Murder Weapon set to slay Ellsworth

Keeping up with the constant stream of new genre names in music can be a bit daunting. Does anyone really know what the terms “grime” or “freak folk” really mean? How can anything be “post-rock,” when it is quite obvious rock n’ roll is alive and well? Are these all designations made up by overzealous music critics to impress people who aren’t “in the know”?

Sometimes, however, a term seems very appropriate. Psychobilly is a genre that combines the fast-paced style of rockabilly with elements of the dark, horror-movie-inspired punk rock played by bands such as the Misfits and the Cramps. The Murder Weapon, a Thomaston-based band, describes itself as psychobilly.

Founding members and midcoast residents Derek Johnson, who plays upright bass, and Jon Nothing, singer and guitarist, formed the band in the summer of 2004. A burst of songwriting effort at that time resulted in most of the band’s current repertoire. After recruiting drummer Cory Marz and keyboard player Ryan McIntyre, the band set out to take over the world.

?Our most exciting show so far was playing at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston, in front of record label scouts,? Johnson said Wednesday. ?But the best show we?ve ever played was probably at Watts Hall in our hometown of Thomaston, where the crowd was really supportive and into our music.?

The band wanted to form a psychobilly band for many reasons, but for Johnson, his own instrument had a big part.

?My obsession with the look and sound of the upright bass played a major role,? he said.

Nowadays, not many bands boast such an instrument. The Murder Weapon?s skillful, distinctive playing style, combined with its hot-rods-and-zombies aesthetic, cements it as a band apart from other groups playing in Maine.

In a testament to its skill, the Murder Weapon won the Broad Bay Battle of the Bands in Waldoboro only a few weeks after playing its first show. The band won free recording time at a studio, allowing it to record a debut album, the ?Lost Souls EP,? which can be purchased on its Web site, www.murderweaponmusic.com.

The band plans on recording a full-length by the end of summer, and will embark on several minitours throughout the year. They even filmed a music video for the song ?He?s Gone.? For a band that?s barely been together for eight months, that?s quite an accomplishment.

The Murder Weapon will play with other local bands on Saturday, April 2, at the Ellsworth Unitarian Universalist Church on U.S. Route 1 in Ellsworth. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. There?s a $5 cover charge, and the show is open to all ages. For information, e-mail shrubninja571@yahoo.com. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.