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 late 1970s and early 1980s.[1] They released their critically hailed[2] 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.
Professor Murder | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | |
| Labels | Kanine Records, RCRD LBL |
| Members | Jesse Cohen Andy Craven Michael Bell-Smith Tony Blankets |
| Website | http://www.professormurder.com |
Name origin
Professor Murder was a character played by the British actor and model Sam Sarpong[3] in two comedy sketches on HBO's "Mr. Show with Bob and David"[4] 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. It has been said that this Mr. Show character's name inspired the band's name.
Discography
EPs
- Professor Murder on a Desert Island (2008) RCRDLBL
- Professor Murder Rides the Subway (2006) Kanine Records
- Professor Murder Vs. The Magazine Culture (2004)
Singles
- "Dutch Hex" (2007) Brothers Label