May 23 2013

Shopkeep of the Week

2013_0403_featuredshop_may23Way, way back in the good old days of October 2011, Marcus decided to sign up for Murfie. Since then, he’s ordered two kits and sent about 450 discs from Massachusetts to Madison. He’s sold hundreds of them so far, and made some nice cash! Heres a little bit more about this CD-selling pro.

Murfie: How did you originally learn about Murfie?
Marcus: I heard about Murfie on NPR on the bus back to Boston from NYC and I signed up on my smartphone then and there.

Murfie: When did you purchase your first CD? What was it?
Marcus: I purchased my first CD in 1992 at Turtle Music in Atlanta, but I can’t remember what album it was.

Murfie: How many CDs do you own (or did you own at peak)?
Marcus: I owned over 500 CDs at one time.

Murfie: How tall are you?
Marcus: 5 feet 11 and a half inches, and that half is important.

Murfie: Tell us about your musical tastes.
Marcus: My musical tastes are pretty wide ranging, from Lightning Hopkins, Muddy Waters, and Miles Davis, to Neil Young, Radiohead, and The Decemberists, but it probably culminates in the Southern Blues/Rock sound. I never get tired of JJ Grey & Mofro, Whiskey Town, My Morning Jacket and Widespread Panic.

Murfie: What can folks expect to find in your store (if different than the above)?
Marcus: A little bit of everything.

Murfie: If you could meet any musician or band in person, who would it be and why?
Marcus: That is a tough one. I would probably go with Muddy Waters since he is no longer with us and there is still a chance I could meet Neil Young or the boys from Widespread Panic.

Murfie: What is your favorite album at the moment?
Marcus: Since it is spring, I really love listing to the first disc of Light Fuse, Get Away with the windows down while driving. Panic is extremely tight on this live album and the set list progression is just pure perfection.

Murfie: What do you plan to do with the millions of dollars you’re making from your Murfie shop?
Marcus: Create my own festival headlined by Panic and Neil Young so they can perform “Walk On”, “Are You Ready for the Country” and “Mr. Soul” together.

Murfie: Which Beatle was your favorite?
Marcus: I don’t have a favorite Beatle, I know it may be sacrilegious, but I’m not really a Beatles fan.

Check out Marcus’ shop on Murfie!

Shopkeep of the Week is a weekly feature that focuses on our most interesting Murfie shopkeepers. These are music lovers like you who have sold hundreds of pre-loved CDs on Murfie and have hundreds more at the ready to please your ears! If you’d like your Murfie Shop to be featured, or if you’d like to nominate a shop to be featured, please e-mail us at info@murfie.com and let us know.

May 22 2013

This Week in Music History (May 22nd-May 28th)

What’s music history got for us this week? Learn up and boogie down!

27135-large5/22- Morrissey (you know—The Smiths!) was born on this day in 1959. In 1988, he released his first solo album, not long after The Smiths ended their five year stretch.

27980-large 5/23- The Grateful Dead performed at the Hollywood Music Festival in England on this day in 1970. This was the first Grateful Dead performance in the UK, and they undoubtedly gained some new international Deadheads that day.

85003-large5/24- On this day in 1969, Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes was born. Rich was a founding member of the band with his brother, Chris Robinson, and he continues to play guitar with The Black Crowes today.

12521-large 5/25- Bradley Nowell, unforgettable lead singer of the band Sublime, was found dead in a San Francisco motel on this day in 1996 after overdosing on heroin. Some argued that “Nowell’s death ended what was seen as a promising future for a band that gained extensive airplay…”, although the band’s legacy did not end at all—Sublime continues to be the proverbial reggae-rock band to this day.

198183-large5/26- John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their second official bed-in protest on this day in 1969. They chose a hotel in Montreal for this bed-in since John was not allowed in the U.S. after being charged with marijuana possession. It was near the end of this protest that the couple, along with other notables including Timothy Leary and members of the Canadian Radha Krishna Temple, recorded the song “Give Peace a Chance” in the hotel room, rather spontaneously.

607-large 5/27- Van Halen kicked off the “Monsters of Rock” concert tour at Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley Music Theatre on this day in 1988. Van Halen headlined the tour, while being joined by other hard rock gods like Metallica and Scorpions.

80882-large5/28- John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was born in Berkeley on this day in 1945. Interestingly, the founding members of CCR are from California, even though they sing of “bullfrogs callin’” and “those cotton fields back home”.

Oh, you wanna own any of these albums, or hear ‘em in lossless format? Well we just so happen to have them for sale. Right now these titles start at just $1!

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May 21 2013

Keith’s Picks

Working at Murfie has taught me how important music is as a cultural phenomenon, and how people from different musical backgrounds can inspire one another. My musical taste has become more diverse in the last few years, originating from the deepest and darkest of the metal genre. Here are some of my favorite heavy metal albums found on Murfie:

2463-largeDomination by Morbid Angel

Florida death metal gods Morbid Angel bring a hard-hitting, excruciatingly heavy sound to this album, with amazing guitar riffs and extremely fast and complex drumming. This album gives a much more sludgy feel, with notable grooves in “Where the Slime Live”, and also “Caesar’s Palace”—which I would have to say is my favorite song on the album. The album was (and still is) heavily criticized by many fans as being much simpler musically and lyrically than their earlier albums. Nonetheless, Domination shows that metal bands can sound extreme without being aggressive and technical.

62111-largeMidian by Cradle of Filth

In my opinion, classical music and black metal go together like penut butter and jelly, or maybe pizza and a bloody mary (just me?). This is a great transition album for metal lovers who wish to get into black metal but don’t know where to start. Dani Filth’s infamous screeching vocals, mixed with the beautiful operatic undertones and chilling instrumentals, make this album both accessible and absolutely horrifying to the unaccustomed listener.

 

SymphonyX-VTheNewMythologySuite-1V: The New Mythology Suite by Symphony X

This is probably one of my favorite progressive metal works of all time. Inspired by some of the greatest guitarists in the world, this album shreds to a whole new level. There isn’t much to say about this album that hasn’t been said already: Its fast, melodic, complex guitar work mixed with powerful vocals and beautiful use of orchestral instruments provides a fresh and engaging take on a genre of heavy metal that has been around since the time of Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin.

 

7154e2a8-ddca-11e1-ac7b-1231381a75beBlood Fire Death by Bathory

To me, Bathory is the band that really captured the sound of black metal (although some critics will argue that it was actually the band Venom that fathered the genre). Bathory’s use of war-like themes, norse mythology and grim vocals really set the standard for the majority of black metal out there. What I love about this album is that it is incredibly experimental. The band certainly doesn’t like to stick to the same sound that can, quite frankly, get incredibly boring after a few listens. “A Fine Day to Die” and “For All Those Who Died” provide a more traditional black metal sound, whereas tracks like “Pace ’till Death” and “The Golden Walls of Heaven” are extremely fast and aggressive, akin to many famous thrash metal bands like Slayer and Municipal Waste.

 

66280-largeThe Light at the End of the World by My Dying Bride

I do have to admit that I found this album on Murfie after looking for a great doom metal album to add to my list. I have always loved the style of My Dying Bride, but I really haven’t given this album much of a listen. Some of the things that I really enjoy about the band are absent here: The depressingly slow and melodic guitar work, devastating vocals and the courageous use of violin and other such instruments that provide a great emotional experience. Still, this album is very poetic, dark and and at times can have a much more death metal sound than some of their other works. If you love depressing music, you will definitely enjoy this album.

May 20 2013

The First Disc Added to Murfie

This has been a question posed by many: What was the first disc ever to be added to our warehouse? Here’s a hint: It wasn’t Crash ;-)

Upon discovering the answer, it seems like this album would actually be a good Curious CD candidate!

Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope

(Jimmie’s Chicken Shack)

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This disc was added to Murfie on November 30th, 2010, and over time there were 10 other Murfie members who sent in copies of the same album! The album review states that Jimmie’s Chicken Shack is composed of “hard-driving alternative rockers whose music is as intense as it is melodic.”

You know what they say—don’t judge a book by its cover. Right now this album is for sale for just $1!

May 17 2013

Curious CDs

Here’s an album that you don’t see every day…

Didgeridoo Made Easy: A Beginner’s Guide, Disc 1

MI0002499933The Facts:

  • This album will make you a didge pro in no time (the world needs more of them, really).
  • You’ll hear all the best practices from this instructor, including, “Fill up your mouth with water, and begin to breathe in and out through your nose in a natural way. As you are doing this, squirt the water out in a thin stream from the center of your mouth at the same time.” Easy-peasy!
  • If one didgeridoo lesson isn’t enough, rest assured that the second half of this album goes through the same lesson plan again—in German!

The didgeridoo is an ancient instrument invented by Indigenous Australians, and we think it’s just fab that modern folk can access this real legitimate introduction here via CD. This album would be especially useful if you actually own your own didge…and if you have some strong lungs!