Lansdale Station

These guys were sooooooo good! And you can tell that they really love what they do.

I would have to describe them as rock with a back-woods county flavor that leaves a good taste in your mouth. A mix of Allman Bros. riffs, Grateful Dead jam, and vocals that combine George Thorogood with Joni Mitchell. These guys capture the Fairfax vibe and turn it up to 11. To quote Lauren, "Let your mind go and your ass will follow". - Shelly Champine - MARIN LOCAL MUSIC

By: Dennis Cook
This sweeps you up with a readiness and confidence that takes your feet out from underneath you. Opener "Family Asylum" could be the greatest Johnny Cash/June Carter gem you've never heard, packed with crazy relatives, cool turns of phrase, death bed worry and a vibe the boys at Folsom Prison would've loved. From there, the wind whips us westward into the "Blue," with ringing guitars and manly energies suggesting both surf rock and the Los Angeles rough boy rock of The Blasters. And so it goes for the remaining five cuts, shifting wildly yet grounded in something solid. When most people reference "roots music" or "Americana" it's often a cheap way of saying rock 'n' roll with a touch of twang. However, there's some bands that fully embrace a wide sweep of American bred possibilities – blues, rock, country, zydeco, folk, etc. – and Lansdale Station throws their arms around homegrown possibilities with infectious relish.

Led by the powerful singing duo of Judge Murphy (Zero) and spouse Lauren Murphy, Lansdale Station is what I call a "fundamental pleasure," a group that has all the basics down cold and then fills in the right details and delivers performances that still feel very much of the moment - think Buddy & Julie Miller or Gillian Welch & David Rawlings as prime examples. From the dead solid songwriting to the crisp musicianship, there's sturdy bedrock to each cut, which Lauren and Judge use as platforms for their spirited, character-filled voices to soar. There's wonderful boy-girl energy to the pair, though each sings with serious oomph on their own, too. Trying to describe voices like theirs is akin to cataloging the flavors of fine wine. Better to just roll it around for a while and let the bouquet saturate your senses.

If country radio had any real taste or guts the breathlessly rockin' "Hired Hand" would already be a smash, while "Houselevelers" moves with killer restraint, capturing the floating menace of being really broke but also the pleasure and freedom of living on the ragged edge. Closer "Mercy" is marvelous R&B with a fab rock itch, something The Meters might've stumbled upon in their heyday, and they further sweeten the deal with a pitch perfect cover of Fairport Convention's "Come All Ye." This debut is a terrific calling card, and one hopes it puts them onstage with folks like Gillian and Buddy. These are kindred spirits, musician's musicians who've retained the palpable excitement of music making. It's rare for seasoned veterans to resonate such unbridled enjoyment, and better still when that mojo can be anchored to such maturely crafted fare
- Dennis Cook - Jambase Editor & Chief

By: Dennis Cook

Top 10 Debut Albums of 2009

To my ears, this is the graduating class for this past year - artists one would be wise to keep tabs on because they're likely to be making amazing music in the years ahead based on the evidence of their respective opening salvos.
http://www.jambase.com/Articles/20995/Cook%27s-Corner-2009-Year-In-Review - JAMBASE

By Todd Beemis

Lately, musicians have been releasing paddlewheeler loads of tributes, homages and what-all to benefit the victims of Katrina. Like carpetbaggers after the civil war, descending on the Mississippi Delta -- if they bother to go at all -- these hopefully well-meaning people have issued a widely uneven blend of country, blues, rock, punk, rockabilly, you name it, to raise money for a worthy cause.

Which is why it's so reassuring to find that Lauren Murphy's Magnolia Heart, a solid -- in parts triumphant -- paean to Murphy's Delta homeland, not only scores a musical direct hit, but also directs a portion of sales proceeds to benefit musicians impacted by the worst meteorological disaster in recent memory.

The two finest examples of Murphy's affection for the land of her roots are the first track, "Muddy Marydale," and the third and eponymous track, "Magnolia Heart." Both have the benefit of Murphy's blues-rock voice in its best form and the presence, like kudzu, of a meandering Hammond B3 and dobro. It's probably a good time to mention that, next to the vocals of Murphy and her husband Judge, the Most Valuable Player on this album is Chip Roland, who appears to be a regular B3 Mozart.

The final three songs -- all written by artists other than Murphy: "Evangeline," the classic by Robbie Robertson; "Mercy" by Grayson Capps, the CD's one, true, blues rock rollicker; and, the fantastic "Same Ol' Blues" by Don Nix. The mightily in-form vocals of Lauren Murphy, Judge Murphy and the contributions of Roland and his fellow musicians combine to turn these last three tunes into a final exclamation point that so few CDs today possess.

Hurricane Katrina laid waste to the Delta region, but Magnolia Heart proves just as boldly that the music of that place lives on, as strong as ever. - IndieMusic.com

Resurrection of Faith - Lansdale Station

Lansdale Station is by definition, a throwback, a band with all the members being cogs in a musical wheel with Lauren and Judge exuding the aura of the past with an eye on the future. They are collectively the fuel of contemporary creative fire. The tawdry approach of current bands making millions of dollars for inferior live performances cannot mirror the hours spent to hone the crisp, energetic demeanor of this band as they saunter across the stages of the west coast. The psycho babble of the past has given way to stage charisma, crowd rapport and exudes the love and passion for what they excel in doing. The mystery and mystique of the past is still a mirrored image but they are on the verge of compiling a legacy that brings San Francisco back to it’s rightful place in the pantheons of a musical epi-center, and who better to perpetuate the folklore than Lauren, Judge and the band? We’ve waited for a myriad of years and the timing is critical so, when access can be allocated, we, the collective musical family need to clap our hands and stomp our feet so that the gifts brought by Lauren & Judge don’t dissipate into the sunset.

As the adage goes, the likes of this talent may never pass this way again”.

For the survivors of those golden days long ago, for Lauren, Judge and Lansdale Station, bless us all.

Keep the faith

Cheers

Don Aters - 2010

Read full Editorial here:
http://localmusicvibe.com/content/don-aters-rock-roll-historian-photographer-lecturer-best-friend-counter-culture-icon-chet-he - Don Aters Editor Haight Street Music News via Marin Local Music

"Lauren & Judge Murphy w/ Lansdale Station are one of the best unsigned bands in the Bay Area."

"XXXXX
I appeared on KGO-AM’s (810) Ronn Owens on Friday Dec. 21, playing two hours of Bay Area music for a show entitled “The Best Music You’ve Never Heard.”

For five years I did the show with Pete Wilson, who died last July, and Ronn wanted to revive it in his honor. It worked. Something was shining down on us. Must have been the oversized image of Wilson’s head they put on his old studio chair.

For two hours we got no turkeys, just really great unsigned bands, including Sherry Austin, Mighty Mike Schermer, Colby Pollard, Lauren and Judge Murphy, the Attila and Dave Project and the Wicked Sons.

You can get the list and links to their sites at www.kgo.com. You’ll be surprised at how much great talent there is in the area, and how many great musicians can’t get signed to major labels anymore." - Ronn Owens KGO Radio & Host Brad Kava

"Excellent!"...... WWOZ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Station. - WWOZ

"TAXI A&R REVIEWS 'FAMLY ASYLUM' TO HIGH SCORES!

Taxi A & R judge's songs on a number of components and grades on a grid . Overall , on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the highest, the Judge's gave us a solid 8. Please keep in mind as you read, that while the comments noted are basic, they were the top of the line for scoring!

Here is what they have to say .

Song title: Family Asylum

Title rating: "Innovative & Different"

Style : "Country Rock with influences al la Emmylou Harris"

Melody rating" Good Music in verses. Good Music is choruses." with side note "Nice musical choices with a solid backing track"

Song Structure rating: "Well written"

Lyric Structure rating: "Unique" with side note " Interesting picture created around this scenario".

Overall Comments: " I like the raw energy that comes across in this tune. This is also a very inventive perspective/viewpoint for this type of situation. I recommend looking into film/TV placement, as Music supervisors are looking for material such as this".

Music 8, Lyrics 8, Arrangement 8, Production 8, Engineering 8
- TAXI A&R

"Zero vocalist Judge Murphy and singer-songwriter Lauren Murphy blend country blues with Bay Area psychedelia, reminding us of what made the S.F. Sound so special to begin with... "

link:
http://www.jambase.com/Articles/16465/A-Marriage-at-Lansdale-Station


Though the sepia-toned front cover art of Lansdale Station's signature CD, Lansdale Station featuring Judge and Lauren Murphy (self-released last December) depicts a leggy beauty backed by a gang of four black-clad outlaws stiffly posed on the railroad tracks, you'd be incorrect to assume that this album is intended to showcase a fashionable solo act supported by non-descript cowboys. Rather the photo on the back cover - a relaxed shot of husband/wife Judge and Lauren Murphy gazing lovingly into each other's eyes at the station - more accurately depicts what this musical endeavor is all about: The successful marriage of two contrasting styles into a pleasing and unique blend of authentic Americana.

A native of Northern California, Judge is known to many jam band fans as the gravely-voiced guy in Zero who, in addition to Jerry Garcia, really took possession of a dozen or so Robert Hunter tunes and made them his own (a result of Hunter's collaboration with Zero in the early '90s). No one sings "Catalina," "Horses" or "Pits of Thunder" like Judge Murphy. Characterized by a blue-collar gruffness that is more distinctive than abrasive, his vocal style includes elements of R&B, soul and blues. He is especially adept at straight out, kick-ass barroom rock & roll.

In contrast, Lauren has an angelic voice anchored in her native Louisiana. As evidenced by her portfolio, she has an impressive and versatile range that encompasses truck stop country, airy folk, sultry blues, swamp boogie and Southern rock. She'd sound equally genuine at a recital, coffee shop, or honky-tonk. Although she has been compared to Joni Mitchell (most probably based on her solo studio work), she is easily capable of conjuring up a much less gentile persona when performing onstage with an electric band. Perhaps the former reference was to her proficient songwriting abilities, which are featured on this latest release. Four of the seven songs on the CD are credited to her.

As within the traditional American melting pot, their two diverse styles successfully blend together (with just the right amounts of additional instrumental spices) to create a very tasty vocal gumbo. Actually, it might be more accurate to use the American tapestry as a metaphor; for on this recording the two vocalists remain sonically distinct, but are interwoven to create a complimentary quilt of duets artfully sown into a background of tight musicianship. It seems the expression "a marriage made in heaven" fits more than just their personal lives. The CD is dedicated in loving memory to the legendary saxophonist, the late Martin Fierro (Legion of Mary, Zero, and too many more to name), and we'd like to think he'd agree.

JamBase: How would you describe your latest collaborative release, Lansdale Station?

Lauren Murphy: It's a reflection of our roots, pulling from my Southern rock/country blues influences and Judge's R&B, psychedelic Bay Area upbringing. For me, it's the most cohesive piece of art with which I've ever been involved.

JamBase: Why did you release this material now?

Lauren Murphy: The band originally formed in 2005 as a result of a recording for my CD, Magnolia Heart. That body of work is primarily a Lauren thing. During the sessions, we got a call from Phil Lesh's publicist, J.C. Juanis, who said, "I need some help at a benefit. Do you ever do anything together [with Judge]?" To which I said, "Yes!," got off the phone, and said, "Hey honey, we're doing a show! Better work up some songs." Since then, Lansdale Station has grown into a solid entity. But, we play such a broad spectrum of styles we can be hard to describe. We wanted to release something that showcased the variety of musicality we have as a band.

Judge Murphy: It came about as finally having the perfect mix of artists to play the material and all systems were go. The official CD release show was December 27, 2008 at the Mystic Theatre.

JamBase: Was this release produced independently?

Lauren: Yes, this body of work is entirely self-produced and self-backed - we're literally a ma-and-pa business. Our friend, photographer Bob Minkin created the cover art and collaborated in the design process. It's available online, by mail [PO Box 221 San Anselmo, CA 94979] and soon at iTunes.

Is the CD reflective of your live performances, or would you consider it more of a studio craftwork?

Judge: Since I'm not a cut and paste recording artist, the idea of the session was to set up the band and play live. It's a technique I've always used when recording. I always told my bands that if you can't record the song in a take, it's a lie.

Lauren: Because we wanted to capture the true live Lansdale Station vibe, we booked Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco for one continuous twelve-hour session. During which time we tried to lay down as many quality tracks as possible - kind of a marathon of music. We had already woodshedded the selected songs during live shows and rehearsals, and knew exactly what our mission as a group was. We ended up with six solid songs, to which we later added number seven.

Jambase: The sonic quality of the recording is very notable, especially the mix. To what do you attribute the high quality of the audio?

Lauren: We had a concise vision, some fabulous engineers and great gear. Enrique Gonzalez Muller [Metallica, Dave Matthews, Taj Mahal, Train] engineered my second solo record and he was the obvious choice to get the project going at Hyde Street.

Judge: It's kinda funny. I asked the band to show up at the studio promptly at 11 a.m., though everyone had a late gig the night before. Fortunately, the drummer actually showed early. Enrique was so into getting a good drum mix, it took four hours to get the drums dialed in, and my poor tired musicians stood around giving me stink-eye for three of the four hours. They later thanked Enrique; because GOD did those drums come off good in the recording. Dana Miller is a very creative drummer and a solid member of the team.

The guitar amps were set in the hall outside the studio, except for the slide. The slide guitarist, Jimmy Cucuzella, did kind of an elaborate grouping of ancient tube amps underneath a bunch of blankets because he didn't trust anyone with his sound. It actually came off great. The bass was run D.I. [a recording method that results in a direct, clean signal path]. Lauren and I were both in separate isolation booths.

Lauren: Though we are acoustically isolated, Judge and I do have to see each other when recording or singing live. He can be quite spontaneous, which keeps me on my toes.

Judge: By early afternoon we were ready to go. We recorded until midnight.

Lauren: The engineers were inspired and worked another couple hours to get a fine first mix. It was pretty much ready.

Judge: A few months went by and Lauren and I were itching to further mix and master what we had. While most of the existing vocals were pretty good, the long hours we put in at Hyde Street took their toll on a couple of vocal parts.

Lauren: Singing for eight hours straight is pretty intense.

Judge: I phoned up Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati. My friend Mooka Rennick turned us on to his engineer, Timin Murray [Rob Wasserman, Steel Train] and said Murray would be the perfect guy for our kind of music. Man, was he right! We brought the rough mix to Cotati to do a few vocals and a little bit of guitar clean up. Also, both studios had Nieve boards [built by Rupert Nieve in London in the late 1960s]. These boards were originally used by The Who and The Stones. They helped provide the retro-contemporary urban sound we were looking for.


As vocalists, do you have a preference when it comes to microphones?

Judge: In the studio, the Neumann U47 beats them all hands down. It's a tube mic made back in the 1930s. They have a rich tonal quality; the kind you used to hear on the Nat Cole and Sinatra tunes. For performances, Lauren normally uses an old Sure 55 Grill mic, ala Elvis/Jerry Lee, and I use an Audio Technica ATM41E. My voice is so low it gives me a little extra heat. Most singers feed back on such a mic, but I dig 'em.

During the recording and production process are all important musical decisions made by mutual agreement between the two of you or does one of you act as the producer?

Lauren: On musical decisions, Judge and I collaborate on everything. We're kind of like two heads on one body. When we record we use our individual ears, then talk to each other, and then play it back together with the engineer. For this CD, we sometimes drove the engineer nuts, but he was a sweetheart and humored our every whim until we got just the right fidelity.

Judge: Enrique and Timin both have a young and fresh take on music, and were very objective throughout the recording process

How did the song selection come about?

Judge: Lauren had just written a couple of very cool tunes and the band was inspired. Some songs just jumped out as the strongest of the lot. Mostly, the selection came as a direct result of being the most popular tunes with the crowds. The audience knows.

Lauren, can you discuss the four songs you penned on the CD?

Lauren: "Family Asylum" was specifically arranged around Judge's vocal. Lyrically, I think a lot of people can identify with the subject matter. Everybody's got a crazy family member hiding somewhere on the tree

"Blue" was written over ten years ago, but wasn't complete until we chopped it and rebuilt it around our co-vocals. For me, Judge's voice brings a balance to my writing. It's a yin-yang thang.

"Here We Go" came to me in rush hour traffic with my five-year-old throwing a shoe at me. Appropriate, as this song is a warning to where our country and the world is heading if we don't get it together.

Of all the compositions on this CD, "Houselevelers" is the closet to my beginnings. It's about my coming of age as an artist in New Orleans. I was hanging out with my friend singe-songwriter Grayson Capps [a longtime JamBase favorite that chatted with us in 2007], who lived within walking distance of Tipitina's Uptown. The neighborhood was pretty much poverty-stricken shotgun houses. We were all young and broke, but happy. Grayson played in a local band, The House Levelers, and lots of artists and musicians ended up dropping by. It wouldn't be uncommon to wake up to find someone like John Mooney sitting on the stoop with him, playing slide guitar and singing.

I originally wrote the song in 1996 as a tribute to this time in my life, but it needed something else. When we arranged it around Judge's voice, the characters of that street came to life. Folks have described it as having the feel of early Jefferson Airplane. "Houselevelers" is getting a lot of attention on the radio and that really warms my heart.

How did the other three tunes get included?

Lauren: "Come all Ye" came to us as a surprise. We were playing a show with a band that was working with Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally. He came up to me afterwards and said, "You remind me of a young Sandy Denny [Fairport Convention]." I was not then familiar with her work, but knew it was a huge compliment. A few weeks later, I heard "Come all Ye" by Fairport Convention. It was weird, almost like hearing a twin from a past life. We began to incorporate it into our live shows and the reaction to the song was huge. There was no way we could not record it.

Judge: I played "Hired Hand" in my own band as far back as 1989. I always loved the tune because of its energy. We included it on the CD because my friend and former bandmate John Cipollina [the song's author] said he thought I'd do a great job with it. I was honored that he thought so. At the Hyde Street session, guitarist Danny Uzilevsky manifested the spirit of John and blew the doors off the place with his solo.

Lauren: When I first heard Grayson's song "Mercy" I said, "Man, Judge would sing the shit it out of this!" It's such a fun blues rollicker to perform. It always gets the crowd going

What should your fans expect in a live performance?

Lauren: The CD encompasses most of the styles of music that we play; although live, we really like to stretch it. Having some jam band roots keeps it interesting. We love to improvise.

Every now and then we get someone really special to sit in like Doug Harman [Rowan Brothers, Béla Fleck] on cello and piano, or the fabulous Dave Zirbel [Commander Cody, Always Patsy Cline] on pedal steel, or our dear friend, the late Martin Fierro on saxophone. That's where the real fun is - playing live shows.

Do any Zero tunes surface at the live shows? How about "Mona"?

Judge: We actually do two or three Zero tunes. We perform them live because frankly, we enjoy the Zero/Robert Hunter material and the fans really like hearing it. We play "Mona" just about every show. It's kinda the song that kick-started rock & roll.

What are your plans for 2009 and will we see you at any of the summer festivals?

Lauren: So far, we're confirmed for June appearances at the Summer Arts and Music Festival [Lake Benbow, CA] and the 32nd Annual Fairfax Festival [Fairfax, CA], and in July at the Trinity Tribal Stomp Festival [Weaverville, CA]. We're working on booking a few more. The rest of the year we plan on touring behind the CD and continuing to drum up attention around this work of art that we're so proud of.








- Jambase - by Alan Rhody

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Reviews of releases by local artists
Lansdale Station
Lansdale Station
(independent)

Lansdale Station, a Marin band, spotlighting the husband and wife team of Judge & Lauren Murphy, takes its name from what was once the first San Anselmo stop of the old Northern Pacific Railroad.
It’s a hip historical reference for a band whose understanding of rock’s past is evident on their eponymous debut CD, showcasing six original songs and one very cool cover in a traditional guitar-driven style that mixes Southern rock with a fresh take on the San Francisco Sound.
Raised in Marin, Judge Murphy sang for years with Zero, the Marin progressive rock aggregation that included the late Quicksilver Messenger Service guitar slinger John Cipollina. One of the more impassioned moments on this independent CD is Murphy’s rugged baritone on a respectful rendition of Cipollina’s driving rocker “Hired Hand.”
Lauren Murphy, previously featured with her husband on her solo CD, “Magnolia Heart,” comes from New Orleans and brings her Southern sensibility to songs like “Family Asylum,” the medium tempo rocker that opens the album with some righteously raw guitar work from Danny Uzilevsky , one of the young hot shots on the Marin club scene, and slide guitarist Jimmy Cucuzella (Swamp Thang).
Dana Miller (The Mother Truckers, Chrome Johnson) and Rayner Brock (King Perkoff) form a flexible rhythm section on evocative story songs like Lauren Murphy’s “Houselevelers.”
Proving once and for all that Lansdale Station is an authentic Marin band with respect for its roots, the Murphy’s dedicate their album to the memory of the charismatic tenor saxophonist Martin Fierro, who died in March.
Buy it: “Lansdale Station” at cdbaby.com or oder an autographed copy by sending a money order to Lansdale Station, P.O. Box 221, San Anselmo, Ca. 94979. $12.50
-PAUL LIBERATORE Marin IJ “Here” - Paul Liberatore The Marin IJ