Currently on tour and promoting their fifth LP, Good Morning, Magpie, Murder by Death? has sharpened their blades to a vaudevillian edge. One of the main driving forces behind the band is a background ambience of cello, keyboards and other avant-garde awakenings. The new album depicts humanity through a country western authority with a similarity to Johnny Cash? and his love for musical experimentation. But believing Murder by Death’s music is filled with somber tones would be misleading. We caught up with the group's lead singer, Adam Turla, and learned about his latest explorations and hidden journeys.

REAX: The new album, Good Morning, Magpie, is set to be released on April 6, 2010. This will be Murder by Death’s second full length feature album off Vagrant Records and the group's fifth overall composed LP. What inspired this album? I heard you spent sometime in the mountains of Tennessee?
ADAM: I wanted to do something that was purely just writing. I hung out by myself out in the woods and wrote. While I hiked, I wrote. While I fished, I wrote. I had a scrapbook with me the whole time and a good pen(laughs). I just kept going until I felt like I had exhausted all my ideas. I went in there with only a snippet of songs. When I left, I felt like we had enough material that we could work on as a whole band.

REAX: Would it be safe to say this retreat was about you, personally, or just inspiration to write the album?
ADAM: You just get caught up in your responsibilities. On a basic level, my biggest responsibility is to write good songs. It’s the art that we put out in the world. We do our best to give people something that will last. I thought this experience really put me in the right mindset, to get what was unique.

REAX: What kind of band is Murder by Death? behind the scenes? How many shots do you take before you hit the stage?
ADAM: Five shots of whiskey at least(laughs). We party pretty hard but you know you got to have a cool-down too.

REAX: Yeah.
ADAM: Our drives are overnight. We love the outdoor life. But you’ll know that when it comes to a show night, we're pretty accurate.

REAX: Now you guys have been a band since 2000. How have you evolved as a band?
ADAM: We try to make it our own project rather than just writing a couple of good songs. Every song has a place in the album. There’s no better song because everyone is going to have an opinion. Every album and our parameters are moving forward.

REAX: The Sarah Balliet-penned opener, “Kentucky Bourbon,” sounds like a jingle spun through an old Victoria but as the album progresses, it goes through various moods: an eerie Southern-gothic territory to a Spanish cabaret, then a touch of some solid influence of the American West! Where are these influences coming from?
ADAM: I would say I don’t listen to that much music or records. I’m inspired more by ideas of music rather than trying to emulate someone. I just like the idea of collecting things from life, stories you’ve heard and people you’ve met. To me, it’s just weird it’s already been done, you know.

REAX: Is the name of your band really derived from a Robert Moore film? If so, that’s pretty funny.
ADAM: It is(laughs)! Yeah that’s the title of the film, Murder by Death.

Catch Murder By Death? on tour this Spring:
Apr 14 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory *
Apr 15 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Alternative Lounging (Indoor) *
Apr 16 – Houston, TX @ Mango’s *
Apr 17 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves *
Apr 19 – Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo *
Apr 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade Downstairs *
Apr 21 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree *
Apr 23 – Ybor City, FL @ The Orpheum *
Apr 24 – Orlando, FL @ Backbooth *
Apr 25 – Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds *
Apr 27 – Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern *
Apr 28 – Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar *
Apr 29 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East: Downstairs *
Apr 30 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
May 01 – New Haven, CT @ Café Nine *
May 02 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
May 04 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
May 05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
May 07 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls *
May 09 – Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop *
May 10 – Kalamazoo, MI @ The Strutt *
May 11 – Madison, WI @ The High Noon Saloon *
May 12 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock *
May 13 – Iowa City, IA @ Picador *
May 14 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
May 15 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club *
May 22 – Chemnitz, Germany @ Fuego a la Isla Festival

* Headlining tour with Ha Ha Tonka and Linfinity

http://www.myspace.com/murderbydeath

Check Out Our Featured Event! Murder By Death @ The Orpheum