Mighty changes for Count Stef with new project

STEFAN Murphy is no stranger to the stage and the studio, with more than 20 years’ experience working as a musician.

From early beginnings as part of a band called Caravaggio, before fronting cult favourites The Mighty Stef for a number of years, the Crumlin native recently decamped to Atlanta and is now going solo under the name Count Vaseline.

Stefan took some time out to speak to The Echo ahead of the release of Cascade, his second album as Count Vaseline.

You did your first rock interview with The Echo back in 1994 as part of a band called Caravaggio, what was that experience like?

It was amazing. The writer, Gavin Paisley, who was the cool elder brother of Gordon Paisley, who was also a cool dude who I went to school with, came to my Ma’s gaf and we all sat around drinking tea and eating gold-grain biscuits and talking about music. We all truly felt like we’d made it. It was in April of 1994, a few weeks after our first gig as Caravaggio, who sounded a bit like Nirvana and Therapy?, and a few weeks before the dreaded Leaving Cert.

You fronted The Mighty Stef for a number of years, what was your best experience with the band?

There were a few amazing experiences. Playing in front of a packed tent at the Benicassim Festival in Spain in 2009 was one that will live in my memory. But recording with both Shane MacGowan and the late Ronnie Drew in 2008 under the stewardship of my ex-manager Frank Murray were huge moments too. Frank sadly passed away last year just before Christmas, he was my hero. Lastly, I would say going to Los Angeles with The Mighty Stef to make our final album Year of the Horse was an amazing time.

More recently you’ve been working on a solo project called Count Vaseline, is it daunting to switch from playing in a band to going it alone?

Yes it is, largely because of the fun and personal exchanges of being in a band versus the solitude of writing, recording and performing alone. I do love it though. I wasted no time after The Mighty Stef folded last year, within a couple of months I was making Yo No Soy Marinero, the first Count Vaseline record which came out last September.

How would you describe the sound of your upcoming album Cascade?

It has a bit of an apocalyptic, menacing and pessimistic sound, and the lyrics fit that in certain songs too. Cascade is a famous night-spot here in Atlanta, an old-skool roller disco where people of all ages come to have fun but the cascade I’m singing about is the motion of a world heading towards absolute chaos. The Syrian conflict, the US presidential race, my reflection on domestic politics in Ireland all were present in my mind during the writing process. There are a couple of hopeful fun songs too, namely ‘4321’ and ‘FTP’, both short lively punk songs, just to serve as a respite from the drudgery. People seem to like the record though, which is good.

Has the album been in anyway influenced by you living in Georgia?

Yes – as I mentioned above, the name. But also, living in America in general at a time of such political and social importance certainly influenced my writing. The songs ‘Carnival’ and ‘Cult’ for example are both reflections on the presidential scenario – I won’t mention his name. Also, living in Georgia has helped me team up with my production partner in these records, Peter Furgiuele, at Studio 234. Peter plays in a really great US group called Gringo Star and is a really talented engineer and producer. I look forward to making more records with him.

You’ve also previously lived in Germany, what impact do you think living in different places has on your musical output?

Berlin influenced my first record for sure, I recorded some of it there with Gerrit Haasler at Blackstone Studios. I had a lot of fun in Berlin but it also was a period of harrowing depression and a lot of personal upheaval and uncertainty. This may or may not have affected the music but it certainly affected me as a person.

What do you find most enjoyable about being a musician?

Touring used to be the ultimate escape from normality. In earlier years going on tour was an excuse to completely lose yourself in the party and temporarily check out from reality. It never mattered how messed up things got in the 23 hours you were not on stage as long as the one hour onstage was perfect. This took its toll on me eventually. If you’d asked me this question four years ago I’d have said touring, but today… I still am excited at the prospect of touring, but my favourite thing about being a musician is inventing sounds and stories to fit the sounds, and dreaming up new songs and concepts for new records.

I feel like I can keep on doing this until I lose the ability to.

Cascade will be released on March 31, with a pre-order available from countvaseline.bandcamp.com. You can find out more about Stefan’s music on Facebook at facebook.com/countvaseline.