It was the first show that Liz
and I had seen together. Murder By Death at The Conservatory in Oklahoma
City. There is no way that we could have foreseen that, nearly 3 years later,
we would schedule a weekend getaway around the MBD show in Wilmington, NC. As
one of my favorite bands, I couldn’t help but join them as they played the second
show of their tour.
I had seen them several times
before and even have a print, from their 2007 show in Tulsa, in my office. As a
result, I’ve attempted to explain to multiple inquirers that Murder By Death is
not a metal band, but quite the contrary. Listening to them is like going on a
whiskey-fueled road trip, with an amazing storyteller, through the Appalachians.
Instead of hearing banjos along the way, you hear a cello. And the storyteller
might, just might, have a little bit of Johnny Cash’s spirit flowing through
him.
We caught up with that
storyteller at The Soapbox Laundro-Lounge in Wilmington. A space that
once began as a place for “laundry, lounging and libations” had made it their
business to host concerts as well. An intimate venue, it set the set the
perfect stage for an incredibly enjoyable show, and a perfect bookend to the
final evening of our road trip.
