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PrintAlex McMurray Editorial Review
Put On a Happy Face In Royal Fingerbowl's jazz-tinged world, the bleakness of everyday life is leavened with a romantic's sense of optimism, from the exuberant singer of "A Month of Sundays" to the lovelorn kidnapper of "Manahawkin." Ain't Misbehavin' Alex McMurray's sardonic, world-weary line readings give life to the characters of songs like "Sundays" and "Big Whiskey." He often sounds like a cross between Fats Waller and Leon Redbone, his bourbon-soaked rasp underscoring the redemptive seediness of the situations he depicts. Circle Jerk McMurray also holds down a regular Wednesday night solo gig at the Circle Bar; his shows might mix Fingerbowl tunes with obscure originals, dusty jazz-pop doggerel and pop-rock covers. You can also catch him with the anything-goes trio the Drunken Masters, alongside Jonathan Freilich of the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars and Phil DeGruy of Twangorama.
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Nominated for best local songwriter for his off-kilter songs about eccentrics.
Fingerbowl mastermind Alex McMurray is also active in a host of other bands, having played with Theresa Andersson and All That.
The recent "Greyhound Afternoons" is Fingerbowl's high-water mark to date, from the slurry, Waits-esque raucousness of "Fine-Ass Chemise" to the stirring balladry of "Blurry" and "Long, Tall, Cool."
