Interview with Anna Murphy September 28th, 2012 Leipzig, Germany

Interviewer: Could you tell me a little bit about your background? For instance, did you grow up around music? Anna Murphy: Yeah, basically, my whole family consists of musicians. My parents are both opera singers, my grandparents were opera singers, and we have lots of other musicians and crazy artsy people in our family. I actually never wanted to have anything to do with music I just wanted to study archaeology or become an astronaut or something. But somehow, I just sort of fell into the music business too (*laughs*). I: So if your family was musical, did you have a lot of experience with traditional folk music, or was it just opera? AM: It was opera. And my mom listened to ABBA. My stepdad listened to Pink Floyd, which was cooler. But otherwise, there was opera all around me. I: You were 16 when you joined Eluveitie. Was it an issue for your family or your school for you to join a band when you were that young? AM: Well, it was kind of hard for all of us. I actually asked the school if I could go on a twoweek tour and just bring all my materials and study on the road, then take the tests when I got back. And their answer was a very definite No, you cant do that. So my decision was clear. I just said, well then, bye, and fuck you. If wont support people, then you must not be a very good school. My parents were surprisingly cool with it. They just said: If you think this is the right path for you, then just do it. I mean, we figured I was young enough to start doing something academic years later if things didnt work out with the band. But it hasnt come to that. I: I read that youre half-Irish. Did you grow up entirely in Switzerland, or did you spend some time in Ireland as well? AM: I just went there once a year to visit family, but I never lived there long-term. I: Tell me about your first hurdy-gurdy. Who was the maker, and what sort of features did it have? AM: My very first one was rented from the Schola Cantorum, the school for early music, in Basel, Switzerland. It was a really old and very, very traditional instrument. It had four strings, and it sounded like shit. It was terrible, but it was very authentic, so it was good for learning how the instrument works and deciding whether or not I really wanted to play it. I: How long did you have that instrument? AM: About six months, until my current instrument was finished being built [by luthier Helmut Gotschy].

I: So now you have a custom Gotschy Novello Classico and a Weichselbaumer Alto. Can you tell me a little bit about the features of each of those instruments? AM: Well, the Gotschy has four melody strings in octaves of G and C. I have to tune the Cs up to Ds sometimes, which is obviously not great, but its worked OK so far. It also has three drone strings, in C, G, and a higher C, plus two trumpet strings with three capos so the strings can be played in C, D, E, A, and G. The Weichselbaumer has three melody strings in C, D, and G, and the drones and trumpets are the same as the Gotschy. For our party songs like Inis Mona and Thousandfold I usually play on two melody strings tuned an octave apart, but when Im just accompanying, I only use one low melody string. I: Have you ever had a hurdy-gurdy emergency on stage or during a tour where you had to do something really crazy or last-minute to fix it? AM: I actually had the most epic hurdy-gurdy fail ever! I was playing both hurdies on tour once so for some songs Id play the Weichselbaumer and some Id play the Gotschy and while I was playing the Gotschy, the handle fell off. And I thought, shit, what the fuck is happening? So I started playing my other one, and the exact same thing happened! So both handles were just gone, and I was standing there on stage like a moron. Luckily, our tech came up with an emergency solution: He taped the handle of a screwdriver on so I could finish playing the show. It was actually seems pretty funny now! I: Do you ever have trouble finding supplies for your hurdy-gurdy? Or have you ever had trouble getting your instrument to sound the way you want it to before a show? AM: Yeah, I usually use liquid rosin, and either it works really well, or it doesnt work at all. And when it doesnt work, the instrument just squeaks and makes terrible noises. I think with the hurdy-gurdy, you basically have a 50/50 chance of everything working properly. Its like taking a dive into the unknown; either its going to sound wonderful, or horrible. And I always lose my rosin, too but luckily its easy to find in stores, and of course, Meri always has hers. I: You mentioned that you went to the Schola Cantorum in Basel. Who was your teacher there? And have you worked with any other hurdy-gurdy virtuosos since? AM: Carmen Ehinger was my teacher, but I havent worked with any other experts since then. I basically just taught myself by playing Eluveitie songs. I dont play the instrument traditionally anyway, so that seemed like the best way to do it. I: Do you have any special exercises that you do to improve your finger speed or dexterity? AM: Not really. I mean, to be honest, learning new Eluveitie stuff is like an exercise; it makes me better. With every album Chrigel writes, it just gets faster and harder, and some things are just fucking impossible! And when I start practicing certain tunes, I only play at about 70 or 80 bpm, and I think, Im NEVER going to be able to play this at full speed! But then, over the course of a couple of weeks, I always manage somehow the song Home, for instance, was a great exercise for me.

I: Youve been working on a solo album recently, and from the samples youve posted, it sounds like its going to be really different from anything youve done before. Could you tell me more about it (writing process, influences, concept, etc.)? AM: Ive been writing my own songs for a long time, so thats why I have so many side projects I have a lot of ideas that just dont fit in Eluveitie. At one point, I had a couple of songs where I thought, OK, what am I going to do with these? And I thought, well, I have a pretty cool name, and I dont necessarily need other people to play with me, so why not just do a solo album? The ideas developed pretty fast after that; I came up with an overall lyrical concept for the album, and I wrote nine or ten songs that fit into it. I got really overexcited and just wanted to record some of the songs immediately in the studio, since Im the kind of person who comes up with ideas and needs to get them out right away. If I had waited a few months, my feelings and ideas might have changed, so I decided to record a demo right away. It wont be available for purchase, but Im hoping I can use it to find a label so Ill have an easier time recording the album. And in terms of influences, I really just write about whats going on at the moment. I try not to concentrate on one specific style; all the songs that will be on the album sound really different from one another. I: One of your numerous side projects (apart from godnr.universe, Frkmndt, and others) is Nucleus Torn. What is it like working with Fredy Schnyder? I think hes kind of a genius AM: He is! Working with him is pretty weird for me, because when I compare myself to him in terms of musical expertise, I just think, OK, I am SO bad. For instance, I was recording ideas at home without a beat or anything; I just had a song and did my vocal line, and I thought it sounded kind of weird, but I couldnt figure out why. Then I went to record it at his place, and he explained that the reason my vocal line didnt really fit completely was because the time signature changed from a five-fourths to a seven-eighths beat and then went back into a three-quarter beat, and I was just like, what the fuck? I mean, when I record songs, I just keep the beat on four-four. Sometimes, when Im feeling REALLY freaky, Ill switch to three-four! I have no knowledge of music theory whatsoever, but what this guys able to do is just insane. I: Had you heard the bands catalogue before you started working with them? AM: Yeah, I knew them. Actually, we are working on the new album now, and its going to be really fucking cool. I dont know when it will be released hes really far with his stuff, and Im kind of just getting into it now. Right now, its just the two of us doing the writing. I: Moving on to an unrelated subject: What was the last concert you went to as a fan? AM: Wowgood question! (*thinks*) I have no ideaI never really go to shows. I went to see an orchestra play Fantasia; they showed the movie and the orchestra played the music from the movie. I think thats the last thing I remember, to be honest! (*laughs*) I: Are there any bands that you would like to see if you had the chance? AM: Yeah, its a real bummer, because Archive are on tour right now theyre a kind of a trip-hop band from the UK. Id really love to see them, but I cant, unfortunately. I: Speaking of being on tour life on the road sounds like it can be both fun and challenging. What do you like best about it, and what dont you like?

AM: I love it! I love everything about it I get up in the mornings and I can do tons of stuff: I can mix songs, or write music all day, or go for walks. Theres so much you can do; I think its really amazing, and its such a privilege to be able to make a living by going on stage for an hour or two to just have fun and make people happy, you know? Its not hard at all, actually! Thats why I dont like people who complain about touring being so hard. I mean, obviously, if youre going to get completely wasted every night, its going to be hard; youre going to feel like shit. Or maybe if you have to travel in a van and drive by yourself, then I can understand saying its hard. But the way we do it, its really not a hard lifestyle. The only thing I dont like is having to dry all my shower stuff like my shampoo bottles and things right after showering. At home, you can just keep all that stuff in the shower and it dries on its own. But thats really the only annoying thing. I: I actually wanted to ask about that, because its something Ive always wondered about do you always know that youll have a chance to shower at every date on your tours? AM: In Europe, yes, but in America, the venues dont usually have showers, so we stop at hotels to shower. We dont usually stay overnight, though we just have the rooms long enough to use the showers. I: What sort of items/clothes do you bring on the road with you? AM: I like pajama pants and other comfy stuff. I dont really think about what I wear apart from my stage outfit, obviously because I dont feel the need to dress nicely when Im on tour (*laughs*). I need to bring my bass to record stuff and practice, and I need an audio interface and all the recording gear. I also always need one good computer game at the moment, its Batman Arkham City, which is awesome. And I lose my voice a lot, so I always bring my own kettle to make tea. I think thats about it! I: Are you guys able to do laundry on the road? AM: Some venues have laundry machines. But thats something I love about America there are actually Laundromats you can go to. Those dont exist here. I: Is there anything you miss when youre on tour? AM: Nope! Nothing at all. I: Tell me about your tattoos do you have any special stories behind them? AM: My first one is the one on the side of neck, and it says Dessumiis Luge [in Gaulish script] thats a track that I wrote with Meri on our acoustic album, Evocation. It was my first-ever tattoo, and we got it in New York; Merlin, Chrigel, Meri, and I all have it friendship tattoo, yay! The one on the back of my neck says Sacrapos thats the track I wrote for Evocation. It means something like An evil look that seems holy. The ghosts on my arm are actually artwork that was done for the band Ulver by [Romanian artist] Costin Chioreanu. I have a hurdy-gurdy on my wrist, and the tattoo on my hand is actually an Eluveitie-Finntroll friendship tattoo some of us and some of them got it while we were on tour. I think thats it! I: Ive heard that youre a big Star Trek fan. First question: Whos your favorite captain?

AM: Picard. It just has to be Picard. I actually used to be in love with Data when I was a kid; my stepdad always used to watch the show with me, and he tried to explain that Data is the only dude whos not a human being, but I really loved the guy. I: Are there any other TV shows you like besides Star Trek? AM: I like the remake of Battlestar Galactica, and I like Big Bang Theory everybody likes that! Other than that, I dont really watch a lot of TV shows. I: What are some of your favorite bands, or some of your general influences? AM: My all-time favorite band is Manes from Norway and they will always be my very favourite. My other favourites always change, since I listen to so much stuff. At the moment, its Saltillo. I also love Muse theyre so amazing it almost makes me cry. Their music nearly makes me want to stop being a musician, because theyre so ridiculously good! And theres so much other great music Ive been listening to not much metal lately (and definitely not folk metal!). I: Ive heard you say that you really like touring in the US. Since Im American, Im obviously interested to know what you particularly like about the US. AM: I like that theres such variety in the country of course, were more familiar with Europe, so when we come to a place like Leipzig, we never go, Wow, oh my god, were in Leipzig! But when you arrive in a place like Utah, for instance, you just think, Whoa! What should we do first? You can go hiking, or you can spend all your time shopping. And theres awesome food in America theres so much healthy food! Its so much healthier than here, for instance. I have to spread the word, because a lot of people just talk shit about the food in the US. I also like the whole atmosphere. I like the people; you always meet interesting people there. Im not saying that doesnt happen in Europe, but the US just feels newer and more exotic to us. Were excited about it. I: How did you start working at SoundFarm Studios? AM: My boss is my uncles best friend; my uncle works there too, in accounting and management. My boss is the one who mixed the godnr.universe demo, and thats how we got to know each other. When he saw that I was really into sound engineering and mixing, he asked me one day if I would be interested in assisting him. And I thought, awesome! Thats like my dream job! So I just work there whenever we have a break from touring its nothing really official, but he teaches me how his job works, and I help him with editing, setting up and cleaning up after sessions, and that sort of thing. I: Since you do a lot of sound engineering and are recording your own stuff, have you considered playing around with sound effects or pedals with the hurdy-gurdy for Eluveitie? AM: Yeah, I actually have I really wanted to, but it just never happened. I would have to take the time to go to the store and see what works, but I really want to do more experimenting with that. I think Im actually going to check out some pedals in the US, because theyre cheaper there.

I: Thanks for taking the time to talk to me today! Anything else youd like to add? AM: Thanks for the interview, and thanks to anyone whos interested in what I have to say! Hard to imagine! (*laughs*)