Dirt Fest 2015 Artist Interview: Murder FM

Norman Matthew: We have put the final touches on our forthcoming full length release Happily Never After, which drops Aug 7, 2015 on Famous Records Global/Pavement/MRI/Red. It features a remix by Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, a guest performance by Will Hunt of Evanescence, a cover of “Burn” by The Cure, mixed by Matt Dalton, and was mixed and mastered by legendary platinum producer Beau Hill. So we’ve been up to a few things, (laughing)!

Norman Matthew: Yes! We are on the main stage this year. We worked our way up the ladder and it feels god to be a strong piece of this year’s bill. We are stoked to see all our fans we made last year. Dirt Fest is definitely one of our favorite festivals to play, and Matt Dalton has been such a great supporter of MFM for the past year. Couldn’t be more thankful. In fact, we are sooo stoked on Dirt Fest this year, we decided to not only make it the first stop of the tour, but also our record release party of sorts, so get ready to bring your evil (Horns Up)!

Norman Matthew: Absolutely. We are about to go in to tour pre-production for the upcoming tour and we will be pulling no punches to support the record. The set will consist of all new material other than one or two of our previous singles, but other than that, it will be all material off Happily Never After. Nervous, but excited!

Norman Matthew: That’s a hard one. The cultures are different, they way the crowds respond are different. When we landed in Helsinki, Finland, I know I personally was way excited, one of my favorite bands HIM, is from Helsinki, so I was stoked for that reason alone. When we hit the stage at Trashfest, the reactions in the moment were different. The audience seemed to let the music captivate them, where as in the US, the crowds push the rails up and climb on one another to get to the band. Just different ways in which the fans connect with the artists. Overseas, they seemed super stoked to see us and knew it would be a while before we came back again. It felt like they were just taking in every moment and reacted at the end of the set.

Norman Matthew: We literally saw a man die on the road right in front of us. Heading to our first show on the road at the Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood, 3 AM, a mini van ran into a construction sign and flipped. We rushed the scene to help. I stopped traffic. We did what we could until emergency services came, but it was surreal. From that moment on, we decided to always take our time, always have an alert driver and always count our blessings man. It was heavy, but really created a bond within the band. Every time we roll on I-10 West, I think of that dude and hope his family is well. We never forget.

Norman Matthew: World domination, (laughing)! We are spreading the evil, one radio show, interview, and tour date at a time. Tour is being booked as we speak and we will be coming to every nook across the globe we possibly can.

Norman Matthew: Down and Periphery. Very rarely do we get to see bands. Last year I had six hours of press before we even hit the stage, I wasn’t able to see our boys in Nothing More, so we’ll see if we get a chance this year, business first, pleasure later, (horns).

Norman Matthew: Selling merch is important for a band of any style, anytime, anywhere. It’s the lifeblood of a touring band, music sales don’t get it done. You need to fill the tank nightly and there needs to be money for that, so we are always thankful for any and all fans that support the band through merch. Not only are you spreading the word, but you are helping the band see another day, (horns).

MURDER FM – “We The Evil” (Official Video) – Premiere Removed Due to “Violence”

Norman Matthew: Blood, sweat, and baby powder… and some guyliner (laughing)! We play our hearts out. We are not the type of band to tour incessantly. We tour when we want to. So, when we hit your town, you KNOW we want to be there. I don’t like to cheapen the experience for myself or the fan, it has to be full throttle and on point at all times or it isn’t worth doing.

Norman Matthew: Depending on what time we are on the road and judging from last years drive to Detroit first, our guitarist, Matt X3r0, was most definitely driven crazy by our drummer, Jason “Shakes” West, and his countless requests for Matt to play Megadeth or sing Judas Priest (Matt is a GREAT impersonator). I get pretty antsy after a while. With a one year old at home, I usually use my time on tour to sleep! Most people don’t get much sleep on tour, but me, that’s the most consistent sleep I get these days, (laughing), but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love the opportunities we are given to play music for a living and I love my little boy with all heart. Dexter Matthew, Daddy Loves You! (and you can print that \m/!)