Murder by Death at Fingerprints

How does that voice come out of that man?  A question many ask when they first hear Murder by Death frontman Adam Turla.  Comparisons to Johnny Cash abound on the web, but Turla's gritty songs take on a sound a little more rock and a little less country then the Man in Black.  

Singing about whiskey and reveling in the dark side of humanity, David Fountain who hails from Atlanta plays the slide guitar, bandolin, and banjo in various songs.  They played mostly stuff off their new record Big Dark Love, which I picked up and had the band sign.  Since the show was at 2:00 on a Sunday, I just jammed over to the Finger, walked in while they were playing the first song and left before 3:00.  The only people I talked to were the band members and they were super down to earth folks.  

They actually all live in different cities with Turla and Sarah Balliet whose upright bass looked like she made it and then it was dropped from the third floor, residing in Louisville and drummer Dagan Thogerson in Portland where he bar tends.  Matt Armstrong who played bass at the Wayfarer (formerly Detroit Bar) that evening shopped for records at the show for Fingerprints (too much loud).  

Funny, I had heard of this band, but never checked them out.  When I say them on Spotify, every related band was one that I like:  Cursive, Good Life, Two Gallants, Okkervil River, Weatherthans.  I've been listening to a Murder by Death station on Pandora the last two weeks and it's pretty sweet.  Dark, gritty, ominous, and deep, Murder by Death expose emotional dreariness and douse it with whiskey.