music: Miles Davis- In a Silent Way
Gosh, it’s late. Seems like I never get to bed at a reasonable hour on Tuesday Nights. But there’s a good excuse: Matt Murphy’s Pub.
The place itself is nothing hot-a smallish bar with four dollar draughts, some nice single-malts, and cloth napkins. But the regular clientelle clears out around 10:30 on Tuesday, and the Freaks Come Out At Night.
There’s no need to go into a lengthy description of Murphy’s and Altitude Music. I did a lengthy review of the weekly event for Live Live and that pretty much sums it up nicely. But to elucidate a little…
It’s free. Costs no money. And for music of such a high quality, that’s unheard of in Boston. And yet, it thrives. I think that because there has been no dollar value placed on it, things are much more loose, free, and the musicians do not feel that certain obligation to ‘entertain.’ They play for each other and for themselves, and that is where the best musical stuff comes from. It’s also a great example of how money can be de-emphasized and playing and sharing such an experience can be emphasized. In a sense, Murphy’s sticks it directly to Clearchannel, and I like that. A lot.
It’s small. very small. on a packed night the place won’t fit more than 60-70 people. That keeps it feeling like you’re a part of something somewhat underground and secret, which makes me feel far more cool than should be allowed. But more than that, it makes a body feel like they are sharing somethign much more personal and intimite than, say, seeing Phish play an Air Force base for 60,000 people. Or even seeing a band at the Avalon or Paradise, for that matter. There is no stage, no separation between the music makers and the music takers. It’s a really cool aesthetic.
It’s friendly. Since I’ve been going virtually every week for a year and a half, there’s been a community that has developed around the event. Now everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. This could be the most important factor: whether it’s late night music, quilting circles, sports, stock trading, gaming societies, frats, book clubs, or gyms, it’s all about the people you meet. And on the whole, the Murphy’s crowd is a good group.
It’s quality. The music is some of the best stuff I’ve heard. ever. There are samples on www.livelive.org under ‘archives.’
I still love going to Murphy’s after doing the radio show on Tuesdays. The one downside is that I’m out until an ungodly hour every Tuesday night. It’s pushing 4 AM now. Wednesday mornings are generally laughable. As I’m starting up with grad school and will be teaching kids, I’ll have to be more responsible about staying up so late, which may mean I give up Murphy’s for a bit. I cringe at the thought. More often than not, Tuesday night is the best night of the week, this week no exception. The lineup was spectacular, and the music was solid. They hit a tasty groove in 7/4 time to start the second set and really brought the house down with it. word.
I count Murphy’s as one of the biggest reasons why living in this city is worthwhile, behind friends and now school location. It epitomizes everything I love about the music scene here. It’s really kept me going some weeks, reinforced all that is positive other weeks, and has always served as a weekly haven from all else going on in my world. I’ll make every effort to be able to keep going as I enter graduate school.
Posted by davidtaus at June 11, 2003 04:12 AM | TrackBack