Formed in 2000 as Little Joe Gould, Murder By Death is a five piece band from Bloomington, IN. They signed to Eyeball Records in 2001 and, to fit their sound more accurately, changed their name to Murder By Death after the 1976 murder/comedy film (with an insane cast: Truman Capote, Peter Sellers, David Niven, Peter Falk, Alec Guiness...)MBD is highly influenced by horror show and western music (usually communicated via keyboard and cello) with a nice heavy guitar and rhythm section as the backbone. Album titles: Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing, Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them?, In Bocca Al Lupo. and Red of Tooth and Claw are indicative of their mission. Comprised of equal parts vaudeville dramatics, one-eyed orchestral slashes, and polka-- or more specifically Johnny Cash, pirates, and Tom Waits, their live shows a rollicking good time.
William Elliott Whitmore's voice sounds decades older than his tattered birth certificate indicates, burnished by smoke and drink and full of emotional depth. While comparisons to the gravelly voice of Tom Waits and the lyrical story telling of Johnny Cash (yes, again wih Tom and Johnny) are prevalent (and not altogether inaccurate), Mr. Whitmore is clearly doing more than just regenerating the music of the past. He's a favorite of ours and has won new fans each time through.
Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, J. Roddy Walston and the Business sounds like a more masculine, Americanized version of Queen. They have a pure traditional American rock and roll sound that is unsurpassed by others in the genre today. It’s a folky, rhythm and soul kind of rock and roll with J. Roddy’s vocals and use of piano. Their explosive energy onstage they make James Brown look lazy as they hammer away at their instruments frantically. They eat you up and spit you out before you even realize it.All three of 'em on one bill this Thursday! Get your tickets here!
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