The Mighty Stef Interview: SXSW 2010

The Mighty Stef (both a band and a solo performer) have appeared at SXSW three times before, once as an incarnation known as the Streetgang Sound. Since then, they've released a second full-length album, 2009's '100 Midnights,' and recorded much of a third. The Dublin-based performing act will be playing seven shows at SXSW this year, which will be followed by tours in the US and Europe in the spring and festival dates all over Europe this summer. Spinner recently spoke with frontman Stefan Murphy about the band's upcoming SXSW shows.

How would you describe your sound?

Euphoric rock 'n' roll music with a storytelling context to the lyrics and a feel-good factor to the music, but with a little dark side to it too. Basically- sounds to help people enjoy themselves and enjoy ourselves while we're doing it.

Do you consider yourself a solo artist, or are you a band?

I started off as the Mighty Stef a few years ago, just me and an acoustic guitar and a bunch of songs, but it's grown legs -- eight legs. Still, to this day I'll play solo shows or a more stripped-down version of the band for certain gigs or certain tours. It's much more of a full-band effort as the Mighty Stef and the Streetgang Sound -- it's seven-piece band, almost like a rock 'n' roll orchestra.

How'd you come up with the band name?

I'm influenced by late-'50's early-'60s kinda white soul and doo-wop, and I was fascinated by the book and movie 'The Wanderers.' We're obviously not cut-throat violent people, but we're sort of like a big gang, playing rock 'n' roll and doing nasty stuff.

Who are your musical influences?

I guess Jesus Christ, Satan and the Rolling Stones? Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley -- I like a lot of stuff, anything with a bit of an edge to it.

Those are sort of impossible questions: You ask a musician what influences him, and it's pretty much "everything I've ever heard."

Exactly. My influences are ... any conversation I've ever had with any human being I've ever spoken to.

What kind of music have you been listening to lately?

The last two to three weeks, I've been listening to the Almighty Defenders, which is sort of an amalgamation of the Black Lips and the King Khan and BBQ Show. I've been listening to the new Beach House album, which is very popular in Ireland because they played their first show here lately, so I checked them out and I like them a lot. Some old Beechwood Sparks records. I listen to the Velvet Underground probably an unhealthy amount -- but it's healthy to listen to an unhealthy amount of them!

Do you have a first celebrity crush?

I have this weird disposition, where I've really ever only have crushes on people I might end up meeting someday; people I know, like my neighbors. I can't remember who my first crush was; probably some junkie that used to live in my neighborhood.

Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?

No, because I'd never feel guilty about listening to something that I enjoy. I think that people with guilty pleasures need to check themselves -- you should never feel guilty about pleasure.


Are there big differences between audiences in the US and in Europe?

Yeah -- I tour a lot in Europe, mainly Germany and Scandinavia. Germany is a really great place for music. It's a lot of fun to play there. The US -- we absolutely love touring there. The two sizable tours we've done with the band, we had a great time. American people are very forthcoming with their feelings about the music: If they like it, they let you know they like it, and if they don't like it, they're not too mean about not liking it, either.

You're from Dublin: It's not that huge of a place, but there's a lot of great musicians from there.

When I was a kid -- before i was even in high school -- when U2 released 'The Joshua Tree,' every American label descended upon Dublin apparently trying to sign the next U2, because they thought this sound was something that could only be found on the streets of Dublin. But you know, there was also a lot of s--- bands in Dublin, too, and back then, it was probably a million, now it's about 2 million.

What kind of career do you want to have 10 years, 20 years down the road?

I have experience in producing my own records and releasing them on my own small label based out of Dublin city here, and I use that as a platform for young rock 'n' roll bands that want to put something out. The way I look at it is, I'm always going to write songs, I'm always going to make records, I'm always going to be out there playing the songs for whoever wants to hear it.

I guess my idea of success is just being able to do this, and this alone, and still pay the bills. In the last four years, things have been going on an uphill gradient, slowly but surely, so I'm hoping the next 10, 15 years that might continue to happen, and when it reaches a kind of plateau, I'll be able to stay on that plateau. It's the only thing that makes me happy as a person, making music and going out and playing shows, so, hopefully, I'll just be able to keep doing it.

So you're not worried about if there's a future for the record industry.

I'm not here to find my place in the industry. I'm here to do what I love. I'll be like the guys from Anvil -- I see a lot of myself in those guys. You gotta admire people who just want to keep on rocking forever.


Erik B Olson is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.