Friday, February 20, 2015

The Horror Family about the scene: Keenan Murphy

KEENAN MURPHY
Under A Nightmare

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Under-A-Nightmare/139709342455?sk=timeline

"'we're all monsters, born the same', share in this madness and carry on through the underworld!"














Graveyard Greaser Gang: "horrorpunk is not a genre, it's a scene"! what does this mean to you?
Keenan Murphy: The sound of that beckons the idea to me that within this strange little niche that a lot of people have brewed up over the years, that we should all work together to make better abominations (shows, tours, compilation records, labels, promo companies, and so on).  I think it's a big waste of time to have little cliques of elitists with heads up their asses within something that can be so cool and pure fun, so in short...horrorpunk is a scene means to me, "we're all monsters, born the same", share in this madness and carry on through the underworld!

GGG: how would you describe horrorpunk to people who are not familiar with the music/scene?
KM: Horrorpunk is a unique little package of the sound that your favorite horror movie drills into your brain from an early age or some creepy slimey lurking thing that has haunted your dreams since you were in kindergarden. People that can look through any initial gimmick and cookie cutting can venture into a rare untamed beast of fast energetic rock music that really has no boundries metaphorically and in terms of genuine content.

GGG: what was your first contact with horrorpunk?
KM: I think it was probably in middle school about 11/12 years old the Misfits Coffin Boxset came out '96 ish and I picked it up at the local NRM music store in my local Bluefield, WV Mall. That's where 99 percent of the horrorpunkers start..you can't go wrong with The Misfits obviously. Then onward a couple years later I heard from word of mouth that a local band had started up and finally got to check them out when I got a license. This band was the now legendary, Blitzkid. I went to a ton of early shows and picked up the diy cd-r releases they put out at Cheap Thrills Records here in Princeton, WV. It was a blast and something I'll always cherish from my teenage years.

GGG: why did you start a horrorpunk band (not a regular punkband for example)?
KM: For me, I love punk rock in general soundwise, but I've never wanted to sing sounds about politics, religion, and other beliefs and arguments. I chose something that drove strong and made sense for fun and creativity, the influence of all the horror movies I've collected over the years and the thought of the unknown in general.


GGG: what does horror in general means to you?
KM: Horror means something real and in your face. Going from the far parts of one's mind and into spaces never thought of or seen before. It's life, it's art, it's fun, and it's scary. It's great!

GGG: there are millions of horror fans in the world (movies etc). in your opinion, why does barely people know about horrorpunk?
KM: Like I said above briefly, there's a gimmick and cookie cutter thing that alot of people won't take the time to sort through or have patience for. Alot of people are just STUPID and only check out what the media and corporations throw in front of them. The people that take the time to really dive into horrorpunk are indivuals and groups that "get it" and find bands and other likeminded people to share these tunes and times with.

GGG: most horrorpunk bands say that it's difficult to get booked for a show. in your opinion, why is it like that?
KM: I mean, it's punk rock in general, it's fast and in your face. The general public will walk out of a show when they hear you playing fast and singing about someone making cheeseburgers out of grandma down the street. I think it's best when a couple bands if locally stick together and bring in the right people and thus those people maybe bring more friends, and it grows like a zombie infection, making it easier to spread these shows around.

GGG: how did the horrorpunk scene develop/change since you are part of it?
KM: The internet for one thing made things way more available, which is good and bad, take it as you wish.  I found bands like Alex Can't Sleep, Mister Monster, Mourning Noise, Cancerslug, and a billion others through Napster in the early days and it was cool to share with other fiends. Alot of bands die off every year and other ones rise up from the grave all the time. I think there's definitely a stronger gathering sense arising throughout Europe and America, it's just a matter of the right people being all connected and making things happen.


GGG: what's your favorite memorie when it comes to horrorpunk (events, shows, people, whatever)?
KM: Other than going to a lot of local shows that Blitzkid played, and sharing a stage with alot of my horrorpunk friends in UAN, I'd say back in high school I used to tune into this internet radio station, In The Graveyard with Drew Bludd hosting  at night and just sit there hearing some awesome independent band's songs and interviews. That's the kind of thing that made me want to start a band of my own.

GGG: what are your three favorite horrorpunk bands?
KM: I'll list my favorite 3 albums by those bands.  Samhain - November Coming Fire, Balzac - Deep Teenagers From Outer Space, and for the 3rd it's a tie....either The Ruined - Hear Lies or Deadlines - Death And Life Of       ...I loved Son Of Sam and Zombeast too...sorry too many greats that deserve more notice!

GGG: what are your three favorite non-horrorpunk bands?
KM: The Sisters Of Mercy, Type O Negative, The Offspring ignition era

GGG: if you'd have to describe your current band with five words, which words would that be?
KM: Endurance, Party, Punk, Road, Record

GGG: what are your next plans with your band?
KM: We are F'ing recording this deadly album finally, 4 years, about 100 or so songs in.....this thing is going to come to life. We've been talking it up forever, building a home studio, making promises and waiting, working. We just played our annual Halloween shows and I'm not playing another until we get this album cracked out and into everyones ears. From there we will tour until our bones whirl off in the dust town to town.

GGG: thanks for your time. anything you wanna add?
KM: Thanks for having me, always a pleasure. We are 12 years into this world and are planning on at least another 12 so be ready!

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