Bubbling Underground: Murdocks

Indies and The Underground managed to catch up with Murdocks frontman Franklin Morris, currently busy promoting the band's latest release Distortionist, to talk about musical influences, live shows, songwriting, religion and taking over the world.

How did you come up with the name Murdocks and how did the band get its start?

One of my biggest regrets surrounding the name of this band is that there is no good explanation for it.  When we were brainstorming names, this seemed to be the one that everyone hated the least, so it stuck.  Isn't democracy grand?!

What were your musical influences growing up?

I imagine that would be different for each of us.  The first band I ever loved was REM.  I went out and bought all of their tapes (to show my age) and played them until they warped.  When the 90's rolled around, I got hooked on Nirvana and, by way of them, punk. [Bands like] old 80's American Stuff like Minor Threat, Black Flag, Misfits, and so on.

Artist Profile: Murdocks

Anyone looking for loud, nasty, metallic power pop rock need look no further than Murdocks. The Texas-based band has all the ingredients needed for three-chord catharsis. Roaring power chords? Check. Screaming vocals? Check. Melodies and riffs that lodge themselves in your skull like a venereal disease?Check.

The band's new album Distortionist, set for release on Septemeber 14th, will contain plently of guitar-heavy, melodic music if the songs on their Myspace page are any indication. Some of the tracks, with titles like "Bloodsicle" and "OMG" sound heavily influenced by Dookie-era Green Day, but Murdocks don't come off like imitators. You can download four tracks from Distortionist by clicking on the widget below, and watch the band's video for "Black Jesus Knocking."