Murphy’s Kids live to rock. Their goal is to bring everyone into the experience from the folks at the club to the fans up front. The rhythm section of guitar, bass, and drums thumps out the backbone while the trombone and tenor sax lay their smooth runs on top. It’s all complimented by John Charlet’s socially-savvy lyrics and anthemic melodies, which push crowds into a frenzied heat. In the last ten years Murphy’s Kids has played every reputable club in Richmond and have completed 5 full tours of the east coast and the southeast.
Theywere a featured artist for two years running on the SouthernSka Tour hosted by Southernska.com. They have also recorded and released four records/EP’s that have been met with enthusiasm and sold accordingly. Recently, they released “Departures”, their most concise and polished album yet. They have headlined and supported at an array of venues. Club owners and promoters up and down the east coast continue to find how well MK works on bills with bands of regional and international fame such as Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, the Toasters, the Slackers, RX Bandits, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Mutemath,The Toasters, The Fray, Alien Ant Farm, Soldiers of Jah Army, Badfish, and the Pietasters.
Journalists and fans alike are left asking, “Is that reggae or rock?” Their approach is both precise and brutal. As a band who wants to rock hard and groove even harder, they make their musical mark by becoming a hybrid of fast, catchy rock and deep, groovy reggae rhythms. You will find everything in their CD players from old school reggae like Burning Spear and Bob Marley to new school progressive rock like the Mars Volta and Coheed and Cambria. With all the conjecture about what their sound is and what they are trying to do musically, the bottom line is Murphy’s Kids brings it 100% every night. Their paramount goal is for everyone to go home sweaty, exhausted and grinning from ear to ear.
“Let this be a lesson to those who were wondering what happens when three NYU jazz students team with a few scene-seasoned musicians, all of whom seem to possess an overwhelming pop sensibility. The result is complex yet straightforward, with little treats for music nerds packed behind naked radio hits, like someone stole a tween’s ipod and mixed it with Animal Collective.”
- Knocks From the Underground
Lead vocalist and keyboard player Grayson Sanders insists the Brooklyn quintet’s name was merely a better choice than Walrusphere, but we think he’s lying. Not about Walrusphere… why would anyone lie about that?
Maybe buried somewhere amidst the smoke and rubble of Sanders’ colorful subconscious, ‘MEM’ is shorthand for ‘memory.’ Just as the title of the Brooklyn quintet’s debut, “Archaea” implies an excavation or unearthing, the word MEM seems to describe something spinning through time rather than frozen in it, the shortened cadence playing on memory’s inherently fleeting nature…memory in motion.
The miracle of MEM’s music is only intensified by the band’s serendipitous formation – chance pairings in NYU jazz ensembles, an off-the-cuff meeting during a battle of the bands at Greenwich Village mainstay The Bitter End and a pair of anonymous Craigslist ads fused the innovatory collective. With Sanders’ electronic wizardry and impassioned vocalizing up top, the sprightly sum of Austin Mendenhall and Selig’s guitar work cobbling the rich center, MEM’s melodic prowess far exceeds what one might expect from a debut. But then add the thick, rhythmic chemistry of Goodman’s bass and Alex Beckmann’s drumming to drive the bottom end and MEM becomes a well-oiled musical machine, simultaneously taut and flexible… slick without seeming over-calculated.
Bound by a musical idealism that anything’s possible, a disdain for prevailing mediocrity and a penchant for perfectionism that’s both a blessing and a curse, the men of MEM have come to rock and roll through the back doors of jazz, classical and electronic idioms. If it seems like an unlikely musical intersection at which to find a rock band, that’s because it is – in essence, MEM is an anti-rock band, born of everything but black leather, eyeliner and the verse-chorus ‘four-chords-to-the-bar’ formula. And yet “Archaea” is so listenable, so enchanting to the ear that it’s lack of conformity only becomes apparent in retrospect.
Then again, finding a penetrating voice in today’s oversaturated music market is all about the unexpected. So, go digging down the rabbit-hole; put your memories in motion and enjoy the trip through rock’s back door (and beyond) with MEM’s “Archaea.”
Candice Mills, one of the Brightest and most talented new artists to hit DC, born in Landstuhl Germany and raised in Alexandria Virginia, is one of the newest artists breaking into the music scene. She has been playing music all of her life starting with her first instrument, alto sax. Candice’s father gave her an alto saxophone on her fifth birthday sparking her love of music even further. Eventually, she would branch off playing other instruments as well, including the piano and other woodwinds.
Candice has always had a strong support system from her family being that her father was a professional guitarist. He toured with several huge acts including Sam and Dave and Cleve Francis. It was very important to him that Candice got the experience from practicing and sometimes touring with him. When he passed away in April 1998, Candice took on the legacy her father left.
After quitting college to tour with a funk band, Candice eventually moved back home to Alexandria to get onto the D.C. music scene. Instead of playing her sax, Candice decided to put her voice to the test and was recording background vocals for local groups such as Mello-D and the Rados to RPM. After a few attempts to break out as a solo artist, she was picked up by a D.C. based reggae/funk group, See-I with several members from the group Thievery Corporation. Candice had a weekly residency singing with this group every Wednesday night at the Eighteenth Street Lounge. Eventually, she would tour with them up and down the East coast making a name for herself.
One night after hearing a group named FUTURE for the first time, Candice felt something in her soul stir. Never really able to express her musical style completely, she felt in her spirit she would have that chance with FUTURE. Candice eventually made this happen with FUTURE’S help, and in 2009 co-wrote the edgy, rock infused track entitled “The Throws”.She is now working on her own full length album, including her own personal style. Candice is known for her raspy blues vocals, however, the versatility and possibility of her voice is endless.
Look out for this upcoming artist in the near future!
Candice Mills
myspace.com/lockness24
jazsnga at gmail.com
Greg Peeler writes a review of Future for Glide Magazine:
Now, if your bands name is “Future” you have a lot to live up to, don’t you? As a caveat, allow me to note I for one think they need to change that over to “The Future”. It just sounds cooler when somebody asks “So who are you going to see tonight?” to say: “The Future man, The Future”. Just my double copper, but guys, if you’re reading this, seriously…
But that quibble aside, these guys have quite a bit of potential. Hailing from the mean streets of Northern Virginia, Future takes a genre busting approach to music, switching in and out of and sometimes fusing elements of funk, soul, psychedelia, gospel, hip hop, punk and rock into what often can be a very engaging blend. On Saturday night, they brought all these to a not large, but energetic (and feeding off the energy of a Ravens victory earlier in the day) crowd at the Rams Head Live in beautiful downtown Baltimore.
The focal points of the music are DJ/singer Chuck X., who is a very active frontman, alternately stalking the stage like a rapper and then changing up, jumping about and diving into the crowd like no less than HR himself, and guitarist/vocalist Gordon Sterling who combines his effect drenched guitar workouts with a huge, booming soul/gospel inflected voice that rang out loud and clear, even defeating the notoriously wretched Rams Head Live acoustics. It was simply stunning to hear him belt out his verses. They are ably supported by second guitarist James Helle, who combines with Sterling to give the band versatility and lend some depth to those aforementioned long psychedelic workouts and the rock sold rhythm section of Deron Pinchback on drums and Tony Moreno on bass, who manage to handle what can often be jarring time changes with aplomb. Also on hand for the final number was Candice Mills from the band “See-I” who provided her amazing pipes to the last song of the evening, trading off with Sterling in the best ear pleasing soul tradition. It was a real highlight. Those folks can sing their heads off, which is something you don’t get nearly enough from bands these days.
This could all go to pieces in the hands of those less capable, but Future finds ways to make it all work without sounding trite or silly.
Check out Future’s Website at: FutureBand.net
Future has spread like wild fire in popularity. From the beginning they have impressed and inspired many to come out to their shows and buy their albums. Now they have earned the honor of being DC 101’s featured artists through fans never ending barrage of calls requesting their songs to be played. “Future’s” future is looking bright.
The 930 Club hasn’t absorbed the kind of music Future brought to town. The post punk, hip hop, progressive sounds are mind energizing. Their soulful hard-rockin’, hip-hoppin’ style is captivating.
Bonnaroo 2009 promises to be as much wild fun with some of the best artists from across the country sharing their best with throngs of happy people wearing thongs and carrying bongs.
Bob Marley has had it with terrorists and is vowing to get the poppy growers in Afghanistan to replace their crop with ganja to share with their Pakistani neighbors. The hope is that Pakistanis will mellow out and quit murdering innocent people in the name of religion.
Future RawkSteady Crew got to rocking as one in 2006. This incredible band is rolling right on into stardom with well over 50,000 fans and growing exponentially.
Future delivers progressive psychedelic rock music wrapped around elevated lyrics and soulful singing. Their rapidly growing fan base loves being kept on their toes as the group dances between distinct styles and sounds.
Future is:
James Helle: GUITAR/VOX
Gordon Sterling: GUITAR/VOX
Chuck X. Bucket: EMCEE/NOIZ
Tony Moreno: ELECTRIC BASE
Deron Pinchback: DRUMS
They released their first album, named “Future”, in August. 
Available on Rhapsody: Future
Check out their Website at: futureband.net
