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Jun 4 2013

John’s Pick: Allison Weiss Was Right All Along!

If you have heard the name Allison Weiss before, then you probably already know her story. When she was fifteen, she began playing guitar to impress a boy in her creative writing class. Several years, a profile on every social networking site you could imagine and over a million YouTube views later, Allison Weiss continues to build an ever-increasing fanbase.  Her 2009 album …Was Right All Along is without a doubt the release that made my subscription to her channel pay off.

Any Allison Weiss fan will have seen a number – if not all – of her solo acoustic YouTube videos, featuring originals and covers. If you are hoping for a studio-quality album of these solo pieces, you will probably be disappointed. Instead, we are treated to full band, fleshed out versions of some really great songs – something Weiss continues to do with newer releases.  To fund the album, Allison Weiss used the crowd-sourcing pledge site Kickstarter.com, raising nearly eight thousand dollars – almost 400% her original goal. And you can hear every penny in the tracks. With …Was Right All Along, Allison Weiss’ sound changed from that of a hobbyist to that of a professional musician, and that trend continues today.

There are a few places on the album where one could nitpick (for example: the ebow on “Ghost Stories” just sounds off for some reason), but a number of the tracks reward the listener for each additional play. “You + Me + Alcohol”, “Fingers Crossed” and “Let’s Leave” steal the show in this department. “You + Me + Alcohol” may not be the most poetic of Allison Weiss’ large repertoire of songs, but it is just so damn fun to listen to and sing along.

The album features an extended band for most tracks, but it certainly does not entirely ignore the solo acoustic pieces that captivated most fans in the first place. “I Was An Island” (a personal favorite of mine) eases the listener in by slowly building on Allison Weiss’ solo acoustic guitar. It serves as a fitting transition, taking the listener from behind a webcam and into the studio. The second track on the album, “Fingers Crossed”, shows exactly how much Allison Weiss’ sound improved in the first few years of her career.

Interested in checking it out for yourself?  You’re in luck!  …Was Right All Along is available on Murfie for only $2.00!  Act quick, because it’s a steal.

Jun 3 2013

Vote! Which Decades Would You Flash Back To?

We invented a time machine here at Murfie! (Okay, this is not 100% true—but stay with me here!)

This time machine lets you re-visit any decade you want (back to the 1940s—it’s our beta version), and it’ll take you on a tour of the best, most ground-breaking concerts ever to happen. If you got the chance, what decades would you re-visit? You can choose more than one!

May 31 2013

Curious CDs

This week’s most interesting disc, at a glance, might not seem so out of the ordinary.

30 Greatest Party Songs Ever, Disc 2

(Drew’s Famous)

MI0000305849The Facts:

  • This album has everything from “The Chicken Dance” to “Macarena”, to “Mambo No. 5″—which are indeed the best songs to dance to. (Ever.)
  • At first listen, these songs sound like the originals. But in fact, Drew’s Famous (a.k.a. Drew’s Entertainment) is a record label company from new Jersey that creates sound-alike covers of songs—and you can barely tell the difference!
  • We’re wondering, who is Drew? Does anybody know?

Drew’s Famous cover albums go everywhere, from Halloween Dance Party Favorites and Disco Party Music to Sports Jams Party Music. Quite a few of them are RIAA certified Gold, and even Platinum. How that happened is very curious indeed.

May 30 2013

Shopkeep of the Week

What were you up to on April 15th, 2011? Micah was joining Murfie on that day! (Woot!)

Shortly after that, he sent a kit of about 500 discs all the way from Mequon, WI…to Madison, WI! And he’s sold a bunch of them so far. We asked this hardcore Murfie guy a few questions about him and his collection.
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Murfie: How did you originally learn about Murfie?
Micah: My first exposure to Murfie was completely random. I was waiting in reception, a bit early for a meeting with a client (I’m in marketing), and was paging through their Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Or perhaps it was their WSJ. Regardless, it was an interview with the founders during the first year of business I believe…pretty early on. It really caught my attention because I am a total tech nerd, always looking for ways to digitize my life. I’ve been into digital (web, mobile, etc.) visual design and interaction design for years, and their concept seemed really intriguing to me. It reminded me of my pre-marketing days when I worked at a music shop in CA, turning people on to rare finds and great deals in the used department. And hey, they were right in my backyard…Madison! I got home, went online, and requested a couple 500 count boxes, filling them up and shipping them out immediately. My shop was up and running in no time.

Murfie: When did you purchase your first CD? What was it?
Micah: My first CD ever, or Murfie? Can’t remember on Murfie, but I actually bought two CD’s as my first purchase. Jellyfish‘s Bellybutton album and Presto by Rush.

Murfie: How many CDs do you own (or did you own at peak)?
Micah: Probably over 1200 for a while.

Murfie: How tall are you?
Micah: 6 feet tall.

Murfie: Tell us about your musical tastes.
Micah: My tastes are pretty varied as I have musical loves from jazz to musicals, from classical to some classic rock gems, but what I mainly listen to falls into indie rock, 80′s wave, smart pop, and intelligent heavy rock.

Murfie: What can folks expect to find in your store (if different than the above)?
Micah:

Murfie: If you could meet any musician or band in person, who would it be and why?
Micah: It would have to be Robert Smith of The Cure. He and the band have meant so much to me over the years. I’d love to hear stories from the 34 years of history, find out what he’s listening to nowadays…heck, if I’m dreamin’ here I’d throw in a jam session and see if I can get in the band.

Murfie: What is your favorite album at the moment?
Micah: A few, actually. The Joy Formidable‘s Wolf’s Law, No One Loves You Like I Do by The Life and Times, The Goldberg Sisters (eponymous), and The National‘s Boxer, Alligator, and High Violet.

Murfie: What do you plan to do with the millions of dollars you’re making from your Murfie shop?
Micah: Fill out my music collection, buy music gear, record my next album, sell it on Murfie!

Murfie: Which Beatle was your favorite?
Micah: Gotta go with John. He came up with the amazing “bits” and Paul would make them cohesive and string them together, but man…John had the goods.

Check out Micah’s 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 29 2013

This Week in Music History (May 29th-June 4th)

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

MI00018150135/29- On this day in 1969, Crosby, Stills & Nash released their self-titled debut album, (you guessed it), Crosby, Stills & Nash. Occasionally joined by Neil Young, this supergroup went on to release 7 more studio albums, and they are still active to this day.4954-large

5/30- Speaking of Neil Young…on this day in 1997, Neil cancelled his European tour, because he sliced his finger while cutting a ham sandwich. Ouchie!

23407-large5/31- On this day in 1976, The Who set a Guinness World Record for being the loudest rock band of all time. Their sound measured a whopping 126 dB, measured at a distance of 32 meters from the speakers at their concert in London. The possibility of hearing damage has been estimated to begin around 120 db. WHAT? COME AGAIN?5820-large

6/1- The Beatles released one of their enormously popular albums, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, on this day in 1967. This collection of songs was infused with a new kind of psychedelia that Beatles fans hadn’t seen so prominently in the past. Is dub your thing? You might like the 2009 Easy Star All-Stars reggae remake, Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band.

43800-large6/2- Bo Diddley, known as “The Originator” for his influence on the transition of blues to rock, passed away on this day on 2008. In addition to his influence on countless musicians, and modern genres from rock to rap, he left behind the Bo Diddley Beat, a rhythm that has been used in a surprisingly large variety and number of songs.34961-large

6/3- On this day in 1967, Jefferson Airplane performed “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love” on American Bandstand. You can watch the video here!

MI00000401386/4- On this day in 1984, Bruce Springsteen released his album Born in the U.S.A. The album contained seven Top Ten hits and is noted as one of the best-selling albums of all time. Nice one, Bruce!

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