Murder That Magazine

[Jared Kaufman]

Murder By Death (http://www.murderbydeath.com/) are on the front page of TeenPeople.com (http://www.teenpeople.com).

Submitted By Mike

[bossman calling]

now if that ain't the oddest fucking thing i've ever seen in my life...

[xJeremyx]

yeah seriously. i mean the band is alright...but so fucking weird and strange. funny song titles though and the lead singer is pretty funny in an almost dave naverro way.

[bossman calling]

yeah seriously. i mean the band is alright...but so fucking weird and strange. funny song titles though and the lead singer is pretty funny in an almost dave naverro way.
if by weird and strange you mean incredible and hypnotizing, then yes.

[The Silencer]

wtf, they are the last band I expected to see in a teen people magazine :huh:

EDIT: Website rather

[robdobi]

i have illustrations in teen people this month(the one w/ nick and jessica on the cover) they are on page 100. they spelled my name wrong.

[As Derrick Rust]

it is a sad day in hell

[fullcollapse88]

i see nothing in murder by death the readers of teen people will enjoy, except for the fact that there is a woman in the band, because that is like, soooo girl power!

seriously, what the hell is this?

[SomePerson22]

wtf. i'm a prick; i don't want murder by death, my favorite band, mentioned in those stupid magazines or their sites.

i wish i wouldn't get like that but i just can't help it.

[SomePerson22]

haha, by the way, here's the article.

Tuned In: Murder By Death
By Leslie Simon

The name Murder By Death may be a little scary, but their music is anything but. Ok, so they write about zombies and the Devil. And, at times, the cello (yes, we said cello) is so haunting that it gives you the heebie-jeebies. On second thought, maybe Murder By Death is a little bit scary—but in a totally good way.

Inspired more by filmmakers than musicians, the members of Murder By Death -- guitarist/singer Adam Turla, bassist Matt Armstrong, keyboardist Vincent Edwards, cellist Sarah Balliet and drummer Alex Schrodt -- were first discovered in a bar in Bloomington, Indiana, by Thursday singer Geoff Rickly. So impressed by their unique sound (kinda like the mood and mystery of a killer horror movie soundtrack) and lyrics (kinda like the most captivating ghost story told around the campfire), Geoff even put in a good word with Eyeball Records, which eventually put out the band’s debut, Like The Exorcist, But More Breakdancing, and latest release, Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?

Murder By Death has opened for pop bands (Straylight Run), goth bands (Lacuna Coil) and hardcore bands (Poison The Well), seducing new fans at every show, ranging from big metal dudes with mullets to pop princesses sporting Juicy couture. “A big part of it is just being who you wanna be,” says Alex of the band’s crossover success. “We’ve been lucky in that we come from different places, musically and as people. When we came together, our music was different but we weren’t concerned with sounding like a certain genre. And we definitely don’t dress alike. It’s fun like that: You don’t have to look a certain way to be a certain way.”

While the boys of Poison The Well screamed their hearts out onstage at a tour stop in Cleveland, Ohio, we caught up with Murder By Death backstage to dish about where the band came from and where they’re going.

No strings attached
The boys of Murder By Death had already christened themselves a band, but it wasn’t until they met Sarah at a smokin’ soiree on the campus of Indiana University that they solidified their line-up. “I met these guys at a party,” remembers Sarah, “and they were talking about how they were in a band and they used to have string players but the string player’s teachers threatened them with expulsion if they kept on playing in a rock band. They said it ruined their technique. [The rest of the band] thought there was a missing link and I kind of stepped in...” Sarah adds with a mischievous giggle, “I am the missing link!”

Hey kids, what’s that sound?
Whether or not it’s between bites at Thanksgiving dinner or wiping off an aunt’s sloppy kiss at a family reunion, when the members of MBD tell people they’re in a band, the next logical question is “What do you sound like?” After all, grandparents aren’t always down with the lingo. “I always tell people it’s like rock ’n’ roll, but there’s some classical influence and it’s pretty dark,” says Sarah. “But then some people ask, ‘Oh, like Marilyn Manson?’” interrupts Adam. “I’ve gotten that a bunch of times. So I say it’s dark rock music but we have cello and piano so it’s not heavy. If they ask for a band, I’d say Johnny Cash meets Radiohead.” Adds Matt, “I think what made my parents understand [was me saying] if Johnny Cash made a horror movie about cowboys, [we’d be] the soundtrack.” Uh, okay.

Sometimes the best films have subtitles
The band is less inspired by musical trends and more by the moods found in film. A favorite director is Dario Argento, an Italian filmmaker who co-wrote the original version of Dawn Of The Dead, a cult-classic horror movie. (The film was actually just remade, starring Sarah Polley and Mekhi Phifer and opening in theaters March 19.) “That’s a mood our heavier, darker stuff definitely comes from,” explains Adam. "He’s been described as the Hitchcock of Italy.” Guess you better dial M for Murder.

The Devil made us do it
Filled with lush orchestrations and insane lyrical imagery, Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them? is a well-crafted story, from start to finish. “The Devil gets shot in a bar fight in Mexico and he vows to have revenge on the town where it happened,” explains Adam. “It’s about good versus evil and all these pathetic townspeople waiting to die. Some of the songs are from the perspective of them, some are from the perspective of people who want to fight the Devil, and some are from the Devil himself.” Listen closely, and you can even hear Thursday’s Geoff Rickly sing back-up on “Killbot 2000” and My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way donate some screams to “The Devil In Mexico.”

Power to the people
“Our first show was in the dorm at [Indiana University],” remembers Adam. “During our last song, the instrumental ‘Those Who Left,’ we blew the power out for three days for three blocks. It was during the climax of the song. We have it on video, actually. You see me step on the last pedal and the light just go Boom! then out. It was just pitch black. So we felt like that was a sign that we should continue playing... ” Adds Sarah, “At least until we wiped out power for the entire universe!”

Murder By Death will be on tour from now until the end of time. If you don’t get a chance to catch them live, then go out and buy their latest album, Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?

[jynx_me_tbs]

no way...i can't believe that. Its just strange.

[bossman calling]

besides the gross misuse of the word "totally" it's actually a pretty good article.

[ixnotyourstarxi]

wow. straylight run got mentioned. but as a pop band.

has anyone ever tried reading a teen magazine? it's the most horrible piece of filth.

[maxj32]

wow its cool that they are getting mentioned cuz they are awesome, but not to all these teenage girls. i just hope nothing like good charlotte becomes of this.

[SomePerson22]

murder by death's music is nothing liek good charlottes though, they're not a "pop-punk" band. but still, i don't like seeing it there :/

hey! i'm a teenage girl! and i like a lot of good bands.

[lilstrummerkid]

today, while my sister was reading the new teenpeople magazine, i looked over her shoudler and saw BRIGHT EYES being mentioned!! :shock:

[caffieneaddict]

thats simply fucked up

[bossman calling]

today, while my sister was reading the new teenpeople magazine, i looked over her shoudler and saw BRIGHT EYES being mentioned!! :shock:
you know you can just tell is it was you reading teen people rather than lie and say "i looked over [my kid sister's] shoulder." it's really not that big of a deal.

[SomePerson22]

i was reading teen people last night and saw the little bright eyes blurb. but i was happy that this time, a teen magazine was mentioning the MUSIC rather than how "hot" conor is.