Video: Chris Murphy “Small Wonder”

Here is a spellbinding rendition of ‘Small Wonder’ by violin maestro, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Chris Murphy, who has just released a magical 12-song live album, “Live in England”. Recorded at the popular grassroots venue The Dorothy Pax in Sheffield, this collection showcases Murphy’s captivating, charismatic performances. The LA-based player is a serious talent, whose songs bring together raw emotion, storytelling and wry humour, through which Murphy explores all aspects of what it means to live and love. Like many of his songs, ‘Small Wonder’ is based around insistent rhythms and hypnotic, atmospheric fiddle-playing – fast and full of drama.

Murphy explains what it means to play live and the story behind this particular performance: “Playing my songs live, in front of an audience, alone—with nothing more than a violin, a few guitar pedals, and a vocal mic—is what I live for. This is my temple. My canvas. My potter’s wheel. The waves I surf. My confessional. My redemption. My story. Each performance is a moment—a reflection of the room, the people, the city, my state of mind, and how these pieces of music choose to show up at that particular time. No two are ever the same. This recording captures one such evening in magical England, in the ancient and soulful city of Sheffield. I was invited by the legendary Martin Bedford to perform at The Dorothy Pax—a music venue, juke joint, speakeasy, and social club on an old cobblestone canal. A special place with a beating heart. This set is for Martin and everyone who’s ever paused—even for a minute—to listen to me pour my heart out through the violin. Next round’s on me.”

Murphy lives to perform, playing over 200 shows a year across the USA and Europe. His shows are dramatic and spellbinding, and we’re lucky to have him performing in the UK again this summer, including a date at The Betsey Trotwood in London and appearing as the ‘artist at large’ at the Maverick Festival in Suffolk. That festival appearance will, once again, involve Murphy joining a range of different artists on stage and improvising accompaniment to their songs – he does this with such effortless style and musical connection that one would think he has spent weeks and months rehearsing with them. In fact, he’s usually meeting them on stage for the first time in front of the audience, and is just finding the right notes expertly in the moment as he plays.

You can find details and tickets for his tour here. Chris Murphy is a real talent whose music simply has to be experienced live – go and enjoy.