In Loving Memory of Murder By Death

What a wonderful journey it has been. We spent the last few nights attending Murder By Death concerts with two nights in Chicago and one in Madison before heading back home to Saint Paul in time to catch the next one at First Avenue in Minneapolis. It seems we are attempting our best rendition of the Minnesota goodbye. That prolonged departure that requires multiple stages to conclude before heading separate ways. Traveling has been a hallmark of our lives but as we grow older, the recovery time seems to be increasing. Adventures are still yearned for, planned for and executed but it is taxing on our well being. And yet, all we had been doing for these shows was drive from one city to the next and spend a little bit of downtime exploring before the shows. 

Murder By Death have been doing this for many times more for the last 25 years all while lugging their gear in and out of venues, doing soundchecks and slinging merch before and after shows and dealing with stolen gear, broken down vehicles and broken into vehicles to have gear or personal items stolen. Rinse and repeat and do it all over again. It's unfathomable to me how they've managed to do it themselves for this long. Life on the road takes a toll and becomes tiresome, the rest is very much needed on their end. 

By Saturday afternoon we made it back home for a quick refresh before the next stage of goodbyes. A portion of our short jaunt across the Mississippi River from Saint Paul to Minneapolis turned into a two car funeral procession when a newly purchased hearse merged onto the interstate in front of us. How apropos as we headed to our fourth consecutive wake for Murder By Death. 

Unfortunately Laura Jane Grace had to drop off the last few nights as the support role so tonight Minneapolis based songwriter, David Huckfelt, took the reins as the opener and was an incredible selection. It had been years since I've seen him on stage performing with The Pines and it was pleasant to have the opportunity to be graced with his musicianship once again. Huckfelt was flanked by the superb electric guitarist, Jeremy Ylvisaker, who brought emotive embellishments to the songs. 

It's fascinating to see how intertwined the music community is. Huckfelt played a song for fellow Iowan, William Elliott Whitmore, and dedicated it to wherever he may be. Whitmore has shared the stage with Murder By Death, offered guest vocals and the two have covered each other's songs. Naturally this trickles down to the fan level as well. Whether the intrigue is spurred on by who the opener was or vice versa. It's interesting to learn how fellow attendees' adoration sprouted for Murder By Death. 

Being an activist, Huckfelt sang songs of protest and shared a newly penned song titled “The Crack”, a song about not liking what comes after America. Huckfelt mentioned that a farewell tour is heavy in lots of ways; he proceeded to introduce an Ojibwe song for someone who left home as he covered “The Book of Life” Keith Secola. It was a cathartic process to work through this mixed bag of emotions as Huckfelt steered us through it with his performance. It was nice to be reacquainted with his work and it was evident that ears in the audiences perked up with interest as well.

Murder By Death are hitting the road for the final time in support of their latest album, Egg & Dart.  Named after the classical decorative design featuring repeating shapes of ovals representing the egg and pointed designs to mimic a dart. Symbolizing life and death, creation and destruction. A design dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. This combination of shapes can often be overlooked because it has become so prevalent and quietly slips into the background. It is found in numerous places, even at a Murder By Death show coming to a stage near you. The front of Dagan Thogerson’s kick drum is ever changing and currently features a design reminiscent of this motif. 

Egg & Dark is such a fitting album to go out on as they transition into the next phase of their lives. The album which came out on Friday the 13th in June of this year is a well crafted collection of songs with the common theme of saying goodbye. When their previous album, Spell/Bound, came out in 2022 I thought it was such an incredible album, their best yet. Which left me yearning for more and eager to hear what they would come up with next as they progress down their ever evolving creative path. Their songs keep on sprouting out into other musical territories from one album to the next, building upon previous efforts and venturing forward into something they haven't done before. That unknown band I encountered for the first time 20 years ago opening for Esmerine have grown and flourished over the years to become such a significant ensemble that are greatly adored by myself and numerous other people the world over. 

With Egg & Dart they have continued to flourish and managed to create yet another masterpiece. When I discovered they were going back to work with Kevin Ratterman who helped produce Spell/Bound, I was thrilled. Egg & Dart is a very solid album, a swan song belted out upon the apex of their career. They managed to outdo themselves yet again. The flow of this album caught me off guard at first. Took a few spins of this new record for me to become acquainted enough to begin to notice the subtle aspects and begin to   appreciate it fully. Murder By Death knows how to close out an album. The last one, two or even three songs on their albums transition so well from one to the next and they hit ya hard. The same can be said for this final album. However, the last track, “Black Velvet Coat”, seemed to take a departure from what I would normally expect from them. It was more triumphant and hopeful. Whether that was a way to lift our spirits after listening to so many songs about saying goodbye and comfort the listener or a subtle hint that something more or something else could be on the horizon. 

After dedicating enough time to the new album I was ready to hear the bonus songs that didn't make the cut. This collection of songs found their way onto a record titled The End.  Pulling the record out of its inner sleeve the words “everything destroyed will return again” can be spotted on record. These words are taken from the lyrics of “Black Velvet Cloak”, the final song on their final album. Leaving us again with some solace and peace. 

Understandably, life on the road takes a toll on so many aspects of their lives. Myself and many others are forever grateful to have been able to ride along on this journey with the aux cord in the hands of Murder By Death. Aside from all the wonderful music they have shared over the years that is now so cherished, they also sparked a sense of exploration through travel. Traveling for bands would happen for me from time to time but Murder By Death took that to a whole new level.

In 2013 when the first Stanley show was announced, we jumped at the chance without hesitation. Every year after that the anticipation and hope swelled that it would continue for another. Ultimately it just became a tradition, hold the month of January open until it was announced and work around it. This became an annual pilgrimage to the mountains to take in the scenic beauty of the Rockies and sonic beauty of their music that coalesced in Estes Park, Colorado. 

The Stanley turned into a space where the band could try out some new music live for the first time before hitting the studio to make it permanent. Debuting new songs such as “Natural Pearl”, “The Last Thing”, “Dream In Red”, “When”, “If” and “No Matter Now” all of which have become some of my fondest songs they've written. Every time I was so impressed by the music and couldn't wait to hear how it would sound fleshed out as a studio recording.

Murder By Death has a knack for performing at special and unique spaces that becomes the catalyst for adventure. Like when we received the mark of the crow to enter a hollowed out hole in the side of a hill in Louisville for a secret cave show. Or New Year's Eve at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown that just has that MBD vibe. Playing in rustic barns like The Shitty Barn and Codfish Hollow. Then they took the cave concert up a notch to play in the Cumberland Caverns in Tennessee. The booming reverbations of that cave suite songs like “Dynamite Mine” so well. That show became more memorable when we got the announcement that torrential rains had temporarily flooded our exit from the cave and the staff kept things going for a bit later and the band played past their planned ending time while we all waited for the storms to pass and the floodwaters to recede. We finally emerged back to the surface only to find that our campground had flooded out. The next morning was spent pushing each other's cars out of the mud as we departed the grounds. All these places created long lasting memories and fit their esthetic so well. Then there was that time when they ushered us into what felt like the impending apocalypse on March 12, 2020 before the world shutdown. Even catching them as an opener in NYC on another farewell tour when they supported Minus the Bear.

All this to say the wanderlust they've instilled in me over the years leaves me feeling fortunate and grateful to have been able to share a miniscule of the roads they've traversed. Said too many goodbyes in recent memory and this will be tough to work through as well. Alas, all things must rest but until then this journey continues. Their art leaves me with memories that will surely fade but the body of work they have created and recorded will help recall a plethora of experiences well worth living. 

In Memoriam: Murder By Death through the years.