Watch: The Tin Men, New Orleans, Washboard, Sousaphone & Guitar Trio (via Times-Pic)

Watch as The Tin Men, a New Orleans trio featuring Washboard Chaz Leary on washboard and percussion, Matt Perrine on Sousaphone and Alex McMurray on resophonic guitar, plays at the dba nightclub on Frenchmen Street.

Watch: Valparaiso Men's Orchestra performs "Drunken Sailor" on Treme

Offbeat Podcast: Alex McMurray’s Inner Vision

LISTEN HERE

“The people that drive you crazy — the only people that can really drive you nuts are the people that love you,” a soft-spoken Alex McMurray tells host Zachary Young in this week’s episode of OffBeat’s Look-Ka Py Py Podcast. “They’re going to be the ones that help you,” he goes on to reveal. Here, McMurray’s describing the theme of “Diamonds in Your Hand,” the song that seals his recent release I Will Never Be Alone in This Land.

For the singer-songwriter/guitarist, uncovering the subtle truths that belie such paradoxes has become an art — an unheralded attribute that has underscored his musical sensibilities since the mid-Nineties when his then outfit Royal Fingerbowl stirred the Frenchmen scene and stole a fleeting wink from the public eye.

But as the saying a fool’s paradise is a wise man’s hell goes, after a short-lived brush with the national spotlight, McMurray followed his instincts, honing his craft and finding his calling on the streets of St. Claude. On I Will Never Will Never Be Alone in This Land, never before has McMurray’s telltale Chilton-esque wit and wisdom shown more brightly. And, as the story would have it, with a bevy of New Orleans’ best such as Jon Cleary, John Mooney, Ben Ellman, Matt Perrine and more than a dozen others along for the ride, never before has a record of his sounded more New Orleans — “[not] like red beans and rice… maybe some other kind of lunch special,” he muses. Hear how it came to light:

Preview Alex McMurray's new album

“People tend to speak tenderly of songs, but for me songs are like old friends that owe you money– they are very comfortable in your house, go through the fridge and borrow your tools. They just don’t seem to be there when you remember you need them. They keep telling you: as long as they owe you, you will never be broke.” 

“So I have been tricking the songs–offering them coffee and snacks and quietly locking all the doors and windows. Now the house is crowded with these deadbeats talking over one another and getting dirt all over the furniture. The sink is full of their dishes and the neighbors are starting to complain. The cats are getting nervous. All I need is to take their picture and then they can be on their way.”

Times Pic: Alex McMurray explains the Valparaiso Men's Chorus

 By Dave Walker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

In Sunday’s (Nov. 4) episode of “Treme,” reporter L.P Everett blows off some steam by attending a late-night Mardi Gras performance by the Valparaiso Men's Chorus, an all-star aggregation of New Orleanians who regularly gather to sing sea shanties.

 

Here’s an edited email interview with Alex McMurray, who leads the group in song in the scene.

Q: Who are you and what are you and your friends doing on “Treme?”
A: I'm Alex McMurray and we are the Valparaiso Men's Chorus.

What are you doing on the show?
Making a hellacious racket I hope.

When and why was the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus first convened?
The VMC was first convened on Nov. 29, 2004, to record a CD of sea shanties and to make a film of that process.

Is it an expression of your personal interest in maritime work songs?
I was employed at Tokyo DisneySea theme park in 2002 to sing sea shanties for guests in the park. The stuff grew on me and now we do it for fun.

What’s up with the name?
Valparaiso, Chile, was a major stop for whaling and merchant vessels before the age of steam and the construction of the Panama Canal. Ships would stop for water and provisions. Guano and nitrates, too.

What’s up with your costume in the scene?
I have not seen the scene, and do not remember. They told us it was Mardi Gras night, and we assumed our costumes would be somewhat ragged.

Who are some other notable members?
Washboard Chaz, Matt Perrine, Carlo Nuccio, Joe Cabral, Matt Rhody, Greg Schatz, Dave Rebeck, Rick Trolsen, Andy Bizer, Bill Malchow, Charlie Brown, Chris Lane, Christian Trosclair, D.C. Harbold, The Rev. Spooky LeStrange, Erik Paul Corveau, Fayard Lindsey, Gabe Soria, George Ingmire, Henry Griffin, Jay Holland, Jeff Treffinger, Jeffrey Damnit, Dr. James Paton Walsh, Jonathan Freilich, Luke Allen, Michael Mehiel, Rob Schafer, Robert Starnes, Troy Thibodeaux.

Who comes to your shows?
Thirsty people who love to bellow.

Who buys your CDs?
Those same people, I guess.

Where does the group find its repertoire?
Books mostly, but there are more and more sea shanty records coming out all the time.

Capturing a spirited performance like this can be tricky from a production perspective. What was it like shooting the scene for Sunday’s episode?
It was in the morning, which is different for us. And we were sober. Or we were supposed to be. It was hard to mime for the cameras. Our blood was up.

I presume you got to meet Tim Robbins. How cool was that?
Very cool. He's a fan of the genre and came to a show of ours a little while later. He's a good director because he's taller than everyone else.

Any upcoming appearances, either by you in other settings or the chorus, you’d like to plug?
We will be at the Saturn Bar the Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 24). We also have a new CD out called "The Straits of Saint Claude."

Upcoming: Bill Malchow & Go Cup All Stars @ Rodeo Bar this Friday

From the desk of Bill Malchow...


All right! Headed up to NYC this weekend.   Let's all hang out at the Rodeo Bar this Friday.  10:45pm is the start time.  Free Peanuts!

Also I'll be joining Alex McMurray at his Joe's Pub debut this Sunday.

As you know Isaac hit New Orleans pretty hard.  Wife, Dog and I evacuated to Monroe, LA. prior to the storm. It was our first evacuation. We brought too much stuff.  We came back to no damage, except that our landlord had looted our freezer of tater tots.   Lot of folks outside the levee system were not so lucky.  Come out to one of the shows and I'll tell you more...


Friday, September 14, 2012
Bill Malchow and the Go Cup All Stars
The Rodeo Bar
375 3rd Avenue
(27th Street)
New York, NY
(212) 683.6500
10:30pm 1:30ish
$FREE
Tim Luntzel - bass
Dan Rieser - drums
Dion Tucker - Trombone
Scott Bourgeois - alto sax/tenor sax/clarinet


Sunday, September 16, 2012
Alex McMurray
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette St
New York, NY
Get Tickets
$15

Upcoming: Alex McMurray / Cristina Black @ Joe's Pub

Price: $15 / 9:30 PM / September 16

Show Description

If Alex McMurray's songwriting seems a bit dour at times--okay, most of the time--well then that's totally intentional. "Like Blanche DuBois in Streetcar," he says, "I find sorrow to be quite a beautiful emotion. Loneliness can be nice." And he'd know. A New Orleans fixture since the '80s, the guitar slinger is now widely recognized as the embodiment of the downtown New Orleans lifestyle: sketchy bars, cracked sidewalks, fallen-down houses, tattered hearts, broken spirits, discarded chicken bones. He's often compared to Tom Waits; they both have whiskey-throated voices and share a curious ability to find inspiration in the degenerate, not to mention an obsession with the Ninth Ward. Except McMurray actually lives there.


“The most talented songwriter in New Orleans.” -Antigravity
“Tom Waits-ian pathos cut with a Big Easy sweetener.” -Nola.com
“One of the best young songwriters in the country.” -Gambit Weekly
“He sees things we all see, but shows them in a new light.” -GoNola.com
“One of the best songwriters working today.” -OffBeat

                                                                   ---

Often compared to Nico and Fiona Apple for her smoke-and-honey character voice, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Cristina Black maintains a cabaret-like propriety while drawing on the curious looseness of her former home, New Orleans. A classically trained harpist and pianist from age 4, Black turned to pop songwriting more recently when she took up baritone ukulele and began crafting uncommon confessional songs about things like love, money, death and disaster. Her debut album, The Ditty Sessions, is the result of a magical collaboration with an all-star Big Easy backing band that included Alex McMurray on guitar, Brian Coogan on keys and the late Alex Chilton (of Big Star fame) on bass. Galactic’s Ben Ellman oversaw the sessions at his own Number C studio in Uptown New Orleans. Standout track “Purple Houses” describes the anxiety of watching Hurricane Katrina swirl towards the Gulf Coast. The set also addresses drug addiction on “These Days”, infidelity on “All I Want” and the plight of the wealthy on the fan favorite “Drunk Rich People,” which was recently featured on NBC’s prime time hit Parenthood. Live, Black hops from uke to piano, performing with her New York-based band.

Alex McMurray's Whirlwind NYC Tour

 

 

 

FRIDAY JAN 20---RODEO BAR 11pm

Go-Cup All-Stars featuring Alex McMurray, Bill Malchow, Matt Perrine, Eric Bolivar, Scott Bourgeois and J. Walter Hawkes. Alex tunes, Bill tunes, NOLA stuff. Horns. Whoo-hoo!!

 

 

SATURDAY JAN 21--JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER--THE ALLEN ROOM 8:30 & 10:30

Michael Cerveris: An Idea of South

An all-star band comprised on New Orleans and NYC artists

 click HERE for more details

This Broadway star and musical chameleon has performed in punk bands and rock musicals, terrified audiences as Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd on Broadway and took home a Tony for his role in Sondheim’s Assassins, and currently plays the mysterious character “the observer” in the hit TV series Fringe. Here, he brings us An Idea of South, a genre-defying recital/cabaret/hootenanny of songs ranging from the Carter Family and Johnny Mercer to Vic Chesnutt and Samuel Barber with guest musicians from New Orleans. Hear Cerveris on our stage before he starts rehearsal for the role of Juan Perón in the new Broadway revival of Evita

SUNDAY JAN 22--ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL 7pm

Alex McMurray solo

MONDAY JAN 23--THE EAR INN midnight-3am

Alex McMurray with Brad Gunyon (drums) and Skip Ward (bass)

Quiet, groovy and weird.

TUESDAY JAN 24--THE 11TH STREET BAR 9pm

Alex Solo show.

 

 

Info for all these shows--addresses, phone #s, websites, etc are posted at www.alexmcmurray.com.

More Pictures from Export NOLA

photos by Dino Perrucci

Matt Perrine & Alex McMurray - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11

Amanda Shaw & Walter "Wolfman" Washington - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11



Joe Krown Trio - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Russell Batiste - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Tin Men - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Honey Island Swamp Band w/Washboard Chaz - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Maurice Brown - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Khris Royal - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Amanda Shaw - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Grayson Capps - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Jamie McLean Band - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Mia Borders - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Henry Butler - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/9/11



Henry Butler - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/9/11




Sasha Masakowski - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/9/11


DJ Logic & Maurice Brown - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/12/11

More from last night:


John Gros - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/12/11


Henry Butler & John Gros - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/12/11

Upcoming: 3rd Annual Export NOLA @ Sullivan Hall / Bitter End

3rd Annual Export NOLA feat. Joe Krown Trio: Joe Krown, Walter "Wolfman" Washington & Russell Batiste, Jr., The Iguanas, Tin Men, Amanda Shaw, Grayson Capps & many more!

We are pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Export NOLA: Experience the Music of New Orleans. The shows will take place at Sullivan Hall and The Bitter End on Friday January 7 and Sullivan Hall Saturday January 9.

Friday January 7^th

3rd Annual Export NOLA : Experience New Orleans Music
At Sullivan Hall & The Bitter End
(1 pass good for both venues!)

Joe Krown Trio: Joe Krown, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Russell Batiste
Honey Island Swamp Band
Grayson Capps
Mia Borders

The Iguanas
Jamie McLean Band
Sasha Masakowski & Musical Playground
Tin Men
Khris Royal's Crescent Jam

$20 Advance/ $25 Door (1 pass good for both venues)

Sunday January 9^th

3rd Annual Export NOLA : Experience New Orleans Music

(at Sullivan Hall)

Henry Butler
MoBettaBrown & Soul'd U Out: featuring Maurice Brown
Rosie Ledet
Mia Borders
Sasha Masakowski & Musical Playground
Luke Winslow-King

Vote for the next Threadhead Records project

Fan-funded New Orleans-based Threadhead Records is hosting a poll to help determine their next project. You do not have to register to vote. You just click on the link and can vote once per IP address per day through 10/18.


My favorites include: Midnite Disturbers (the all-star brass band, which has included Stanton Moore, Kevin O'Day, Skerik, Ben Ellman, Big Sam, Mark Mullins, Shamarr Allen, Troy Andrews, Kirk Joseph, Matt Perrine)

Tin Men feat. Alex McMurray, Matt Perrine (again) & Washboard Chaz

Injun Orchestra


Feel free to vote for your favorite.

Vote Here! Poll Closes at 12am est 10/18

One vote per IP address, per day. At the end of the week, the top 10 suggestions will be put up for a final vote. Final poll will be open for another week and at the end of that time, THR will choose a project from the top 3 most popular suggestions to pursue. Note: There is no guarantee that any project suggested will materialize into a THR project but THR will seriously investigate the possibility.

Who should we pursue for our next project?
	AfricanZydeco Revue
	RamaFest: Twangorama and Bonerama collaboration
	David Torkanowsky
	Kora Konnection
	Anders Osborne (?), Johnny Sansone and John Fohl
	VOW
	Germaine Bazzle
	groovesect and the soul project (soulsect)
	Threadhead Records All-Stars
	A childrens CD recording the music clinic kids
	All That
	Midnite Disturbers
	Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show
	Threadhead Records artists do the History of New Orleans music
	Wendell Brunious
	Christmas funk compilation
	Junko Pardners
	The Injun Orchestra
	Creole String Beans
	Brint Anderson
	Helen Gillet
	Joe Krown trio
	Bob Andrews
	(Big Fine) Ellen Smith
	John Gros
	Sasha Masakowski
	Tin Men
	Johnny Sansone
	Beatin Path

http://www.threadheadrecords.com

Upcoming: Alex McMurray & Bill Malchow Back in NYC

Tonight:

Alex McMurray
@ Rockwood Music Hall
6pm

Tonight:

Alex McMurray -w- Bill Malchow
@ Living Room
154 Ludlow Street (between Stanton and Rivington)
10pm


Friday, August 13, 2010

Bill Malchow and the Go Cup All Stars
@ Rodeo Bar
375 3rd Avenue (27th Street)
10:30ish-2ish
Brian Seeger - guitar
Scott Bourgeois - alto sax/tenor sax/clarinet
Mark Miller - trombone
Skip Ward - bass
Dave Berger - drums

NPR: A Blog Supreme Chaz And Heritage - The Tin Men

Josh Jackson

Washboard Chaz's homemade instrument, opening to the enormous Acura Stage.

A funny thing happened on the way to New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival on Saturday: it stopped raining. The looming tornado watch and 80% chance of precipitation for the city subsided by day's end, and the music continued uninterrupted.

Of course, there was plenty of mud from the preceding day's oversaturation. I sloshed my way through the photo pit at the Acura main stage for a chance to see Tin Men, a trio of washboard, sousaphone and guitar that bends the street-busking aesthetic into a sophisticated, countryfied version of New Orleans music.

Chaz Leary, his middle and ring fingers pressed inside metal thimbles, played his handmade washboard, an instrument that includes two cans and a hotel clerk bell. Together with Matt Perrine and Alex McMurray, two members of the defunct-but-beloved local band, Royal Fingerbowl, Tin Men opened what had to be their largest stage performance ever. Throngs of people had already set up camp here, in anticipation of the Simon and Garfunkel set that would close the festival in another seven hours.

Would this music translate to such a diffuse environment?

Affirmative. Tin Men made some eclectic but inspired choices for their set, opening with Jimmy McHugh's "On the Sunny Side of the Street," before moving on to Danny Barker's "Palm Court Strut" and "Holy Cow," an Allen Toussaint song popularized by singer Lee Dorsey. Chuck Berry's "Maybelline," a Sousa march, and Dirty Dozen Brass Band's "Blackbird Special" were also among the tunes.

These Tin Men didn't need heart. They had plenty to spare.

Upcoming: Tin Men @ Rodeo Bar this Thursday Night!

The Tin Men are heading to New York this week.

Thursday April 15 The Rodeo Bar 375 3rd Avenue (27th Street) New York, NY 10016 (212) 683.6500 www.rodeobar.com 10-1 no cover Friday April 16 The Black Swan 66 Broadway Tivoli, NY 12583 Phone: (845) 757-3777 9-til no cover Saturday April 17 private party Big Indian, NY Sunday April 18 Eagles Hall of Ossining 7 Old Post Road Ossining NY 7pm

Now Available: The Ditty Sessions EP!

I am proud to announce the release of my debut EP, The Ditty Sessions! Recorded in my former home, New Orleans, in September 2009 by Ben Ellman (Galactic), the album features five original songs played by an all-star band of Crescent City characters, including Alex McMurray (guitar), Brian Coogan (keys) and Alex Chilton (bass). I handle ukulele and vocals.


I first attempted songwriting from a puddle of mud. I’d fallen there on the sidelines of a New Orleans parade in 2006, during the first Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina busted up the city. I remember thinking if I just had something to hold on to, a stick or something, maybe I could pull myself up out of that mess. That metaphor became the first line and theme for “All I Want,” and stayed with me for months after I returned to New York City, my home since 2004. The song, by then fully formed, was playing over and over in my head, its aching, minor-key melody pushing me through the confusion of post-Katrina life.


That tune and the rest of them found their way out of me through a hundred-dollar baritone ukulele, which I took up later that same year, inspired and schooled by Brooklyn singer-songwriter Michael Leviton. I’d been a musician all my life. I’d studied classical piano, harp and voice as a child and made my living as a professional music critic for about a decade. But it was only when I learned to serenade my friends on that little axe that I realized my own melodies were valid, and so were my thoughts on things like love, money, class, death and disaster. Finally, I merged the two, and that’s why The Ditty Sessions exists.


Listen to tracks from The Ditty Sessions HERE.

Upcoming: Alex McMurray -w- Bill Malchow & Go-Cup Allstars @ Sullivan Hall

Alex McMurray be at Sullivan Hall 214 Sullivan St. in the West Village this Friday January 15th at 11:00. The band is going to be a killer. You may be familiar with my old pal Bill Malchow. Well, besides being a fine pianist and an even finer American he's put together a bunch of ringers this time out. The great Scott Bourgeois on saxophone, Louie Appel (of the staggering resume) on drums, and Skip Ward on bass. We'll be doing a good long set--none of this 45 minute nonsense--and will be featuring music from my latest CD "How To Be A Cannonball". We're also going to stretch out on a lot of classic New Orleans R&B. It'll be real gone pecan...

A Brand New “Who Dat”

OffBeat Staff

This year’s Saints have prompted a number of artists to record their own Saints song, so Carlo Nuccio – who wrote and recorded the original “Who Dat” more than 25 years ago – has returned with “Glory Bound,” an update of the song. The song features the return of Aaron Neville, who sang the song the first time around, and Theresa Andersson, along with Ivan Neville, Jon Cleary, Matt Perrine, Barry Foulon, Shamarr Allen, Joe Cabral, Ben Schenck, Jimi Burtchaell, Alex McMurray, Paul Sanchez, Derrick Freeman and Rob Schafer. The song will be available soon on iTunes, but here’s a preview in honor of tonight’s game.

Upcoming: Ingrid Lucia & Flying Neutrinos @ Rodeo Bar tonight (FREE)

Sunday July 27 @ 10:30p.m.

Ingrid Lucia & the Flying Neutrinos feat. Alex McMurray

@ Rodeo Bar (FREE)

Upcoming: Alex McMurray Heading to NYC!

a letter from Alex...

Greetings!

We're goin' up north to put the word in the streets...

We're sitting in a smelly hotel room in Lexington, Virginia, after driving for a couple days and will be hitting NYC tomorrow around rush hour. I'm going to lay it all out below without the fanfare. Those of you who are into lists just might dig it.

Friday, July 24, 2009
After Prospect Park Show
Bill Malchow and the Go Cup All Stars
10 pm
Two Boots
514 2nd Street
(7 & 8th Avenue)
Brooklyn (Park Slope), NY
718-499-3253
Alex McMurray - guitar/vocals
Skip Ward - bass
Taylor Floreth - drums

Saturday, July 25, 2009
Alex McMurray & Bill Malchow
6pm - 9pm
D.B.A. (Williamsburg)
113 N 7th St
(Berry and Wythe)
Brooklyn (Williamsburg), NY
(718) 218-6006‎

Saturday, July 25, 2009
Bill Malchow, Alex McMurray and the Go Cup All Stars
10:30 pm - 2am ish - $FREE
The Rodeo Bar
375 3rd Avenue
(27th Street)
New York, NY
(212) 683.6500
Alex McMurray - guitar/vocals
Skip Ward - bass
Brad Gunyon - drums

Sun July 26
w Ingrid Lucia
Rodeo Bar
375 3rd Ave
New York, NY
10:30pm

Upcoming: Bill Malchow & Alex McMurray @ Sullivan Hall, Rodeo Bar & D.B.A.

Contact bill@billmalchow.com
Myspace:www.myspace.com/billmalchowmusic

Next Shows:

Fri, 3/20/09
opening for Tab Benoit

Alex McMurray & Bill Malchow
8 pm (one set) - 18
Sullivan Hall
New York, NY

Sat, 3/21/09

Alex McMurray & Bill Malchow
4 pm - 6 pm
D.B.A. (Williamsburg)
Brooklyn (Williamsburg), NY

Sat, 3/21/09

Bill Malchow and the Go Cup All Stars
10 pm
The Rodeo Bar
New York, NY

Myspace:www.myspace.com/billmalchowmusic