While naming your band after a mathematician might not be very rock ‘n’ roll,
Penrose’s Murphy Bros certainly have their ears tuned into classic rock ‘n’ roll history. We fired some interview questions at brother Tom Murphy. And while we might have inflicted a little mental damage conjuring up memories of watching cartoon porn with his mom, we think he’ll be ready to rock on the main stage at The Troc tomorrow evening. But first things last…
The Deli: How did Penrose start?
Tom Murphy: Well the band is the three Murphy brothers, consisting of myself, Pat, and Dan Murphy. Penrose unofficially started in a Philly suburb basement when the three of us would go downstairs after dinner when we were in high school and played spacey little instrumental jams until our parents told us to go to bed. Having three musically inclined (albeit not especially proficient) brothers with a bass, guitar and drum kit can be taxing on hard working parents. Of course, they were always very supportive. Later when we all went to New York for college, we started writing actual songs with lyrics and all that. We played our first gig in a North Philly warehouse venue called the White Room in May of ’09 and have been playing at least twice a month in Philly or New York ever since.
TD: Where did the band name come from?
TM: We named the band after Roger Penrose. He’s (was?) pretty famous…as far as mathematicians go…and created a lot of really cool art too. He was a big inspiration of M.C. Escher I believe. One drawing we were always attracted to was the Penrose Triangle which is this “impossible figure” which really just means you can draw it but you can’t build it. The edges won’t line up, but if you just glance at it, it looks pretty legit. We liked that imagery for the three of us – a triangle that isn’t quite ordinary.
TD: What are your biggest musical influences?
TM: Luckily we grew up strong and we grew up right on some good Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin tunes along with other classic rock stuff. After we came to worship those bands, I’d say we developed a pretty deep love for modern rock from the 90s and 00s which revolved around bands like Radiohead and Modest Mouse and the White Stripes. Now we’re really digging any Jack White project and the Black Keys specifically. I think it all really stems from some good down home Son House or R.L. Burnside or John Lee Hooker blues though, which we’ve been on a real kick with for some time now.
TD: What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?
TD: What’s the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?
TM: Our parents took the three of us to an Aerosmith concert in like 1999 at the E Center, and I’ve spent the past 11 years trying to figure out if I’m proud of it or not. All I really remember was this cartoon naked chick dancing all over the jumbotron screen thing and feeling very uncomfortable sitting next to my mom.
First album I bought was …And Then There Was X by DMX and I’m positive I’m proud of that.
TD: What do you love about Philly?
TM: Obviously the music scene is great. The DIY scene has been really cool to be a part of. The city lost a real asset when the Carriage House closed down, but I’m sure somebody will step up. What makes me really proud about the city is the way the Caravan music festival went this year. There was a write up about it a few weeks ago on the Deli Philly before it went down. We just got back and pretty much what happened was 150 Philly musicians and fans drove a total of like 1000 miles up to Maine and back to participate in a badass DIY music festival in the woods. That’s a committed local music scene.
TD: What do you hate about Philly?
TM: This has been a tough summer violence-wise, so that’s an obvious dislike, especially when it touches the music scene. Other than that, the PPA makes me want to punt puppies off of the Ben Franklin Bridge most times.
TD: What are your plans for 2010?
TM: Well in like, immediate 2010, we’re playing an all ages show at The Troc on August 6th on the main stage which is going to be really fun I think. We’re also playing a residency at a club in New York called Arlene’s Grocery which is a nice gig. Other than all that, we’re planning to have a legit debut release by the end of the calendar year and have been working pretty hard in the studio to get it sounding nice. Look forward to that.
TD: What was your most memorable live show?
TM: Like I’ve been mentioning, the Caravan music festival is pretty close to the Penrose heart, and we just played a pretty fucking awesome set up there to the 150 or so troopers who made it up from Philly to Maine for it. The amps were literally smoking, the generator I think exploded a little bit, the lights all but died, and the cops came immediately after our last song, but the fire raged on and so did the party. We’ll not forget that one any time soon.
TD: What’s your favorite thing to get at the deli?
TM: Rat salad.
– The Deli Staff
