SEVEN CROWS is Chris’ latest album. A mystical, brooding, romantic, sensual violin journey, recorded with only his electric violin, a looping machine and some cheap guitar pedals, Seven Crows is rich with layered violin fantasies, swirly bowed dreams, osinato plucked recipes and Chris’ lush garage rock string orchestration mining the emotional terrain of love, life and adventure. A fascinating 13 song album beautifully recorded and mixed by Colin Studybaker (Iron & Wine, Califone) and Erik Colvin, and produced by Kristian Dunn (Soft Lights, El Ten Eleven).
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Album Tracks:
Seven Crows
On An Emotional Level
Sun Full Of Skyrockets
A Little Before Midnight, Down By The Docks
Two Swords
The Four Oaths
Third Manifesto Of Surrealism
On The Twelfth Day Of The Fifth Month
The Servant
White Armor
In The Eyes Of The Gods
Thursday Afternoon
Hidden Leaves
Luminous
Chris’ latest ensemble record features collaborations with John Doe & D.J. Bonebrake from X, Victoria Williams, Tim Rutelli from Califone, Larry Taylor & Steven Hodges from Tom Waits band, Nathan Larson, Nels Cline from Wilco.
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Album Tracks:
Waltz
Blues For Bukowski
Luminous
December 12th 1968
Night Of The Hunter
Hyacinth
The Return Of Queen Jane
Sparks From The Wind
Farewell My Lovely
The Rustling Of Flowers
The Golden Horde
Bear Cubs
Gospel Music
Skinny Ed
Piston
Richard Widmark
“After spending a summer checking the GloNo mail box, I learned one thing: We sure get a lot of crap sent to us. It can be overwhelming looking through piles of mediocre CDs, but sometimes there is a gem or two to be found. Luminous was one of those gems. Purely instrumental, and yet never repetitive or boring, Murphy’s songs are joyous and celebratory. He has invited along some famous friends, including Nels Cline, Tim Rutilli and Victoria Williams to create an infectious sound that has a poetry all of its own. Often fine musicians ruin perfectly good tunes by putting stupid words to them. Murphy keeps his songs pure and that’s what makes this album so great.”
–Jake Brown (GloriousNoise.com 1/3/08) (FULL REVIEW)
REVIEWS
“I can’t imagine a more original and refreshing album.”
–Kevin Ehlers (The Pelican’s Perch 6/07)
“Electric violinist Murphy said he wanted to do a really ‘L.A’ record, and he totally overachieved.”
–Nels Cline
“Listeners who are fans of blues, rock, and electronica will certainly find tracks that will seduce them on this album.”
A new violin/drums duo project with punk rock legend D.J. Bonebrake.
Album Tracks:
Beasts Of Fabulous Elegance
Hawley’s Leaving Town
Bare Knuckle Boxing
Andre Breton
Love Is A Dog From Hell
Wander Beyond The Four Seas
Our Lady Of Angels
The Gilded Wave (for Micky Dora)
Insurrection
Faith Of Pioneers
The Starry Transmission
Muscle Cars
REVIEW
“Like lightning cracking down from the clouds, Chris Murphy’s knife-edged electric violin sends bolts of distorted melody into the scorched, earthy drumwork of X’s DJ Bonebrake on this remarkable debut album, Falling Sky.
While music fans will find plenty to absorb them in this bare-knuckle four-string collection, it’s no violin purist’s cup of tea: instead, it’s scrappy, guitar-like sonics and street-schooled rhythms that define this 12 song set.
Two L.A. iconoclasts, Murphy and Bonebrake, create an alternating current of virtuosic, high-wire tension that breaks open new vistas in alternative instrumental music.”
–James Rotondi, November 2006, NYC
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Broken Wheel
Mississippi Mud meets sweaty Chicago
in an all-night juke joint jumping with
despair, distortion and jesus.
Tracks:
Butterfly Blues
Broken Wheel
Cherry Wine
Southside Willy
Bourbon and Water
Jelly Roll’s Last Stomp
Boomer’s Blues
Ring-A-Ding
Lonely By Day, Lonely By Night
Crawfish Pie
Going Back to Mobile
Salt Pork
Lazy Lester & The Two Scoops Kid
Powered By Steam
Hard Station
REVIEWS
“His electric violin sounds like a captivating combination of harmonica and slide guitar... fans of good music in general, will enjoy giving this disc a spin.”
“As I said before it’s like nothing else I have heard... Chris jumps in, the beat just keeps going as if it won’t ever quit... to quote Jessie Mae, ‘It will make you want to dance on one leg.’”
“He rips through his fiddle with such energetic sounds capable of giving any square dancer a heart attack on the dance floor and then reviving them long enough to twirl around for more.”
–Jason Terrill, Folkwax
“I can almost see the fire flying from his fingertips on these 15 original instrumentals that are filled with emotional electricity... I hear influences of Celtic, old-time, bluegrass and jazz in his music, and he demonstrates a technical mastery of his fiddle.”
–Joe Ross, Bluegrass Works
“Chris Murphy has got to be one on the best Violin/Fiddle masters that has walked this earth. And his new CD release Juniper Fiddle Music is a screaming testament to this fact – 5 STARS.”
“But Chris Murphy makes me a believer again. Chris plays anything: Celtic music, cajun, old-time, bluegrass, jazz and rock. He plays his electric violin through a guitar amp, sometimes sounding like a harmonica or a slide guitar, and is supported by a tight rhythm section. Excellent! Great folk rock album!”
A documentation of Chris’ solo violin show,
includes his innovative and orignal use of loops
and electronics. Spans the globe stylistically
from classical to folk to ambient soundscapes.
“Noir features Murphy unaccompanied... exotic and international... without ever falling into pretension or tedium. Pretty cool.”
–Michael Toland, High Bias
“Lent atmosphere and mystery by an electronic accompaniment... It has that touching and penetrating sadness that derives from Celtic and early American folk fiddle music at its least affected.”
–Rob Burnett, Music Web International
“You have to be very brave to record an album of solo violin. Chris Murphy does it on Noir and pulls it off... The result is a captivating set of melodic and atmospheric pieces.”
–Angel Romero, World Music Central
Salton Songs
Moody, expansive, techno, electronic,
trance, world music, violin loneliness,
and love songs.
“Violinist Chris Murphy has been honing his diverse instrumental composition skills for over fifteen years, and his experience certainly plays into the success of Salton Songs.”
–Brad Miller, Urb.net
“What keeps the listener’s attention throughout is Mr. Murphy’s magic violin. I say ‘magic’ because of the number of different and crazy sounds that are emitted from that thing...”
–Jambase
“Salton Songs sure is one of the more interesting, albeit unusual, albums to have come my way recently. Those who like their music lively and enjoy aspects of world music coupled with modern treatments might want to give it a try.”
–Dene Bebbington, Wind and Wire, Melliflua
On A Blue Afternoon
Chris’ jazz & swing concept album paying
tribute to Chet Baker, Stephan Grappelli,
Jean-Luc Ponty, Stuff Smith and Billie Holiday.
