Getting to the source

 by Lauren Cusimano
 published on Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Dylan Winkler / STATE PRESS MAGAZINE

Dylan Winkler / STATE PRESS MAGAZINE

Not many lawyers put aside the legal briefs on the weekends to play indie-rock.

Source Victoria's Brendan Murphy can add his band's first recent full-length "The Fast Escape" to the list of accomplishments.

Source Victoria's style delivers a symphonic and engaging pop style, comparable to Radiohead and Coldplay.

Source Victoria has been a band in some shape or form since 2004. The band has had a revolving-door line-up since conception, playing its first show on Jan. 1, 2005.

The current lineup is Murphy on vocals and guitar, Darren Henley on drums, bassist Dave Lewis, Aaron Wendt on guitar, keys and backing vocals and Jason Sukut on keys and backing vocals.

Source Victoria started when Murphy returned from law school at Northeastern University in Boston. "When I moved back I wanted to start playing again," Murphy said. "My first call was always Darren."

Murphy says they just got together with some friends and started practicing.

"I had some songs that I had written and had piled up during law school," Murphy says. "It just kind of went from there."

On top of being a lawyer, Murphy is married with three daughters.

He says he decided to play music along with everything else for the sheer love of playing music.

"It's my avocation," he says. "It is something I have to do and will continue to do into old age."

The rest of the guys are pretty busy as well.

"We all have some form of career," Murphy says. "We have a couple of computer-programmer guys who do things I can't begin to understand, and our bass player has been working for Fender Musical for years."

Source Victoria has shared the stage with such acts as The Via Maris, Domo, The Love Blisters and What Laura Says Thinks and Feels.

The band usually performs at venues like The Last Exit, The Ruby Room, Yucca Tap Room and Modified Arts.

Musicians like The Beatles, Low, Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Talk Talk and Catherine Wheel are major influences to the members of Source Victoria. "Those are just really important bands that people should listen to because they're really just amazing, creative and honest kind of bands," Murphy says. "They're very helpful."

There is a delicate balance between work and play with the band. Murphy says the band would meet up after work to record.

"We all make it happen because we have to and want to make it happen," he says. "I don't golf or watch endless hours of sports on TV — when I have downtime, I play music."

Murphy refers to the recording process of the album only as "long." Guitarist Aaron Wendt has a home studio that is "literally in his laundry room, which is a control room," Murphy says.

Source Victoria spent the better half of a year recording "The Fast Escape" in segments with a little help from their friends.

"We had input from Chris Testa," Murphy says, Testa being a Grammy-award-winning engineer. "He's the nicest guy in the world and he mixed [the album] for us."

"The Fast Escape" costs $10 and is sold locally at Stinkweeds, shows and through the band. A new album is already in the works.

"We are working twice a week either in full-band rehearsals or on tracking a new record," Murphy says. In addition, the band plays about two shows a month, but want to focus more on the new material.

"I'd like to be close to a new record or EP by the end of the year," he says.

Murphy says the band will continue at this pace — writing songs, playing shows and having fun.

"People play golf on the weekends or shop, and we play music," Murphy says. "Some people go play poker and George & Dragon, instead we have rehearsal."

Reach the reporter at: laurencusimano@asu.edu.