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Radio personality John Platt, of WFUV FM
in New York City aptly described Brooklyn based singer-songwriter
Dave Murphy as "the real deal." During an on-air interview
Platt asked Murphy; "being from the northeast, how is it that
your music has such a feel of the American heartland?" Murphy
paused...and answered simply "well John...it's because I really
like dairy products." Clearly, Murphy does not take himself
too seriously and this trait alone sets him apart from the glut
of singer-songwriters out there.
"Up-and-coming singer/songwriter Dave Murphy
flavors this diva-dominated genre with the unnerving perspective
of a guy, you know, the strong but sensitive type "Murphy is
a natural storyteller who uses both image-rich lyrics and compelling
melodies to illustrate his tale...Murphy's music at once thought-provoking
and an easy listen, graciously rides the fine folk/Americana line."
- Fairfield County Weekly
Murphy has performed at hundreds of venues from
Texas to New England. Festivals such as the Kerrville Folk Festival
and the Wildflower Festival in Texas, SONO Music & Arts Festival
in Connecticut, New Jersey Folk Festival, Top listening rooms including
the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair,NJ
and Postcrypt Café in New York and clubs like the Knitting
Factory and Southpaw in New York City and Maxwell's in Hoboken,NJ.
Over the last several years Murphy has shared
the stage with Suzanne Vega, Steve Forbert, Slaid Cleaves, Alejandro
Escovedo, Christine Lavin, Lucy Kaplansky, Mike Doughty, Jimmie
Dale Gilmore, Vic Chesnutt, Ray Wylie Hubbard and more.
Under the Lights, released in
1998 was Murphy's solo debut album. Honest, intimate and revealing,
this collection of original tunes reflected Murphy's personal journey
up until that point. In December 1999 Performing Songwriter selected
Under the Lights as a prestigious Top- 12 DIY pick. "Murphy sings
in a gentle, unaffected baritone that suits his musings perfectly.
He knows what he knows and he's working on the rest. For the like-minded,
Under the Lights will be illuminating, indeed." -Performing
Songwriter
"The collection's simple, clean production
compliments his bare-bones lyrics and smooth voice. A musical Raymond
Carver, Murphy taps the raw nerve so many struggling songwriters
can't seem to find, creating a tight, focused album that delivers
everything it promises."- Twin Cities Revue
Chasing Ghosts, released
in 2003 (Murphy's second album) clearly reflects his ongoing evolution
as both a songwriter and performer. Graced by a guest appearance
by Grammy nominated troubadour Steve Forbert, Chasing Ghosts received
significant airplay on Americana and Triple-A radio stations across
the country. It was a "Top 5-most added" CD on the national "Americana
Charts" and it spent over 12 weeks on the national "Top 35" Folk
Airplay Charts at one point reaching as high as number 11.
Chasing Ghosts was produced by Marc Muller
who has been a member of country superstar Shania Twain's touring
band since 1995 and co-produced Steve Forbert's last two studio
records. In addition to Muller and Forbert a bevy of talented musicians
contributed to Chasing Ghosts including David Hamburger (Joan Baez,
Freedy Johnston), Graham Hawthorne (David Byrne, Paul Simon), Conrad
Korsch (Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Joan Osborne), Neil Thomas (Five-
Chinese Brothers) and Columbia recording artist, Nicole Atkins.
"Impressive...inely crafted songs."- Acoustic
Live
"A masterful blend of Country, Americana
and Folk Rock, a wonderful triumph of the human spirit in song."-
Tribes Hill News
In late 2003, as Chasing Ghosts was gaining
momentum on the national Americana and Triple A radio airplay charts,
Murphy was diagnosed with kidney cancer and after a successful surgery
a full recovery followed. Though he was unable to fully capitalize
on the airplay Chasing Ghosts was receiving, Murphy continues to
this day to embrace that period of his life as a time of physical
healing and spiritual growth.
Although, he was hoping to kiss the day
job goodbye, he needed the health insurance coverage and the steady
income as he still does. He spent the next few years doing the nine
to five thing but the evening and weekends were spent honing his
songwriting skills and playing gigs.
In 2005 Dave Murphy's songwriting talents
were again formally acknowledged as he was selected as a Finalist
in the prestigious New-Folk Competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival
in Texas. He performed his songs "Chesapeake" and "Lost and Lonely
Heart" at the festival in May 2005.
In the same year he was a finalist at the
Wildflower Music & Arts Festival Singer-Songwriter Contest,
also in Texas and in 2007 Murphy was chosen as a winner of the New
Jersey Folk Festival Songwriting contest.
Stories from Snake Hill,
Dave Murphy's 3rd full-length solo album, co-produced by Murphy
and Marc Muller was released in May 2008. On this record, the songs
take center stage. There is a sense of cohesiveness and continuity
on this record that are bound by the songs themselves, Murphy's
unaffected vocal delivery and a stellar backing band that knows
just when to back off and just when to turn it on.
In addition to Murphy the players include
co-producer/guitarist Marc Muller (Steve Forbert, Shania Twain),
the world class rhythm section of Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, Shawn
Colvin, SNL Band...) on drums and Zev Katz (Roseanne Cash, Lucy
Kaplansky, Suzanne Vega...) on bass, Rob Clores (Black Crowes, Jesse
Malin) on keyboards and David Henry (Guster, Josh Rouse, David Mead)
on cello.
"Most of the songs on Stories From Snake
Hill are not autobiographical, at least not in the conventional
sense, but as I listen to them, I find my friend Dave in between
the words. He offers up no great philosophical treatise, but provides
stories of human relationships — between friends, lovers,
families, and the places to which they are tied. These are songs
about the ties that bind us and the relationships that cause us
pain, bring us joy, and ultimately make our lives worth living…
These are also songs rooted to a place that
Dave and I both call home. I'm a Jersey boy whose been living in
Minneapolis longer than I care to remember, and Dave is a Jersey
Boy now living in Brooklyn. This music brings me back to the place
from which I came. There are obvious clues in the lyrics, but that
sense of place is really in the music. In ways I can't explain,
this music feels like the stretch of the East Coast spanning from
New York to Maryland. To me, these songs feel like home.
Given that, the title is an apt one. Snake
Hill (officially Laurel Hill) — a rock formation near the
Meadowlands in Secaucus, New Jersey — is the former site of
a quarry and a notorious asylum. Now, it's best known as a graffiti-covered
landmark visible from the Jersey Turnpike. As it's quite close to
Dave's home, these are, almost literally, the stories he sees unfolding
from Snake Hill."
- Bill Snyder, Writer/Columnist
Over the last year or so Murphy has been
concentrating on making and finishing Stories From Snake Hill, he
has not done a lot of gigging. But with the new release, he is really
excited about getting out there on the road in support of the new
record. "Consistently playing my songs to a live audience is something
that I've missed very much…and there's a voice inside my head
that's telling me, that's exactly what I need to be doing now…I'm
really looking forward to getting out there and playing these new
songs"
Murphy can really pull it off in a live
performance and his songs resonate with honesty, intelligence, vulnerability
and a sense of hard earned wisdom, yet never come across as heavy-handed.
He takes you on a lyrical pilgrimage through the American soul,
whether he's telling the story of an aging Viet Nam era war widow
in "Chesapeake" or sharing his own deeply personal journey with
addiction in "the Bottom". But just when you think things may be
getting a bit too serious Murphy belts out "My Garden State" his
tongue and cheek ode to New Jersey. Murphy strives to peel away
the layers and go deeper in search of that place where the truth
lives, exposing it, often from a unique and unexpected perspective.
Recently Murphy was selected as the winner
of the 2007 Great American Song Contest in the acoustic/folk category
for his song "Chesapeake."
Murphy's new release Stories From Snake
Hill is available now through most on-line music retailers including
iTunes
and CDBaby.com.
For booking contact: Dave Murphy at d.murphy1@att.net
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