I got the chance to ask Jacob Bullard of Major Murphy a few questions earlier this week about their new record, their influences, and their upcoming set at Culture Shock. Enjoy!
1. First of all, congrats on the new record, No.1, that came out last week! From what I’ve read, it was three years in the making and was sort of your first big experience as a band moving into the studio whereas your past projects were recorded in a more D.I.Y. “bedroom” style process. Can you talk a bit about that transition and how it impacted the new record?
Thank you! We are very excited to have it out. That's true, of the 10 songs on this record, about half are some of our oldest tunes and the others are newer. We wanted to document the songs in high fidelity but at the same time try not to fuss with production too much and let it be a natural sound, so a lot of the record was recorded live.
2. Major Murphy’s sound gives off a pretty distinct 70’s rock influence. How do you feel about the recent resurgence of bands playing in this style like Temples or The Lemon Twigs rising in popularity?
I love the sound so am naturally excited to hear other bands exploring it. In some ways it does seem like a resurgence, but at the same time, I think the sounds of the 70's will never go out of vogue. I think for a lot of people that time represents a sweet spot in studio technology. There was really state of the art, hi-fi stuff being implemented but the bands and producers where still really relying on the performance of the artist to get a good sound. If you are into live drums and microphones you will end up studying the 1970's.
3. What’re some artists/records you’ve been listening to on the road for this tour?
We are all properly obsessed with the latest Sunflower Bean record. Paul Cherry's new record is great and I'm sure that will be in the rotation as well.
4. After having played at the Bishop earlier this year in January, how does it feel to be coming back to Bloomington for Culture Shock?
So excited! I have followed the festival from afar/online in years past and it always looks super fun. We are honored to be included.
5. What kind of show can people planning on coming to Culture Shock expect to see from Major Murphy?
