Concert Review: Murder By Death and Margot & the Nuclear So and So's

Upon hearing news of my one of my favorite bands, Murder By Death's, plan to stop in CT before the end of their U.S tour, I was quick to plan a trip up to Quinnepiac University to check them out. Murder By Death is a soulful quartet that can be described as an eclectic mix of folk, rock and roll, and a dose of country twang. Based out of Indiana Murder By Death's reputation for story telling and pure musical skill has helped them make a name for themselves in their home country and beyond. Their notoriety made this very low profile show a must see for a fan like myself.

The Quinnepiac Alumni hall is a medium sized hall located around one hundred feet from the schools entrance. The acoustics of the venue were reasonable but the clarity of the vocals fell short based on your proximity to the stage. The other big name band playing that nigh, Margot & The Nuclear So and So's played an incredible 45 minute set before MBD took the stage. Margot's sleepy, southern folk vibe was a pleasant surprise to this listener to expected a group closer to MBD's rock angle.

Murder By Death began their set with the single from the groups newest album "Red Of Tooth And Claw" entitled "Comin Home." The medium sized crowd exploded with voices singing along the moment the first chord of the song was played, a theme which would continue for the rest of the night. Their set ran a grand total of 15 songs and three encores which by the end of the night left the performers and the crowd equally exhausted but satisfied.

I got a chance to talk to all of the members of the group who turned out to be extremely sociable and excited about their upcoming tour of Europe. The band had played two shows in Texas the night before and had not slept since, which only added to the chaos of their luggage being lost upon arrival in Connecticut and their drummers hand being injured in a freight elevator. Each of the members of the band showed a respect for their fans and their music that I had previously not experienced, making the show a quality experience in all aspects of performance.