Murder City Devils
Encyclopedia
History
The band's original lineup, consisting of Spencer MoodySpencer Moody
Spencer Moody is the vocalist for Seattle-based noise rock group Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death. He was the lead vocalist for the Murder City Devils until their breakup in 2001, and returned to the band when they reformed in 2006....
, Dann Gallucci, Derek Fudesco, Coady Willis, and Nate Manny formed in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in 1996. Gabe Kerbrat was their permanent roadie, and considered a member. Within a year, the band had released two singles Three Natural Sixes (Hopscotch Records #5) and Dance Hall Music (Empty Records MTR-354) and signed with the "Die Young Stay Pretty" label, a subsidiary of Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
. The self-titled debut album was released in 1997.
In 1998, the band released Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts, its second full-length album. This release saw a greatly increased use of electric organ, and in the same year they recruited Leslie Hardy
Leslie Hardy
Leslie Hardy plays keyboard in the rock and roll band The Murder City Devils. Hardy was also briefly the bassist for the band Hole. She left Hole in early 1993, and was replaced by Kristen Pfaff. In addition to playing music, Leslie is also a real estate agent in the Detroit, Michigan area...
as their full-time keyboard player. Hardy had previously played bass guitar for Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
on the 1993 single "Beautiful Son." The Murder City Devils then embarked on a year-long tour of North America to support the record. During that tour, they played with At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, The Black Halos
The Black Halos
The Black Halos are a Vancouver, BC based punk rock band founded in 1993 by lead singer Billy Hopeless and guitarist Rich Jones as The Black Market Babies. The band was briefly on Sub Pop Records, and later signed with History Music...
and Built to Spill
Built to Spill
Built to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
.
After a short break, the band released In Name and Blood in 2000, with photos in the liner notes notoriously depicting every member as a murder victim. They also appeared as both individual actors as well as a band in David Larson
David Larson
David Erwin Larson is a former American college and international swimmer who was an Olympic gold medalist.- Early years :Larson was born in Jesup, Georgia in 1959...
's independent film The Edge of Quarrel. The band released the Thelema EP in 2001 before breaking up later that year due to circumstances surrounding Hardy's departure from the band. (The Stranger Sept 27 – Oct 3, 2001 issue, It's My Party column by Kathleen Wilson)
The band's concert on Halloween 2001 was recorded and released by Sub Pop in 2003, titled "R.I.P." Notably, R.I.P. includes two previously unrecorded songs. It was also released on DVD in 2005.
In 2006 the band announced they were playing a July show in Seattle with all original members. The band performed on July 29 at the Capitol Hill Block Party
Capitol Hill Block Party
The Capitol Hill Block Party is an annual three-day music festival held each July in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. In the past, the festival has included various famous acts including Macklemore, Atmosphere, MGMT, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, The Presidents of the United States of America, Blue...
closing the two day music festival on Saturday night. The day following the Block Party performance the band played a show with The Blood Brothers at The Showbox in downtown Seattle, the same venue where "R.I.P." was recorded. The show was not announced until the end of their set at the Block Party.
The next show was at The Fun Fun Fun Fest, November 3–4, 2007 in Austin, TX. The band played a handful of shows throughout 2008 and launched a brief West Coast tour on February 11, 2009 at Seattle's The Showbox. Murder City Devils' week-long tour culminated in Los Angeles with two performances at the Henry Fonda Theater on February 17 and 18, 2009.
New Material
At the end of their set, on Dec 30, 2009 at The Showbox - Seattle, WA, Leslie thanked the audience for coming and confirmed that the band was indeed working on new material. No additional information was given. After the set finished, the band returned to the stage and performed a cover of The Birthday Party's song, "Several Sins." This seemed to be a hint toward the new material on the way.On July 17, 2010, a live performance of an untitled new song was uploaded to YouTube. It was filmed at their July 15, 2010 performance at The Note, in West Chester, PA.
On October 17, 2010, a live performance of another untitled new song was uploaded to YouTube. It was filmed at their October 16, 2010 performance at The Showbox in Seattle, WA.
Albums
- The Murder City Devils (1997)
- Empty Bottles, Broken HeartsEmpty Bottles, Broken HeartsEmpty Bottles, Broken Hearts is the second studio album by punk rock band Murder City Devils. It was released in 1998 on Sub Pop.- Tracklist :#I Want A Lot Now - 3:27#Dancin' Shoes - 2:26#18 Wheels - 3:21#Left Hand Right Hand - 2:28...
(1998) - In Name and Blood (2000)
- Thelema EP (2001)
- R.I.P. (Live album of last show at the Showbox in Seattle, October 31, 2001) (2003)
- Feather Bed Whiskey Blanket (Boxed Set of all 4 albums + Thelema EP) (2009)
7"
- Three Natural Sixes (1997)
- Dance Hall Music (1997)
- Dancin Shoes (1998)
- Christmas Bonus Single (1998)
- Murder City Devils/Botch Split (Sound track to the movie The Edge of Quarrel) (1999)
- Murder City Devils/Glucifer Split (1999)
- Murder City Devils/At The Drive-In Split (2000)
Compilations
- Technology (Remix of "Dance Hall Music" by DJ Ropstyle) (2000)
- Free the West Memphis 3Free the West Memphis 3Free the West Memphis 3 is a compilation album released in 2000 on the KOCH Records label as a benefit for the legal defense of the West Memphis 3. The album was organized by Eddie Spaghetti of Supersuckers...
(Cover of "She" by The Misfits) (2000) - Give The People What We Want: Songs of The KinksGive the People What We Want: Songs of The KinksGive The People What We Want: Songs of The Kinks is a 2001 tribute album to music of The Kinks by various garage, punk and indie artists from the Northwestern United States....
(Cover of "Alcohol" by The KinksThe KinksThe Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
) (2001) - Buddyhead Suicide Sampler CD (Remix of "Press Gang" by the Latch Brothers) (2004)
Video
- The End (DVD) (2005)
- Rock & Roll Won't Wait (DVD) (2004)
- Rock & Roll Won't Wait (VHS) (2001)
- The Edge of Quarrel (VHS) (2000)
- The Edge of Quarrel (DVD) (2007)
External links
- Official Band Website
- [ Allmusic Murder City Devils article]
- Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy!Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
article on Murder City Devils and Dead Low Tide, "Ride the Dead Low Tide," March 26, 2008 - Sub Pop Murder City Devils page
- Luckyhorse Industries - Murder City Devils merch page
- MTV Murder City Devils page
- Murder City Devils collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - The Edge of Quarrel at Excursion Records