| Alexi Murdoch | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England, UK |
| Genres | Alternative, acoustic, indie folk |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Indie |
| Website | Official website |
Alexi Murdoch is a singer-songwriter born in London and raised in Scotland, Greece and France, now living in Berlin.
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Murdoch was born in London to a Greek father and Scottish-French mother and raised in Greece, just outside of Athens until he was ten, when his family moved to Scotland.[1][2]
Murdoch moved to the United States in 1992 to study at Duke University,[2] before moving to Los Angeles, California to be with a girlfriend.[1] He first gained notice when an influential Los Angeles DJ, Nic Harcourt, began playing his music on the radio station KCRW. It led to much interest from the LA's music industry, which Murdoch largely ignored, turning down advances from record labels and opting to release his music independently.[2]
He self-published the EP Four Songs through independent record stores and website CD Baby [2][3] in November 2002. CD Baby sold over 50,000 copies of the release, becoming the site's all-time bestselling record.[4][5]
In 2003, he performed at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and that year's Sundance Film Festival.[2][6] and, in 2004, at the Hollywood Reporter/Billboard Film & TV Music Conference.[4][7] In 2004, the song "Orange Sky" from the EP also became the most-played song on Philadelphia indie station WXPN.[8]
Murdoch's first album, Time Without Consequence, was released on June 6, 2006 on his own label, Zero Summer. As with the EP, Murdoch continued to turn down the record deals he was offered from numerous major labels in order to maintain creative control. (The record was distributed nationally through Sony BMG.) Time Without Consequence peaked at #25 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.[9]
On June 9, 2006, Murdoch began a 34-city tour in conjunction with the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, with most bookings at independent record stores.[8]
The album became one of the most licensed albums of the decade, receiving placements on dozens of films and television shows. "Orange Sky" appeared in The O.C.,[1][4] House, Prison Break,[1] Ugly Betty, Dirty Sexy Money, Ladder 49,[4] and in promotions for Oscar nominated foreign film, Paradise Now, Southland and a Honda commercial.[8] "Home" appeared in a season 2 episode of Prison Break. "All My Days" was featured in The O.C., Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, Without a Trace, Stargate Universe, and a promo for Southland. It has also featured as the opening song in the movie Real Steel. "Song For You" appeared in Everwood. "12" appeared in the show "Brothers & Sisters" and "One Tree Hill." "Blue Mind" was featured in the 2008 adventure film The Sharp End,, and several episodes of Dawson's Creek.[1][2] "Breathe" was used in Stargate Universe, and the 2008 film Tenderness, where the album Time Without Consequence is also shown on a scene of the film. "Wait" was used in the shows Defying Gravity and Parenthood. "It's Only Fear" was used in the Brothers and Sisters. Several songs were used in a surfing documentary One California Day.
In the spring of 2009, Murdoch embarked on a rare U.S. headlining tour, during which he has been distributing an early version of a new album entitled Towards the Sun in a limited edition packaged in a hand-printed, cardboard sleeve.[10]
Several of these new songs quickly appeared on the internet. Later, the song "Through the Dark" was used in the final scene and end credits of actor Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, as well as the television series "The Vampire Diaries". Several other Towards the Sun songs were used on the soundtrack to Oscar winner Sam Mendes' 2009 film Away We Go which had a screenplay by the writers Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. There was an album tied to the film release which contained a mix of songs from Time Without Consequence and Towards the Sun alongside single songs by The Stranglers, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and the Velvet Underground.
Recent bookings by Murdoch include two concerts in Berlin, one small club appearance and a second as part of the City Slang label's 20th anniversary. In February 2011 he performed in New York City as part of Lincoln Center's prestigious "American Songbook Series",[11] after which he went on a sold out tour of major markets throughout North America. (i.e. Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Chicago, Minneapolis.) 2011 also saw the official release of his third recording, "Towards The Sun".[12]
His first album "Time Without Consequence" was met with wide critical praise, gaining him five stars with Alternative Press as well as placing him on Rolling Stone's Top Ten Artists list. His newest release "Towards the Sun" is gathering higher praise still in both the U.S. and in Europe. PopMatters, giving the record a 9/10 calls Murdoch's performance "hauntingly beautiful" and "heartbreakingly lovely".[13] Q Magazine in the U.K. give the record 4 stars with this to say: "Acoustic troubadour makes stunning second outing. Anyone who harps on about how the songwriters of today don't match up to those of yesteryear should be directed to this remarkable second record."