know that the band is from Buffalo? So the story goes, Green Jelly (named after the worst tasting Jell-O flavor) was formed here by lead singer Bill Manspeaker back in 1981. What most people don’t know is that they band left Buffalo years later to appear on The Gong Show. Although they got “gonged” off the show, the appearance turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it got them on national TV, and put them on the radar of MTV during the station’s heyday.
Incredibly, the band’s hit song Three Little Pigs (1990) turned out to be the number one requested MTV video at the time. If you were watching MTV back in the day, then you will recall how frequently the video aired.
It didn’t take long before Kraft Foods came a callin’. The company owned the trademark on Jell-O, and demanded that Manspeaker pull the plug on the name. In true Manspeaker style, the lead singer opted to alter the name to Green Jellÿ, which is still pronounced “green jello“.
Another interesting factoid is that hundreds of musicians have played in the band over the years. Manspeaker is the only band member that remained constant. A number of the group’s musicians spun off to form other bands, most notably Danny Carey of Tool. Maynard James Keenan of Tool was the guest voice of Three Little Pigs!
In order to simplify his touring gigs, Manspeaker created band franchises throughout the country (including Buffalo). The concept made it easy for him to simply arrive to a city without having a band in tow.
A key member of the the Buffalo band franchise, Mark Madden, has been instrumental in promoting local guest appearances by Manspeaker over the years.
Over this past weekend, Green Jellÿ recorded a redo of the Three Little Pigs music video at MADDINK STUDIO – 408 Amherst Street (Madden “Angry Soil” is featured on drums).
While in town, Green Jellÿ will be performing at Mohawk Place, along with some of Buffalo’s finest – Super Killer Robots, Diceros, Inherent Vice, Green Schwinn and Arlowe Price (host). Special guests include Lazy Ass Destroyers, a band that calls Buffalo its second home.
Green Jello / Super Killer Robots / Lazy Ass Destroyer / Diceros
Friday, July 7th
$10.00 pre-sale, $15.00 day of show
18+ (ID Required) – No ID/No Entry
Doors open at 8:00pm
Tickets: www.purplepass.com/
Mohawk Place | 47 E Mohawk Street | Buffalo, NY 14203