Texas four-piece Murder FM are on the verge of big things. On the eve of their highly anticipated new album Happily Neverafter, as well as an extensive upcoming tour that kicks off with a mainstage appearance at Dirtfest next month, Norman Matthew and co. have a very promising future in front of them. We decided to catch up with the energetic frontman at the most exciting time in the band’s career to discuss all things MFM, including a very famous friend and fan of the band in the form of none other than Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee…
Hi Norman! Looking forward to the release of your highly anticipated album Happily Neverafter next month?
Norman Matthew: Hello! I most definitely am! It has been a whirlwind year already. The buzz behind the band and the buzz behind the release is amazing! We have been called “the most anticipated release of summer” by many publications, and it truly is an honor. This album was written and recorded before we signed a deal, it was done simply for the passion and love of what we do and I truly feel that is what people are feeling, that connection, that tactile sensation that is surrounding the band.
‘Murder FM’ is an interesting band name, what can you tell us about the story behind it?
Our bassist J6 came up with the name. It actually stands for “Murder Fuckin’ Music”, but in all our business acumen, we realized we might not get too much press! (laughs) So we shortened it to Murder FM. I always wanted a simple and bold name you could chant in a crowd “MFM, MFM!!”
The whole band has an incredibly powerful rock sound. What sort of bands would you say have influenced you throughout your career?
Well thank you! So many artists have really imprinted themselves on me and the band. Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, The Cure, Trivium, Nine Inch Nails, Queensryche, Kiss, Butch Walker, Depeche Mode. Everything had an impact and I think a lot of why the new record Happily Neverafter hits so deep, is because “heavy” doesn’t just mean the riffs are heavy, sometimes it’s the emotion and passion within the soul of the song and the recording that really pack the punch.
It must have been a dream to work with a producer like the Grammy award winning Beau Hill on this record. How was it for you?
Amazing! Beau is my production mentor. We connected on a previous project and he felt I really had something as a young producer and songwriter. He brought me onboard to write for some bands he was producing and we just keep growing with one another. So, by the time Happily Neverafter came around for Murder FM, we knew one another so well, the work flow was amazing and we really got to business. Beau has shown me the art of dynamically telling the story, using the band and the mechanics of it to take the listener on a ride. He noticed early on I was able to step outside of myself and that helped to mould what was best for the song and not the individual, and through that, my melodic structure and composition and arranging skills really begin to evolve and that’s all due in part to Beau. The biggest thing Beau did though was let me be me and he pushed me to be the best me, never tried to make me into someone else he was familiar with, so he evolved along the way as well. We co-produced the record together and for him to give me that credit, I could not ask for a finer compliment.
“Machine Gun Kisses” is just one of the eleven hard-hitting rock anthems on Happily Neverafter, but what are your favorite takes from the album?
I am so honored you feel they are rock anthems. That is exactly the album I have always wanted to create! I grew up on arena rock, missed the curve to really experience as a teen because I was too young, but because I caught the bug during my super formative and impressionable years, a lot of that essence really made it’s way into my fabric as an artist. It’s so hard to say what is my favorite. Each song really captured its own aura and identity and that’s what makes me the most proud. I was able to create an album that was cohesive, yet each song could stand on it’s own and really even compete as a single. It was killer to work on a power ballad with our guitarist Matt X3r0 on “Rainy Day Parade”, having Will Hunt of EVANESCENCE play drums on Happily Neverafter and TOMMY LEE of MOTLEY CRUE remixing “We The Evil” are definitely highlights.
How did it feel to have someone as h
uge as Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee take such an interest in your band and even remix the crushing “We The Evil”?
Words cannot explain how thankful and honored I am that this even came about. Tommy is such a super sweet guy, super supporter of the band and out of the experience, I gained his friendship. I used to airdrum to “Shout At The Devil” when I was 5, using my bed as a drum riser! (laughs) To have him work on a song I wrote still knocks me back a few steps….then I see a new message from him on my phone and I get knocked back a few more steps! It is truly surreal and something I will always cherish.
You’ve supported some huge names in the business like Rob Zombie and Korn to name a few, as well as a sold-out UK tour. What do you think has been your favourite gig to date?
That’s a hard one! KORN were so hospitable to us, really made us feel welcome. ROB ZOMBIE has always been one of my favorites, so that was a geek-out moment. UK tour was one of my favorites. We came over with Two Top 10 videos on SCUZZ TV, Sold out run with THE DEFILED and standing onstage in front of amazing crowds in London, Glasgow, Nottingham, Cardiff, Wales, Manchester, Birmingham, places I only dreamed of as a kid, reading about my favorite bands playing these cities as a kid, still seems quite dream-like. I cannot wait to go back and I am always forever thankful for having the chance to play internationally! Helsinki, Finland was off the hook as well!
What can fans expect from your mainstage performance at Dirtfest next month, as well as your tour that is to follow?
A lot of new material. Tons of energy, passion, sweat, baby powder and eyeliner with a sea of fists pumpin’!! Whether it is 50 or 5,000, we leave a piece of ourselves on every stage we perform on. We roll out on the road after that and we will bring the evil to your city, so assemble the legion!
What is Murder FM’s long-term ambitions for the future?
Keep putting out the best records we can and performing at the very best level we can until it isn’t fun anymore. Part of the passion you feel when you hear MFM live is we truly love performing and doing it with one another, it’s very organic and very real. Business aside, we have to enjoy it or we won’t do it. We have always been a band that played by our own rules and on our own terms and will always continue that way.
Finally, why should people check you out and buy the new album?
Because next to Appetite For Destruction it’s the greatest rock album every written! (laughs) Seriously though, if you are a fan, you will hear that this is the best body of work we have assembled to date. You will not be disappointed. Fans of big riffs, big rock and big hooks with an edge will dig this record, it was built by arenas, for arenas as an escape within reality!
