The Murder City Devils are a punk band from Seattle that formed in 1996. Lead by Spencer Moody, the band attained a huge following after extensive touring in 1998 and the release of the full length CD, 'Empty Bottles Broken Hearts'. They played many legendary venues across the US such as The Showbox in Seattle, Maxwells in NJ, CBGB's in NYC, Al's Bar in LA plus countless others right up until their brief hiatus back in 2001. Most recently they've played occasional shows on the west coast and just last week played the Nokia Theater in NYC. Though they haven't yet announced officially that they reunited, at the end of their set on Dec 30, 2009 at The Showbox in Seattle, keyboardist Leslie Hardy confirmed that the band was indeed working on new material. No additional information was given. After the set finished, the band returned to the stage and performed a cover of The Birthday Party's song, "Several Sins." This seemed to be a hint toward the new material on the way.Back to the release, 'Empty Bottles Broken Hearts' has to be one of the most unique and original punk cd's I've listened to in a real long time. It's full of distortion, filth and stories pertaining to sex, angst, addiction, homelessness, and loneliness. It's consistent throughout and keeps getting better and louder after each track, with pure raw energy. Songs like "I want a lot now" and "Cradle to the grave" never seem to let up in terms of adrenaline. And "18 Wheels" and "Ready for more" are staples in their live sets. Be sure to seek out this album as it's a must have for any MCD fan.
Check out some shots of their CBGB show back in 2001 below, and be sure to peep their website for more information and their flickr for some great shots of them live and beyond.
