Fellswoop hit the
ground running in the fall of ‘07 when singer/multi-instrumentalist
("bluegrass guru"-Pulse Weekly; Feb. 08) - Chris Murphy placed a
"Musician's Wanted" ad in the Lehigh Valley, PA slot on Craig's
List. John Pospischil (also of Lehigh Valley) replied.
Murphy’s acoustic guitar riffs and smooth vocal style combined with JP’s
5-string banjo picking, and unpolished vocal approach, blended together like
whiskey and rye. It took only one informal rehearsal for both JP and Murphy to
realize the potential that lie ahead. Into the winter months, a rather unique
sound was being crafted...week after week in the basement of Murphy's home.
Adding to the optimism surrounding this new project was the fact that both JP
and Murphy had acquired plenty of experience in numerous bands prior to this
one: JP and the Keystones, Hogwash, The Pigeon Creek Wailers, Naskar Nazarene,
Stillwater, Chris and the Chroutons, and Shady Nook to name a few. Armed with
national and local gig experience, fresh ideas, and common goals, JP and
Murphy pressed onward.
In a couple of quick months they found themselves on a stage in South
Philadelphia with a rowdy, late-night audience asking for “one more” at
the end of their first set.
The duo decided on “Fellswoop” as a name that didn't pin them into a
specific category. They continued to polish their original songs, as well as
traditional tunes, and unexpected cover songs. Local music publication; Merge
Digital, featured the duo as "band of the week" in it’s January
16th, 2008 issue, with a cover headline that read: "Bringing Bluegrass to
the Lehigh Valley in One Fellswoop."
Faster than you can say “well-oiled machine”, a third member was added to
the line-up. Tom Evans not only filled the bass guitar void, but contributes a
third vocal dynamic, rounding out the overall sound, and providing a solid
foundation for which to tap your toes on. Originally from New York, Tom's
post-highschool years were spent playing rythmn guitar for various New York
bands. Eventually, NY natives, Non Stop Groove, lost their bass player and Tom
took his place. They changed the name to Organic Revision and played for 3
years together. When the drummer of that band split, they formed a 100%
original band called GRASP and continued playing side gigs with SilverLyning,
a Grateful Dead Cover Band. After moving to Hawaii in 2002, Tom joined up with
then girlfriend, Amber, to form Amber Blue & The Middle Street Merge. He
also played in The David Young Band for 2 years.
Fellswoop turned quite a few heads in these early months. A 4-song
self-produced debut was released and sold-out quickly. Lehigh Valley radio
station, Roots WXLV, was one of many that were giving the disc air-time. The
trio performed live on WXLV in the spring of '08, and won over quite a few
local fans, one of which drove to the studio, camera in hand, after hearing
the group on the radio. Fellswoop was soon recruited to record soundtrack
material for an independent feature-length comedy, featuring Comedy Central's
Jay Larson. (a work that is still in progress, and slated to release in
January of '09). The summer of '08 could not have been better for Fellswoop.
Gigs were plentiful, and festivals such as Fetish Fest, Mayfair, Utica Fest
and Musefest in Ithaca, NY invited Fellswoop to share the stage with such acts
as: Ekoostik Hookah, Rusted Root, and SeepeopleS.
This project is just beginning, and the future for Fellswoop is a bright one.
Here's to year number two!
