Professor Murder
Encyclopedia
Professor Murder is a dance punk quartet from New York City
that mixes synthesizers and percussion-based compositions in a method that has drawn comparison to post-punk
and new-wave bands of the early 1980s and late '70s. They released their critically hailed debut EP, Professor Murder Rides the Subway, on Kanine Records
in July 2006. Members of the band are Jesse Cohen (keyboards), Andy Craven (drums), Michael Bell-Smith (vocals, percussion, bass, keys), and Tony Blankets (bass, melodica). In 2009 Bell-Smith, Cohen and Blankets joined with Eric Emm of Tanlines
to create a new band, Restless People.
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Singles
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that mixes synthesizers and percussion-based compositions in a method that has drawn comparison to post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
and new-wave bands of the early 1980s and late '70s. They released their critically hailed debut EP, Professor Murder Rides the Subway, on Kanine Records
Kanine Records
Kanine Records is an independent record label based in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York started at the end of 2002 by Lio and Kay Kanine. Their first release, NY: The Next Wave, was a 20 track compilation featuring mostly unsigned and emerging acts from the area...
in July 2006. Members of the band are Jesse Cohen (keyboards), Andy Craven (drums), Michael Bell-Smith (vocals, percussion, bass, keys), and Tony Blankets (bass, melodica). In 2009 Bell-Smith, Cohen and Blankets joined with Eric Emm of Tanlines
Tanlines (band)
Tanlines is an American experimental pop / indie rock duo from Brooklyn, New York. The band is composed of Jesse Cohen ; Eric Emm . Their influence is drawn from various genres including pop, indie, dance plus world music. Currently the band are working on their debut full length album, to be...
to create a new band, Restless People.
Name origin
Professor Murder was a character in two comedy sketches on HBO's "Mr. Show" in the 1990s. He was a rapper who was featured in a sketch about the East Coast ventriloquists' feud with the West Coast ventriloquists, which mirrored the same regional divide in the world of rap music. Professor Murder made a second appearance in another sketch as a ringer brought in by the rich kids from the fat camp when they wanted to win a rapping contest against a group of Buddhist monks. Professor Murder was played by Sam Sarpong. It has been said that The Mr. Show sketch of the same name inspired the band's name. It was rumored that Tony Blankets was asked to tour with the John Mayer Trio but turned it down to work exclusively with Professor Murder, but Blankets denied this rumor at the Pitchfork Music FestivalPitchfork Music Festival
The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, IL. The festival, which is normally held over three days in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from alternative rock, rap & hip-hop, electronica, and dance...
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Discography
EPs- Professor Murder On a Desert Island (2008) RCRDLBL
- Professor Murder Rides the Subway (2006) Kanine RecordsKanine RecordsKanine Records is an independent record label based in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York started at the end of 2002 by Lio and Kay Kanine. Their first release, NY: The Next Wave, was a 20 track compilation featuring mostly unsigned and emerging acts from the area...
- Professor Murder Vs. The Magazine Culture (2004)
Singles
- Dutch Hex (2007) Brothers Label