- 05
- Jul
Unless you were born with one of those silver spoons, you likely work a day job, sneaking time for your own business when not taking care of someone else's. You're not alone. Every week, Brandon Stosuy finds out how our favorite indie artists make ends meet...
New York quartet Professor Murder make post-punk dance-funk 'n' dub piled with synths, chanty vocals, scattershot Liars percussion and more cowbells than your average dairy farm. Since 2004, the band's released two EP's (including 2006's 'Gum-approved five-song Professor Murder Rides the Subway) and mellotronically destroyed at CMJ. You know, Professor Murder may very well ride the subway to work: drummer Andy Craven's in publishing; sampling keyboardist and electronic drummer Jesse Cohen's a photo archivist (wonder if he bumps into fellow electro investigator John Fell Ryan?), and multi-instrumental vocalist Michael Bell-Smith's a visual artist. I spoke with melodica-toting bassist Tony Plunkett, who joked that his fellow Murderers chose him as "band rep" because, "My job is a little different and makes us all look like do-gooders." Or, maybe, befitting the band's professorial nametag, he's a teacher -- specifically, Social Studies and Science (et al) at a middle school in Bushwick. (Considering the band's penchant for whistles and infectiously shouty sing-a-longs, too bad he's not ordering up pushups in the gym.)
It's been a while since Plunkett and friends offered new sounds. As a stopgap, take a listen to "Robbery At The Jam Sesh," a great mixtape that appears after our discussion. I've seen it posted elsewhere, but not with the note and clues that Jesse (aka photo archivist) passed along: "We went to the Brothers Studio in Greenpoint and recorded lots and lots of live instrumental jams, which we cut up into dozens of loops and then sent to Caps & Jones, who used them along with other tracks and vocals and everything else to make this mix. The mix also has a preview of our single 'Dutch Hex,' which will be coming out sometime soon on the new Brothers Label, run out of the Brothers Studio."
More specifically, expect "Dutch Hex" later this summer. According to the band, there are currently no plans for a full-length.