May 9, 2005
[interview by Jess]

Estrella: Hi there, can you tell me the name and job of everyone in the band, "Murder By Death"?
Matt: I am Matt Armstrong who plays bass, Adam Turla sings and plays guitar, Alex Schrodt bangs the drums and likes to sing Prince songs at karaoke bars, William “bloody tee” Pepple is our Wrangler and Go-To man, Mat “dixie” Martin is currently slinging our merchandise upon the suspecting crowds and Sarah Balliet plays cello and keys and drives the van a whole lot.

Estrella: How would you describe your sound?
Matt: Dark, epic, booze-soaked and occasionally overzealous but well-intentioned.

Estrella: Whereabouts are you from?
Matt: As a unit, we are from Bloomington, Indiana. We are all from various places in the US though. I am from Texas, Adam is from Michigan and Alex and Sarah are from Louisville, Kentucky. I think Will and Mat both sprang fully grown from the head of Zeus.

Estrella: How did you guys meet?
Matt: We met in college. Alex and I became friends after going to see Mogwai and we started playing in a band. Alex and Adam lived a few doors down from each other. Adam and I met at a party and we talked about The Cure for a long time. A friend introduced Sarah to us and somehow we became Murder By Death.

Estrella: Your album is the most original CD I own in my collection, when you first playing an instrument did you imagine yourself to end up in a band such as Murder By Death or did you see yourself playing completely different music?
Matt: I really had no idea what to expect. I always wanted to be in a band like this, but I sidn’t know if I’d ever get the chance. We all like lots of different music so the combination of influences and interests is a big part in how our sound formed.

Estrella: How did you come up with the band name, "Murder By Death" and are there any stories behind the titles of your songs such as, "Killbot 2000"?
Matt: "Murder By Death" is a play by Neil Simon which was made into a movie in the 70s and we thought the name sounded really dark and tough but still with a sense of humour. We wanted to have that kind of vibe incase we started taking ourselves too seriously. There are all kinds of stories behind our song titles and lots of them are less awesome than you’d hope. Many times, it’s just someone spitting out an odd combination of words that are somehow, sorta, kinda related to the subject matter [i.e. “Intergalactic Menopause”]; other times, it’s just us being smartasses and having fun with words [i.e. – “A Masters in Reverse Psychology”]. Sometimes it’s as simple as watching The Simpsons and grabbing a line like, “Knife Goes In, Guts Come Out.”

Estrella: What's your favourite song that you've recorded and why?
Matt: For me, my favourite song I’ve recorded is the hidden track on the “Like The Exorcist, But More Breakdancing” EP, because it’s for my grandfather. Other than that, it’s hard to say. There are all kinds of different factors to appreciate in recording. Some are easy to record and fun to listen to and others are hard to record but you end up appreciating them more as a result. I’m going to pass on the rest of this question until we record the new album; save some more surprises for later.

Estrella: Are you planning a visit to the UK in the near future? Have you ever played here before?
Matt: We have never played the UK, but if you book us we will come.

Estrella: Which band have you enjoyed touring with the most?
Matt: That’s a really tough question. Every tour is a learning experience where you make a lot of new friends, so it feels like ranking your friends which we feel is inherently lame. I can say that we’ve been really lucky to have toured with great bands made up of such amazing people.

Estrella: Who are your favourite bands and who would you describe as your influences?
Matt: It’s different for everybody. We all agree that The Cure, Iron Maiden, Prince, David Bowie, Tom Waits and The Darkness are awesome. We each have a favourite era of Radiohead. Other than that, it gets divided. Alex and I are into Mogwai, Failure and Aereogramme. I’ve been listening to a lot of Shiner and Afghan Wings of late. Everybody likes Hum and Stevie Wonder. I guess we’re kind of a mess that way.

Estrella: What is your favourite album of all time? Or can you name an album which everyone should have in their collection?
Matt: The Cure – Disintegration, Failure – Fantastic Planet, Massive Attack – Mezzanine, William Elliot Whitmore – everything he has ever recorded…and I’m sure there are more.