Murder by Death (band)
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| Murder by Death | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bloomington, Indiana, USA |
| Genre(s) | Indie Alternative Rock Post-punk |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Label(s) | Eyeball Tent Show Vagrant |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Adam Turla Matt Armstrong Sarah Balliet Dagan Thogerson |
|
| Former members | |
| Alex Schrodt Brandon Cooper Vincent Edwards |
|
Murder by Death (formerly known as Little Joe Gould) is a four-piece rock band from Bloomington, Indiana. Their name comes from Robert Moore's 1976 movie of the same name.
The band plays an eclectic range of music, from eight minute ethereal instrumentals, to driving punk rock, to alt-country, and in one person's account, "It's like Johnny Cash and Tiger Army had a baby. That is Murder By Death." Their earlier releases create an eerie southern gothic sound accented by keyboard and electric cello while their later releases, which still incorporated the cello, but less keyboard, become more guitar driven with a combination of edgy punk sneering and fantastical western woes.
Many songs use themes such as zombies and the Devil that often tie into their concept albums. For example, their second full-length, Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them?, is the story of the Devil coming to a village in Mexico and the war that ensues between him and the townspeople.
The band was discovered by Thursday vocalist, Geoff Rickly, who helped them get signed to Eyeball Records and produced their second album. The group has played with a variety of artists such as Against Me!, Interpol, The Weakerthans, Clutch, Rasputina, Reverend Horton Heat, Lucero, Cursive, William Elliott Whitmore, Mock Orange and The Get Up Kids. In the summer of 2004, the group was direct support during the Braid United States reunion tour, along with Minus the Bear.
Contents |
[edit] Releases
[edit] Like the Exorcist, but More Breakdancing
Released in 2002, "Those Who Left", from their first full-length album Like the Exorcist, but More Breakdancing, is an eight-minute instrumental, often played live in total darkness. This song is usually paired with "Those Who Stayed," a shorter instrumental song from the same album. This pairing, played during encores, is seen on setlists as "The Two Evils" or "Medley of Evil."
[edit] Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them?
The 2003 release is a concept album depicting a brooding tale of survival in a small western town whose residents are plagued with demonic assaults. They begin to question their own mortality as the Devil wages war on their homeland. It's part horror movie climax and part western barroom brawl with a gloss of wintry distortion
- My Chemical Romance's frontman, Gerard Way, provides guest vocals on the track "The Devil in Mexico".
- Thursday's frontman, Geoff Rickly, provides guest vocals on the track "Killbot 2000".
- William Elliott Whitmore provides guest vocals on the track "Until Morale Improves, The Beatings Will Continue".
On the band's website, Adam Turla, the band's singer, songwriter, and guitarist, gives a short explanation of each song [1], giving the listener explanations of things he or she may not understand upon first listen [such as the mention of datura, an apparent ingredient in "zombie poison"].
[edit] In Bocca al Lupo
Released on May 23, 2006, this album presents the listener with an album built on thematic connections. "In Bocca al Lupo," which translates roughly to "In the Mouth of the Wolf" (a phrase said before students take exams in Italian classrooms, and to which the students respond "Crepi!" which means "Die!", referred to the wolf), examines themes of sin, of transgression, of punishment and of redemption, touching on different lives and different stories in each individual song. Singer Adam Turla has stated in interviews that this album was inspired by The Divine Comedy, which he was reading at the time of writing; in fact, each song is said to relate to someone facing each level of hell. The resulting album resembles the 1976 murder mystery from which the band takes its name -- a pastiche of bad deeds and of good intentions, of last minute heroism and, in some cases, of nearly impossible forgiveness.
Turla, in a fashion similar to that employed in describing Who Will Survive..., has posted explanations of each song in the band's discography section [2]
The album was released on Tent Show, the band's own record label.
[edit] Red of Tooth and Claw
On March 4, 2008, Murder By Death released their fourth album, Red of Tooth and Claw. It is their first release on Vagrant Records. Adam Turla's deep vocals on this record have drawn comparisons to those of Johnny Cash [3].
To celebrate its release, Murder By Death played two CD release shows in Bloomington, Indiana, their hometown, on the same night. The first was at Rhino's All Ages Music Club, and the second at Uncle Fester's House of Blooze, a 21+ bar.
Red of Tooth and Claw features former MBD keyboardist Vincent Edwards on the song "Ball & Chain". Red of Tooth and Claw is also the first Murder By Death album to feature new drummer Dagan Thogerson.
[edit] Members
[edit] Current
- Adam Turla - vocals, guitars
- Matt Armstrong - bass
- Sarah Balliet - cello, keyboards
- Dagan Thogerson - drums, percussion (2007 - present)
[edit] Former
- Vincent Edwards – keyboards (2000 - 2004)
- Brandon Cooper – keyboards (2004)
- Alex Schrodt – drums, percussion (2000 - 2007)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- 2002: Like the Exorcist, but More Breakdancing [released on vinyl 2008 w/ bonus 7"]
- 2003: Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? [re-released on vinyl 2008 w/ bonus 7"]
- 2006: In Bocca al Lupo
- 2008: Red of Tooth and Claw
[edit] EPs
- 2001: Little Joe Gould (EP as Little Joe Gould)
- 2003: Konrad Friedrich Wilhelm Zimmer (Split album with Volta Do Mar)
- 2003: Tribute for Matt Davis b/w Five Years (bowie)
- 2008: Fuego! (Online EP)
[edit] Singles
- 2006: Boy Decide
Boy Decide (Alternate), One More Notch (acoustic) - 2007: Brother
Moon is Up, Brother (live) - 2007: Sometimes the Line Walks You
Dynamite Mine (demo), Bang Bang (Sonny Bono cover), American Carny theme
[edit] External links
- MurderByDeath.com, the band's official website
- [4] Vagrant Records Official Website, the band's record label
- Tent Show Records, the band's former imprint
- The Artist's Site on Eyeball Records where mp3s and videos are available for download
- Album Review of "In Bocca al Lupo" on Mammoth Press
- Beat Lawrence: Murder By Death Interview and Concert Footage
- "Brother" artist commentary
- A Bubbly Beginning: Murder By Death Modeling Threadless T-Shirts
- The Band's Official Myspace
