While I’m not in favour of defacing public property with graffiti and tags, perhaps the vandal was right when he or she wrote “Murder By Death is the best show ever” on the Slice bathroom paper towel holder in permanent magic marker after their show last year.
The Bloomington, Indiana alt rock orchestra returned to the Slice, Aug. 29 to play an energetic, no holds barred show for an enthusiastic audience.
I don’t think it was sold out like last time, but it didn’t matter.
I found their last show to be way too mellow and droning for my tastes. This time it was all about energy and intensity.
They created upbeat compositions featuring cello, guitar, a bass with an entire music store’s worth of effects pedals hooked up to it, a frenetic drummer who added a propane tank to his kit and multi-instrumentalist David Fountain w
ho played like he had an extra hand attached to him as he played mandolin, keyboards, steel guitar, kazoo and horns.
He was impressive playing an array of different instruments often in the same song.
They had most of the crowd on their feet applauding and dancing up dust.
They shouted “was anyone here at our last show,” and drew cheers from most of the room.
Lead singer Adam Turla had an appealing baritone voice which was lost in the waves of instrumentation at times. One of the highlights was their song about “the happiest song about going to a funeral for someone you don’t care for and finding out you really did like them.”
I got a kick out of the drummer tapping on his propane tank. The cellist, Sarah Balliet playing a worn and weathered cello also had effects hooked up to her instrument to emit some weird and wild sounds.
Opening band The 4 on the Floor weren’t able to make it over the border in time for this show, so the night was all about Murder By Death.
They ended with an energetic arrangement of INXS’s classic ’80s hit “Never Tear Us Apart.”
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
