MANHATTAN (KSNT) – The Moving Van Goghs (MVG), a band from the Little Apple, may soon find a spot in the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.
Twin brothers Michael and Mitchell Leggs and Brian Harris formed The Moving Van Goghs while they were students at Kansas State University in 1986. The lineup has changed over time, but the three were inspired by bands like R.E.M., Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, and the Pixies, the MVGs led the way for Manhattan to develop a more diverse local music scene.
The band was nominated to the Kansas Music Hall of Fame on July 9, 2024. They were one of two acts from Manhattan nominated for this year.
“By the early to mid-1990s, a wave of original bands—Truck Stop Love, Roach Factory, Dr. Zeus, Tuber, CREEP, Puke Weasel, and others—were reshaping the local landscape,” Michael Leggs said. “I’d say the scene hit its peak around 1990 to ’92, just before Nirvana blew up and Seattle grunge took over the national spotlight.”
Pictured band members Mitchell Leggs, Richard Suderman, Michael Leggs and Brian Harris. (Photo Courtesy/Michael Leggs)
The MVGs began to garner some attention on a larger scale during the peak in the early 1990’s. The band found themselves opening for others like The Flaming Lips, Swans, and The Lemonheads after making lots of phone calls, mailing out promo kits and faxing contracts.
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Leggs described the band as their “passport to unforgettable adventures.” He believes the MVGs helped Manhattan expand the local scene from cover bands to original, non-mainstream acts.
“There’s a saying—often attributed to Confucius or Egyptian mythology—that goes something like: ‘We die twice. The first time is when we take our last breath. The second is when our name is spoken for the last time,'” Leggs said. “If we go by that reasoning, I’d say The Moving Van Goghs haven’t died their second death. And that, to me, is somewhat of an accomplishment.”
You can listen to some of the MVGs’ music here.
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