By Sean Flinn | April,
1999
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| Miss Murgatroid (top) attempts to mind meld with
collaborator Petra Haden. |
Buy Miss Murgatroid's music
Visit Miss Murgatroid's Label
WIN Records
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Brave
souls only need heft an accordion in the bland landscape of pop-music
worship that has become fin de siecle America; the polytonal emanations
of this wrongly maligned instrument curl noses skyward. Its very mention
sends hands earward, save amongst the most age-or alcohol-inebriated of
crowds gathered for (mostly ethnically rooted) worship of xydeco, klezmer
and polka ensembles. Woe betide the popular or "alternative"
musician who strikes the front-heavy stance of the accordion-laden, for
unto them do legions of ignorami slather groans and sneers and quizzical
glances of, "Why in the world would you strap such a hideous contraption
to your body?" and "Alanis never uses one of those things, dude."
A heroine of sorts, then, is Alica J. Rose, who has performed and recorded
under the pseudonym Miss Murgatroid since 1989; for she, and few others
of her ilk (one could name They Might Be Giants or failing comedienne
Judy Tenuta as peers, perhaps?) have chosen to embrace this imminently
squeezable, perennially idiosyncratic organ-ism. Admirable not only for
picking up the accordion, Miss Murgatroid deserves respect as well for
composing music that challenges listeners with its stunning ability to
unshackle the instrument from the chains of tradition. Sometimes less
a songstress than an inventor or alchemist, Miss Murgatroid concocts bubbling
sonic potions with her apparatus, continually charting new possibilities
for musical arrangements and for the instrument itself. She roots her
compositions in atmospherics and narrative, creating dark, cartoonish,
highly evocative soundscapes populated by enveloping - and occasionally
confrontationally juxtaposed - tones. Her listeners will find their preconceptions
of the accordion challenged even as the truly divine Miss M. delights
their ears and imaginations.
Sean Flinn conversed via e-mail with Miss Murgatroid in late April about her inventive new album with former That Dog vocalist/violinist Petra Haden, Bella Neurox (out on WIN Records),
her career thus far, and her brave decision to play new music with an
old, and often reviled instrument.
Sean Flinn: Give me some insight into your new album with Petra Haden, Bella Neurox. How did you and Petra get together? What inspired you two
to embark on a creative partnership? How did you begin working on the album?
Did you have any vision of what the finished product would be? A theme that
you wanted to flow through the album? Or was it more spontaneous?
Miss Murgatroid: Petra came to visit me for the first time about a year
ago. We had never played together before, but always got along winningly
and wanted to further our friendship. She stayed with me for a few weeks
- most of which was spent in retail therapy (we both like to shop) and
at the movies. By the last week we got antsy and whipped out our axes.
The first time we played we both got the chills about 20 times. We knew
we were on to something. My style of creating rich, dense and moody foundation
coupled wonderfully with her proclivity for weaving intricate and inspiring
melody. It was fancy indeed! We wrote 4 songs in 3 days then played a
live show for the hell of it. After her visit was over, I asked WIN if
they would be interested in footing the bill for the two of us to put
together an album and he said YES. It could have been a disaster, but
it sure as hell turned out better than I imagined.
Though you and Ms. Haden are both accomplish instrumentalists, you chose to do
perform some acappella songs on Bella
Neurox. What motivated this? Are you as comfortable singing as
you are with playing your instrument? Are you as happy with the vocal
tracks on the album as you are with the purely instrumental or instrumental/vocal
tracks?
Petra is more of a trained vocalist than I. Her solo record Imaginaryland
is almost entirely accapella. I think she was the driving force behind
those tracks. She built the foundation and I added by bits and contrasts.
The musical numbers started with foundations I built - we both have our
strengths in what we are used to. Petra had never created so much with
her violin and I really wanted to sing. I'm used to rabble rousing with
my axe, but my voice is still something I'm trying to get more comfortable
and competent with, she's a great teacher. I think we both gave each other
confidence in each other's specialty realms.
I detect certain Romantic flourishes on Bella
Neurox. Am I inferring those correctly? What sorts of stories
do you like your songs to tell? The WIN Records bio page on the album suggests that the songs conjure up a
cast of assorted characters; what sorts of characters do you envision
peopling your songs?
I think our tunes are like age old fairy tales where good doesn't always
win. Perhaps in the Brothers Grimm or Edward Gorey sense of things. There
is always a moral to the story - but it may not always be one that is
easy to digest. I've always love stories that leave you with a pit in
your stomach. Discontent, angst and adventure have always filled my cerebral
cortex. Petra is also very obsessed with narrative. We are both film addicts.
Your
last album for WIN Records, Myoclonic
Melodies, seemed primarily concerned with states of slumber, dreams,
and the different experiences our bodies and minds have when sleeping,
dreaming and nodding off. Do you have a special interest in this subject
matter? If so, why? What about the myoclonic twitch (the tendency of the
body to jerk in reaction to a dream about falling) inspired you to pen
songs about it, and name your album after it? What mood do you think the
album ultimately achieved?
Myoclonic was inspired by my lack of lucid dreaming. I always sleep, but I rarely
remember my dreams. For me the most vivid visualizing I do is in the moment
I'm drifting off. Images and situations float through my head that are
often incredibly tangential and disparate. Then I get the "twitch."
I am fascinated that some of us literally feel as if we are "falling"
to sleep. I always feel like I've missed a step or something. Of all the
moments in a person's day, it's the moment I would most like to score.
I relate my compositions to that space in between consciousness and dream.
Does the process of recording / performing songs live affect your vision
of a particular album or song as a finished product? Do your songs mutate
during the period between their inception and recording?
I think the songs really become what they are in the studio. Adding nuance
and emotion while somebody's got the tape rolling is a significant part
of the creative process for me. Performing them live is a different story.
The songs simplify and become more direct expressions when we perform
them live. By using effects we create a dense sound, but they are really
different than the recorded versions. Sometimes I wind up liking the pared
down versions better than the originals.
Tell me about the origins of Miss Murgatroid? When did you start playing the
accordion? Why that and not another instrument like the flute or the tuba?
What made you decide to use the instrument on a professional basis, and
when did you start doing so?
I first strapped an accordion on in 1989 after seeing a klezmer band play
in San Francisco. I approached the player and asked him if I could play
with it. He said sure and I was absolutely hooked. I put my finger on
middle C and I was riveted. I've tried playing other instruments, but
nothing ever held my interest. It was as if the accordion had a direct
line to my brain. It was the only instrument I could make the music I
heard in my head with. So, I did. Becoming Miss Murgatroid was almost
a matter of luck. After I got my first axe, I was playing for a friend
who was in SF playing a show. He loved whatever it was I was doing (which
god only knows at this point - it must have been pretty weird) and offered
to put a single out if I ever wanted to. I procrastinated about it until
someone offered to trade me free studio time in exchange for playing accordion
on a song. I went for it, came up with the moniker Miss M (half Sassy
Magazine and half I Love Lucy) and released my first 7" on Hell Yeah
in 1992. It was a bit of a spiral after that. Worrybird heard the single
and put out a CD, WIN heard the CD and put out more etc. etc.
Your brand of accordion music differs radically from the styles that most people
might claim they're used to hearing, e.g., polkas, Cajun music. You have
more in common with groups like, say, The Scissor Girls or Tortoise than Frankie
Yankovich. How did you arrive at your particular style of music /
composition? What motivated you to steer clear of the stereotypes attached
to your instrument? From what bands or musical styles do you draw inspiration?
My biggest musical inspirations for the accordion are composers like Nino
Rota, Brian Eno, Wire, Kate Bush, early 4AD (This Mortal Coil, Cocteau Twins) and early prog rock like (very early) Genesis and Yes. Of course my music is NOT prog, but I've always loved the storytelling aspect of progressive rock and even Goth. Music that tells a story without a film or book is my love. The darker the story the better.
When you're touring in support of or in conjunction with other groups, what
sorts of reactions do you get from audiences who've never heard your music
before? How would you describe your music to folks who've never encountered
it before? Or would you even try?
I hate describing my music to people who've never heard it before. I just
tell them that I play the accordion. If they want to know more I will
delve deeper. But knowing I play is often enough for people. The accordion
is not a loved instrument. On my own and with Petra I would say that audiences
are usually pretty enraptured. Of course, there's usually somebody who's
bored out of their minds in the bunch. But it seems like we always elecit
some kind of response out of folks. Indifference is the worst reaction.
If the room is really loud I hate playing. I don't mind people having
a good time, but if you can't even hear the music, what the fuck is the
point anyway?
Have you constructed a persona around Miss Murgatroid that differs at all from
your persona as Alicia Rose? Do you find that your music and performances
allow you to experiment with things that you wouldn't find yourself doing
in another context?
Miss Murgatroid is me, but not having to be billed as "Alicia J. Rose"
is a nice comfort. It's more fun to be able to go crazy with a persona.
When performing I usually dress real fancy and I get a little sassy -
but the name is really just a way of having a fancy cover. Who wants to
be famous with their own name - what a drag. I'd rather be well know by
my psuedonym.
What can we expect from Miss Murgatroid in the near or distant future? Are
you planning any tours, either solo or with Ms. Haden? Do you have any
more recording projects in the works?
Petra
and I are doing a bunch of shows in the summer to Fall. LA the weekend
of June 5 - 6 and San Francisco on June 24th - 26th. I'm not clear about
our recording (or my) recording future, but things are happening, so stay
tuned!
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