Brownstein: Shane Murphy's Wild Blues Will Burn at Montreal Jazz Festival

“Everyone had a hard time during the pandemic. I just thought it would take those feelings of darkness and abandonment that I had, and it all came together,” he says of his new album Get Religion.

“The blues was what I first connected with. I heard the Muddy Waters song Mannish Boy on CKUT,” says Shane Murphy. “It just went from there, and it’s still as strong as ever.” Photo by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette Archives

The singing and pecking can sound like it came straight from the Mississippi Delta or the Chicago of old.

Close. They come from the heart of NDG

The purveyor of the music is Shane Murphy, one of the best guitarists this side of Frank Marino who hails from Montreal.

Murphy will release his latest album, Get Religion, during three performances Saturday at Club Soda for the closing night of the jazz festival.

Actually, Murphy got his religion many decades ago: his name is the blues, and he has worshiped the likes of Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, BB King and Buddy Guy.

“The blues was what I first connected with. I heard the Muddy Waters song Mannish Boy on CKUT,” says Murphy as he grabs an early morning coffee. “It just went from there, and it’s still as strong as ever.

“It was like Back to the Future for me. Blues is where it started, and any modern music, whether it’s hip-hop, reggae, funk, R&B, that has that blues DNA, it’s an easy step for me.”

Murphy was 12 years old when he heard that Muddy Waters tune. That was 36 years ago and he hasn’t lost the feeling since.

“I’ve been in the game for a minute,” he jokes. “I did my first performance in a bar in 1990 when I was 16 years old.” But he could have gone through 21.

The inspiration for Get Religion came during the early days of the pandemic.

“I was looking at the ceiling as I lay in bed and wondering what I was going to do,” recalls Murphy. “I said, ‘Screw it, I’m going to record some stuff with my musical partner Tony Lombardi.’ Then the songs just fell apart. We don’t really think about that. I didn’t rehearse anything. The album pays homage to Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf and Otis Spann, harking back to more Chicago blues.

“Everyone had a hard time during the pandemic. I just thought I’d take those feelings of darkness and abandonment that I had, and it all came together.”

“A lot of musicians want to be global sensations, but it's the one percent of the one percent that gets there,” says Shane Murphy. — “A lot of musicians want to be global sensations, but it’s the one percent of the one percent that gets there,” says Shane Murphy. Photo by Alex Petraki

It certainly does. The 11-track album begins with the punchy title melody and continues relentlessly to the end.

The dilemma for those outside of the music mainstream is getting radio airplay. Fortunately, CHOM has been playing one of the album tracks, Morning Glory.

“Things are not so bad. I’m getting some hometown love. A lot of musicians want to be global sensations, but it’s the one percent of the one percent that makes it. I’m on a journey, and I think this album will take me places. The response has been very strong, so I’ll stick with it,” says Murphy, who already has plans to release two more albums.

Before concerts at jazz festivals in 2006 and 2009, some wondered if Murphy’s appearances would finally end his days as Montreal’s best-kept secret. The reality is that in many parts of the city, and the country, Murphy is no secret.

“I can’t fall down that kind of rabbit hole thinking about where I am in my career. I love playing in Montreal and making a living playing music with my group. The next step for me is to get out of town, try to take it on a bigger scale,” he says, noting that he’ll be doing a bunch of blues festivals over the summer.

“People call us a bar band. There is no insult there. Springsteen started out as a bar band. So if I’m doing what the Chief was doing, that’s fine. All I can do is control what’s happening on stage, and it’s the same whether I’m playing a patio, a wedding, a bar, a club, an arena, or whatever. I try to approach it with the same energy, intensity and emotion, and it’s a blessing to be able to.”

And for more than 30 years, Murphy has blessed believers with his wild blues style. He also opened for the likes of British blues legend John Mayall and Adele, among many others.

“Mayall was a great inspiration. He was 78 years old at the time, and more than ready. He was 90 minutes. My jaw was almost on the ground. That’s me in 30 years. Look at everyone else in that age group still hanging on. I’m really just a kid in this business,” Murphy says with a smile.

The Club Soda concert marks Murphy’s fourth appearance at a jazz festival, and he equates playing three sets in one night with a boxing match.

“Some fighters can only do three rounds. Some can go six. I can get to 15. I like to go all the way to the last few rounds, like I’m in a championship fight.”

Always the contender.

TAKE A LOOK

Shane Murphy launches Get Religion at Club Soda, 1225 St-Laurent Blvd., on Saturday, July 9 at 8 pm as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Tickets are $23.75 via clubsoda.ca or 514-286-1010.

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