In this week's Local Music Monday we meet a classically trained musician who his carving his own path.
In 2008 Seth Murphy moved from Paducah to Lexington at the University of Kentucky. As a Cellist, Murphy has worked on a style that takes the Cello from a compositional instrument and turns it into an improvisational instrument. Since 2008, Murphy has been an integral part of many different groups in Lexington. In the Switchmen Murphy played bass says and it was something that allowed him to better himself as a musician.
“You know you can get similar sounds from both instruments, it’s just how you play em; I taught myself a lot of stuff too approaching the cello like a bass guitar and approaching a bass guitar like a cello, the instruments are tuned differently but they both have the same strings so you can put your fingers in the same place on each instrument and get a totally different sound.”
Murphy’s abilities as a Cellist and a bassist have led many different opportunities. Murphy plays with Warren Byrom and the Fabled Canelands, Bear Medicine and the UK Philharmonia Orchestra. While Murphy is known to fill both roles as a bassist and a cellist, he says his role in his newest group Bear Medicine allows him to draw from his classical roots in an unconventional way.
“And you have to look at playing the cello you know as a melodic instrument or as a bass instrument, but it’s been a great experience, I’ve really felt like I’ve had to push forward as far as writing parts and really really listening to the music, it’s a much more composed accurate songwriting process than anything else I’ve been involved in.”
Seth Murphy will be playing with Warren Byrom and the Fabled Canelands on April 24th at Al’s Bar and with Bear Medicine on April 25th at Willie’s Locally Known. More information about Bear Medicine can be found at Bear Medicine Music dot com.