Get the latest score from Howlin' Wolf Records “DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE”, “HOLIDAY HELL” and “GOOD TID

Interview with Peter Murray - Bassist for Druckfarben


Always giving you more, something cool, something different... I give you a chance to know Peter Murray - Bassist for Druckfarben. I thank him and Anne for getting this together, thank you.
Jeremy [Howlin' Wolf]

Howlin' Wolf: Please tell us who are you, what part do you have within "Druckfarben" and how did you come to be in the group "Druckfarben"?

Peter Murray: I’m Peter Murray, bass player for Druckfarben. I also sing some backup vocals with the band. Our drummer Troy was an old friend of mine---we had played in a band together in the early 90s. He called me one day and asked me if I wanted to be in a prog band with him. I’ve always been a progressive rock fan, and I knew everyone in the band were amazing musicians, so I had to say yes!

Howlin' Wolf: Tell us something you will take away from your release "Second Sound" and how this may differ from previous releases?

Peter Murray: The main thing for me is that this record *sounds* better than our first record. I think it’s much more enjoyable to listen to. It also “feels” better, mostly because we recorded more of it together in the studio. We want to go more and more in that direction. At least speaking for myself, I want to make records more like they were made in the 70s---rely less on technology, and more on the chemistry that we have as musicians playing together.

Howlin' Wolf: Do you feel you connect with any song from "Second Sound" on a personal level, when you hear it you say "that is about me"?

Peter Murray: I was not involved in writing the lyrics. Ed and Phil both wrote lyrics, and they wrote them from their perspective. It’s a little disappointing, but I don’t think they wrote any of the songs about me. ;)

Howlin' Wolf: Share a story that happened on stage, how as a group do you handle the situation?

Peter Murray: We seem to play a lot of outdoor shows in the middle of rain storms. It’s frustrating when we’re not playing very often, and we rehearse a lot for a show, get everything ready, and then we end up waiting backstage in a trailer for the rain to stop. I especially remember one gig at the Canadian National Exhibition. We set everything up and did soundcheck, and then is started to rain really hard. It stopped eventually but we probably only played for 20 minutes. In situations like that, there’s not much you can do. So I guess we handled it well!

Howlin' Wolf: Do you find that places like "You-tube" helps get groups message out, since places like MTV don't actually share music anymore?

Peter Murray: The internet is definitely the main way that music is spread now, and our band would definitely be nowhere without it. We are fortunate to have sold a very decent amount of CDs and DVDs in Europe and other places around the world where we have never performed. This is only because people there have been able to hear our music and see our videos on the internet.


------------------------------------------------------------

Peter started playing bass at age 15, after seeing a band perform “Supper’s Ready” by Genesis at his sister’s high school. Within a couple of years he was gigging in clubs. Throughout the 90s he was the bassist for Surrender Dorothy, touring in Europe seven times and releasing a major label album on Universal Records in 1997. Countless sideman stints followed, placing Peter on stages around the world with such artists as Ron Sexsmith, Damhnait Doyle, Honeymoon Suite, Jian Ghomeshi, Sass Jordan, Suzie McNeil, Rita Chiarelli, Mad Violet, Jerome Godboo and many others. Studio work included sessions and albums with such artists as the Cash Brothers, Ghandarvas, Lights, Dayna Manning, Mia Sheard and David Celia. Peter has performed on stage with Carmine Appice, SeymourDuncan, Stevie Salas, Jeff Healey, Alain Caron, Jeff Martin (The Tea Party),Bobby Economou (Jaco Pastorius, Blood Sweat & Tears), Andy Kim, Richard Bell (Janis Joplin, The Band, Bob Dylan) and many others. Along the way Peter has kept busy with musical endeavors outside of clubs and studios. His book Essential Bass Technique (published by Hal Leonard Corp.) was endorsed by Billy Sheehan, Michael Manring, Alain Caron, Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) and others, and was given an A+ review in Bass Player magazine. For four years he wrote a regular bass column for Canadian Musician, and feature articles for Bass Player. He also taught bass, and produced several albums (Wooden Stars, Morgan Finlay, Snailhouse, Pamela Brennan).In 2007, Peter released his debut CD as a singer-songwriter, Ants and Angels. The album was met with widespread critical acclaim and charting positions on several triple-A radio stations in the US. Peter performed his music in Korea, Ireland, Japan, the US and Canada.

No comments: