Murder by Death

  • Bloomington, IN
    hometown
  • Rock
    genre
  • 2000
    started
  • Bio
    full story
  • Share
  • Similar
Close

About Murder by Death


Indiana-based Murder by Death first caught the attention of Thursday's Geoff Rickly while playing a gig together one night in their hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. Rickly promptly brought the band, then called Little Joe Gould, to the attention of his friend Alex Saavedra (Eyeball Records owner), and the group was signed immediately. The band was comprised of vocalist/guitarist Adam Turla, drummer Alex Schrodt, bassist Matt Armstrong, cellist Sarah Balliet, and pianist Vincent Edwards. They issued a 2001 self-titled EP as Little Joe Gould before the band eventually decided to change its name to Murder by Death, taken from the 1976 Robert Moore mystery of the same name. The bandmembers felt the new name better represented their ominous sound, which combined elements of artists like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Johnny Cash, and the Decemberists.

Their first full-length, Like the Exorcist But More Breakdancing, was released on Eyeball in August 2002. Touring early on with bands like Cursive, Interpol, and the American Analog Set, the band did a summer 2003 split with Volta Do Mar before following up that fall with the well-received Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them? The record was something of a concept album based around the Devil waging war on a small Western town. A benefit 7" appeared at the year's end in memory of Ten Grand's Matt Davis, and the band continued to turn heads nationwide on tours with the likes of Lucero, the Weakerthans, William Elliott Whitmore, and Rasputina.

Edwards amicably parted ways with the group in mid-2004 to go back to school, and when his touring replacement also left by the year's end, the remaining members of Murder by Death decided to just carry on as a more rock-oriented quartet. Balliet, though, picked up keyboard parts along with her cello. After extensive touring, the bandmembers went back to college for a bit while writing their third album. Murder by Death eventually issued In Bocca al Lupo on their East West imprint, Tent Show Records, in May 2006. Another concept album, this one was produced by J. Robbins (Against Me!, Dismemberment Plan), and explored themes of sin and redemption, somewhat inspired by Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy. Touring continued through the summer, including a headlining stint with Langhorne Slim opening.

In March 2008, Murder by Death released Red of Tooth and Claw on Vagrant Records. The band followed up again in 2010 with its fifth studio album, Good Morning, Magpie. Two years later Murder by Death returned with Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, which found the band taking part in a crowd-sourcing campaign through Kickstarter for the vinyl release of the album. The campaign would find them becoming the third highest-earning band since the site launched. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi

Scroll up Scroll down

Music

From position 0, showing 1 items, asking 10
See All
  • Sometimes the Line Walks You
    murder-by-death
    Video
    Sometimes the Line Walks You
  • 6487993
    SoundStream
    SoundStream
    song name
    0:00
    Audio powered by
    All the music you want, just 10 bucks a month. Try it free.
    • My Hill
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/4/4/3/0/3/933530344.mp3
    • Comin' Home
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/4/5/5/9/968295544.mp3
    • Lost River
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/9/7/9/0/3/933530979.mp3
    • The Black Spot
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/2/4/5/9/968295425.mp3
    • Fuego!
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/0/9/5/9/968295907.mp3
    • Brother
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/9/6/0/7/115170693.mp3

Photos

From position 0, showing 2 items, asking 10
See All
  • Murder by Death
    Courtesy of East/West Records
  • Tent Show
    Murder by Death
    Tent Show

News

From position 0, showing 8 items, asking 10
See All
  • Murder by Death
    The Top 10 Assassins We'd Like To See Go After Batman In 'Arkham Origins'
    Multiplayer Blog
    May 17, 2013
    We already know that Batman will face off against Deathstroke in this fall's " Batman: Arkham Origins ." But who are some of the other hired guns that...
    Read More
  • Murder by Death
    Watch This Now!: 'Cloud Atlas,' 'Texas Chainsaw,' And More Come Home
    MTV Geek
    May 14, 2013
    Welcome to the first installment of Watch This Now! , our weekly look at what's new on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD. The Wachowski/Twyker joint/flop/maste...
    Read More
  • Murder by Death
    What 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Needs: IG-88
    Movies Blog
    May 13, 2013
    By Ryan Rigley Last week, "Star Trek Into Darkness" director J.J. Abrams had a few words to say on the status of the upcoming "Star Wars" films. "Th...
    Read More
  • Murder by Death
    The Builders and the Butchers Tour With Murder By Death
    Paste
    Paste Band of the Week alums The Builders and the Butchers will hit the road with Murder By Death in the new year. The band has a new album on the way...
    Read More
  • Murder by Death
    Ex-Okkervil River Member Joins Murder By Death
    Paste
    gun for them," Brackett said in a statement. "And we really hit it off; it would have been a shame to leave it at that. So when they offered me a spot...
    Read More
  • Murder by Death
    Murder By Death Signs to Bloodshot Records
    Paste
    Bloodshot Records, home to Justin Townes Earle, and having launched the careers of Ryan Adams and Neko Case, announced today that they have signed ind...
    Read More
  • Murder by Death
    Murder By Death: Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon
    American Songwriter
    Murder By Death Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon (Bloodshot) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars On the surface, Murder By Death operates most like a punk band. Their s...
    Read More
  • Murder by Death
    Man Man, Murder By Death, Samantha Crain @ Music Hall Of Williamsb | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Photo gallery of Man Man, Murder By Death and Samantha Crain at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn (February 28, 2013)Previous · Next Man M...
    Read More

Tour Dates

From position 0, showing 8 items, asking 50
See All
  • May 20 Monday
    Zürich, Switzerland Komplex Klub
    Buy Ticket
  • May 21 Tuesday
    Vienna, Austria WUK Werkstätten- u Kulturhaus
    Buy Ticket
  • May 22 Wednesday
    Berlin, Germany Bi Nuu
    Buy Ticket
  • May 26 Sunday
    Sacramento, CA, US Harlow's
    Buy Ticket
  • May 27 Monday
    San Luis Obispo, CA, US SLO Brew
    Buy Ticket
  • May 28 Tuesday
    Fresno, CA, US Fulton 55
    Buy Ticket
  • May 30 Thursday
    Santa Barbara, CA, US Soho
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 2 Sunday
    Des Moines, IA, US Wooly's
    Buy Ticket

Discography

From position 0, showing 8 items, asking 10
See All
  • Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon (2012)
    Murder by Death
    Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon (2012)
    Bloodshot Records
  • Good Morning, Magpie (2010)
    Murder by Death
    Good Morning, Magpie (2010)
    Vagrant
  • Finch (2009)
    Murder by Death
    Finch (2009)
    Tent Show
  • Red of Tooth and Claw (2008)
    Murder by Death
    Red of Tooth and Claw (2008)
    Vagrant
  • Boy Decide (2006)
    Murder by Death
    Boy Decide (2006)
    Cooking Vinyl Records
  • In Bocca al Lupo (2006)
    Murder by Death
    In Bocca al Lupo (2006)
    Tent Show
  • Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them? (2003)
    Murder by Death
    Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them? (2003)
    Eyeball Records
  • Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing (2002)
    Murder by Death
    Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing (2002)
    Eyeball Records
Are You Murder by Death? Claim this page | Learn more about Artists.MTV | FAQ for Artists
Murder by Death Bio | Murder by Death Tour Dates | Murder by Death Music | Murder by Death Discography |
MTV | MTV Jobs | Privacy Policy | User Content Agreement | Copyright | Artist Index | Social Projects Agreements | Ad Choices |
Portions of this page powered by
This site contains content from artists, fans, and writers from around the internet in it's natural form. Such content is not representative of Viacom Media Networks.

©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  • Explore
    • Popular
    • Emerging
    • Genres
      • Rock
      • Hip Hop
      • Indie
      • Electronic/EDM
      • Country
      • Pop
    • Collections
    • Artist To Watch
  • Search
  • Are you an artist?
    • Claim Your Page
    • Learn More
    • FAQ
    • Opportunities