Musically, White Murder are as varied as
their talented musical pedigree of previous bands, Red Onions, Teenage
Knockouts, Neon King Kong, Jail Weddings just to name a few. While this variation
might be a thorn in the side for the lazy ear, it is a revelation to those ears
willing to go along for the musical ride known as White Murder. What White
Murder does so effortlessly is pick and choose scenes and styles (punk,
post-punk), from multiple decades (‘70’s –‘90’s) to combine a very unique band fronted
by two female vocalists who don’t merely trade off vocals as they sing together
in such effortless cohesion that you think it’s just one signing the entire
time.
Interview by Ed Stuart
Who’s answering the questions?
All five of us.
Where is the band from?
Long Beach, San
Pedro, Los Angeles
Who is in the band and what instrument do
they play?
Paul Gonzalez –
Drums
Hannah
Blumenfeld – Microphone
Mary Animal –
Microphone
Michael D’Amico
– Bass Guitar
Reuben Kaiban -
Guitar
How did the band start?
Our first band
meeting was at The Pike, over breakfast and many Bloody Marys. We called White
Murder our “life raft” because we were all going through our own major life
crises.
What bands did you have in mind when
starting this band? White Murder’s sound is definitively a mix of punk,
post-punk and late 80’s indie sound.
We all brought
our own influences and we had no idea what the band was going to sound like
until our first practice.
While doing research on the band, I read
an article in Long Beach Post about
White Murder. In the article, the band was referred to as a super group to the
disagreement and dismay of some of the commenter’s. Do you think there a
definition of super group? If so,
what would it be?
Aren't super
groups from the '70s? We were all
born in the '70s, so...
One thing that strikes me most about
White Murder is the sound especially when considering the previous bands (Neon
King Kong, Jail Weddings, Red Onions, Teenage Knockouts) the members have been
sounds nothing like the previous bands. Was this a conscious decision when
songwriting?
The only
conscious decision was “no hi-hats!”
Do you think music can still be a vital
force in such a disposable age?
Why else would
we be doing this?
How does the dual vocals partnership work
especially since you two are signing all the lyrics together? Do you write the
lyrics together or one writes them or you take turns?
We write
together.
50 years ago people used to buy music and
get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for
free. How do you think this affects music in any way?
People are less
hydrated and more melodic.
Some bands institute rules for their
band. For example, no more than 1 drink before playing live. In a Razorcake interview, I had read the band
has a dinner rule before the show. What is the reasoning behind this?
It isn't a rule.
But, it helps a great fucking deal to be on the same page. It's family
style! As a matter of fact, we're
answering these questions while eating dinner together.
In the video for “Safety In Numbers” the
band is seen inflicting harm to an unseen person, handed a shovel and told, we
guess, to dig their own grave. In the “Cold Dark Night” video, the band meets
their demise at the hands of homicidal hitchhiker. Are the stories in these
videos connected?
The stories in
the videos are not connected. “Safety in Numbers,” was made by Jimmy Fusil; who
we love. “Cold Dark Night,” was made by Noel Maitland; who we love.
Where can people hear the band?
whitemurder.com
What’s next for White Murder?
Right now, we're
going to digest our tacos and play a show in Tempe, AZ. After that, new songs
and a new record.
Bandcamp and Soundcloud links:
https://soundcloud.com/whitemurder
White Murder - "Cold Dark Night" from The Blank Agency on Vimeo.
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