Spinner

Sloan's Chris Murphy Talks About Hit & Run Accident, EP

"Did you know that I got hit by a car?"

Chris Murphy is kidding, of course, considering both the press coverage of his bike accident in late July and the fact that Sloan's new online-only EP is titled 'Hit & Run.' But the accident itself was no laughing matter.

"I got my collar bone smashed in, but I was not disfigured or paralyzed," the singer/bassist tells Spinner from his downtown Toronto home -- though he could have just as easily died.

Having finished laying down the vocals for his second song on the band's then-untitled five-track EP, Murphy biked to a local bar on Dundas Street where bandmate Jay Ferguson was DJing.

"I was excited to go out because my family was away and I usually never go out at night," he recalls. "I went right from recording and had fun at the Magpie. Then I got hit from behind by a car."

It happened around 3AM and after Murphy bounced off the windshield, the car promptly took off.


"I don't remember any of the actual accident. But Jay was there -- he called 911, not realizing it was me. He was just walking along the street. He went with me in the ambulance. I had my neck brace on and I was on the board, so he was pretty nervous."

It took weeks until Murphy was able to get an operation for his collarbone, during which the band had to cancel several dates -- "the summer's when we make all our money," he says, "so I really f---ed the band over" -- though they squeaked through a Toronto Virgin festival gig by having friends fill in on Murphy's bass while he stuck to singing.

Though the band's about to head off on another tour, performing remains a concern for Murphy since the surgical plate in his shoulder sticks out where the bass strap sits. "That's the worst part of it," he gripes. "I can go through most of my day and It's fine but just doing my job is the biggest drag."

It's not all bad news, though -- at least his "bionic collarbone" doesn't set off airport metal detectors! Murphy also doesn't hold a grudge against the driver. "I don't want to be sanctimonious. He probably was drinking -- and he left the scene, that's bad form, I guess. But I've driven in a car, too. I probably wouldn't have left the scene," he adds, "and I don't drink."



The accident also left Murphy with a perfect title for their catchy new EP, though the songs were written beforehand, with Murphy penning two tracks while Ferguson, Patrick Pentland and Andrew Scott wrote one apiece.

Murphy considers 'Hit & Run' a "a digestible amount" of new songs to plug into their live sets and though making music may be nothing new for the indie rockers -- who formed in Nova Scotia nearly two decades ago -- releasing it digitally on their website is.

"It's an experiment to test the waters of this type of model. I'm behind it. I hate the whole manufacturing of CDs. When you sell music this way you cut out a lot of the unknowns and a lot of the middlemen and manufacturing costs," Murphy says, adding that running their own label, Murderecords, means they know all about the problems with physical CDs.

"The rehearsal space where we record is lined with boxes of unsold records from past releases. So that's part of our sound," he laughs, "the insulation provided by unsold records."

Upcoming Sloan Tour dates:
November 28 – Detroit , MI – Fillmore
November 29 – Columbus, OH - Skully's Music Diner
November 30 – Hoboken , NJ - Maxwell's
December 01 – Vienna , VA (Near DC) - Jammin' Java
December 03 – Cambridge , MA – TT The Bear's Place
December 04 – Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House
December 05 – Philadelphia , PA - Kung Fu Necktie
December 06 – Cleveland , OH - Grogshop
December 07 – Chicago , IL - Lincoln Hall
December 09 – Winnipeg , MB – The Pyramid
December 10 – Saskatoon , SK - Louis' Pub
December 11 – Calgary , AB - The Gateway @ SAIT
December 12 – Edmonton , AB - Starlite Room
December 14 – Whistler, BC – Garibaldi Lift Co.
December 15 – Vancouver , BC - Commodore Ballroom

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6 Comments

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terry

Anyone realize how STUPID YOU MUST BE TO RIDE A BICYCLE, WITHOUT LIGHTS AT 3 AM.......DID THIUS GUY HAVE A DEATHWISH OR JUST STUPIDLY DRUNK HIMSELF?

November 26 2009 at 7:45 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
http:www.ThisMansWorld.webs.com

Wow!! Lucky guy.

November 26 2009 at 6:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
shelley

"It took WEEKS until Murphy was able to get an operation for his collarbone." Did anyone else notice that sentence? Socialized medicine at it's finest!! Very soon it will also take us "weeks" to get a necessary operation. We should feel so lucky!!!!!!!

November 26 2009 at 3:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
fisher6188

"It took weeks until Murphy was able to get an operation for his collarbone, during which the band had to cancel several dates"

Is this whar we are in for under Obamacare?

November 26 2009 at 3:36 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to fisher6188's comment
Terry

Fisher 6188-Can you spell "stupid"? I'd say you have never had major break in a bone-most "INTELLIGENT" people know that Drs. have to wait to perform surgery or even diagnois. Get off your REPUBLIFOOL ASS and use common sense!

November 26 2009 at 6:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
t-bird

y thoughts exactly when I read this story! God help us all!

November 26 2009 at 7:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply