early beginnings
Bowser began as a three-piece band in the summer of 2000.  The original members include Luke Abler (vocals, guitar), Owen Mooney (keyboards), and Brian Wieland (percussion).  Brian's brother Derek came on as bass player for the band later that summer.  After months of practice in the Abler basement,  the boys made their debut at an end-of-the-summer party at the Mooney house.  Nicknamed "The Moon Deck", the show has become an annual Bowser event.

In the fall of '01, the band added Chuck Ehlenbeck as an additional  percussionist.  Following a memorable show at Brendan and Michael's in Oshkosh, the band performed at the Elkhart Lake Auditorium in Novemeber, where they introduced their first original song, "Nicholas the Pufferfish".  A Christmas show followed at Anchor Lanes that December, where Bowser unveiled another original song, "The Gnu Song".  In January, the band opened for Waterlounge at The Niche, where they introduced the instrumental jam "Spunomi".

Other Bowser songs were introduced later that spring at The Crystal Lake Lodge, including "Gambino and the Space Cadets" and "Hannah's Song".  They opened for "Waterlounge" and "The Cool Waters Band" that spring at The Niche.  The band introduced the song "Dime Street" that summer at the annual Moondeck show.  The band also saw successful shows that summer at Rhine Center and Happy Days. 

making waves
That summer, the band added several key elements to it's arsenal, including lighting engineer Cory Gumieny and sound/recording engineer Rick "Gizzmo" Kaufmann.  The band also added an extra kick to their show that year when they added harmonica player/singer John Prigge to the line up, making Bowser a six-piece band.

The summer of 2002 also saw the inaugural Chazstock festival, where hundreds of people came from miles around to help Bowser and The Twofold Band kick off this energy-filled outdoor event.  The success of the first Chazstock has lead to a continually growing annual event.

The Bowser band packed up the gear and moved to Oshkosh in fall of '02.  They played first time shows at The Titan Underground and The Lizard Lounge, and also saw first time shows at The Brown Baer and Turner Hall, where they introduced the song "Chocolita" in spring of 2003.  Summer kept jamming with many shows at Turner Hall.  Bowser also saw first time shows at Cedar Lake Resort.  The summer was capped off with an even wilder Chazstock than the first, including jamming by Bowser and The Keystone Groove.

In fall of 2003, the band added John Selak at bass guitar.   They have continued to play successful shows at Turner Hall and The Brown Baer.  This winter, the band started hosting an open jam at The Niche.  Held every Thursday night at 9pm, the Bowser boys stay up late to jam with the area's finest local musicians.

To view Bowser's current schedule, click here.