shows in 2007. They also toured the east coast of Australia in 2006 and 2007. Many band members were fathers by then, a factor increasingly affecting their "touring stamina". Warren Maxwell left the band in 2007 for family reasons, and was replaced in live performances with Scott Towers. Towers attended the Conservatorium of Music with Maxwell, and was trombonist Joe Lindsay's tutor there. Dr Boondigga and the Big BW: 2009–2012 Fat Freddy's Drop released their second studio album, Dr Boondigga and the Big BW, in 2009. The title refers to "the Big Brain-Wash and Dr. Boondigga [who] is some evil creature who's trying to sign us to a major label," according to Faiumu. The band is still independently distributed by The Drop label, and as of 2009, have handled distribution themselves in Europe. Like Based on a True Story, the album's songs are polished versions of songs they developed over four years at live shows; mixed from 2007 to 2009 in-between tours. Unlike their last album, most of it was recorded live in-studio with all band members present. There were some exceptions; Alice Russell's duet with Tamaira on the album's first single "The Camel" was recorded in 2006 when she was in Wellington with The Bamboos. Dr Boondigga and the Big BW was the highest selling album in New Zealand for five weeks after its release, and the highest selling album there in 2009. It was listed on the RIANZ top 40 sales chart 38 weeks in total. The album received more international promotion than its predecessor, reaching number 45 in the Australian album chart, and 97th in France. The BBC's John Lusk called Fat Freddy's Drop "New Zealand's most critically acclaimed band since The Clean", and lead singer Tamaira, "one of the most soulful singers of his generation." At the 2009 New Zealand Music Awards the album won the awards Best Producer, and Best Aotearoa Roots Album Dr Boondigga and the Big BW had sold 30,000 copies in New Zealand as of December 2009. Fat Freddy's Drop returned to touring New Zealand, Australia and Europe to promote the new album in 2009. Three shows on the west coast of the United States, and a show in Canada, were also included in the tour. The only previous time the band had played in the United States was a single performance at the Detroit Electronic Music festival in 2004. Before 2009,