Band Biography
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Band Bio:
With a namesake derived from '80s cult band The Sisters of Mercy, Shakespeare/Livy-penned poetic biography, and 16th c. Borgia legend, Boston, Massachusetts' musicians Lucretia's Daggers blend darkwave, synthpop, and futuristic metal with haunting female vocals and have brought an arty touch to their "dark lyrical electro-rock for the apocalypse" since August 2001.
As of February 2008, Lucretia’s Daggers is lead guitarist Elucid (Jim Donahue), bassist Odetta Mo Excrucior (Melika M. Fitzhugh) and the band’s founder and lyricist/vocalist Lucretia X. Machina (Lauri Murphy). Combining passionate, confessional, introspective lyrics a la Fiona Apple and The Dresden Dolls; all the quirk and inventiveness of XTC and Brian Eno; the power of Steve Vai and John 5, mixed with the raw angst and politics of Nine Inch Nails and System of a Down, LD is gaining a cult following for its shows and first full-length album, Sad Flower Songs, released independently in February 2006.Awards/Recognitions:
- LD's song, "Fallen Moon", was chosen #1 for The Best of 2006 on "Closed Caskets for the Living Impaired", broadcasting live on KUCI 88.9FM in Irvine, CA.
- Instrumentals from two songs - "Dust" and "The Horrors of Retail" — appear in the 2005 release of Boston cult film "Pony Trouble".
- The band successfully played Round 2 of the Emergenza Music Festival at Boston's famed Paradise Rock Club in 2005.
Influences:
Lucretia X. Machina: Laurie Anderson, FIONA APPLE, Alice in Chains, The B-52's, Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, THE DRESDEN DOLLS, Einsturzende Neubauten, MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE, Ministry, Peter Murphy, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, NINE INCH NAILS, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shriekback, THE SISTERS OF MERCY, The The, Throwing Muses, U2, XTC, Yes, disco, new wave, darkwave, gothic rock, industrial, ethereal, Blake, Milton, Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot.
Elucid: AC/DC, Anthrax, All That Remains, Arch Enemy, Black Label Society, Bach, Beethoven, Johnny Cash, Children of Bodom, Cradle of Filth, John 5, Dimebag Darrell, Jon Donais, Andy Frazier, H.I.M., Oli Herbert, Iced Earth, In Flames, Robert Johnson, Jeff Loomis, George Lynch, Bob Marley, Megadeth, Ministry, Nevermore, Ozzy, Django Rheindhart, Randy Rhoads, Shadows Fall, Sinergy, Slayer, Cat Stevens, Steve Vai, Glen Tipton, Eddie Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Frank Zappa, DrDK: Björk, Depeche Mode, Information Society, múm, Orbital, Portishead.
Odetta Mo Excrucior: Anonymous, Christopher Beck, Bitch and Animal, Gavin Bryars, John Dowland, Danny Elfman, Mauro Giuliani, Philip Glass, Murray Gold, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Hermann, Howard Jones, Josquin Des Prez, Kittie, Joseph LoDuca, Heinrich Marschner, Metallica, Ennio Morricone, Moxy Fruvous, Mr. Bungle, Thomas Newman, Michael Nyman, Carl Orff, Rachel Portman, Sergei Prokofiev, Steve Reich, Saffire, Dmitri Shostakovich, Ferdinand Sor, System of a Down, Michael Torke, Joss Whedon, Luna Woolf, John Zorn. Folk Dance Music of The Balkans and Mediterranean. Nü Metal. Courtly Dance Music of the Renaissance and Baroque.
Fan Comparisons:
The Damned, Dead Can Dance, The Dresden Dolls, Garbage, The Gathering, The Human League, Lords of Acid (Lady Galore), New York Dolls, Nightwish, Nine Inch Nails, Portishead, early The Shroud, Grace Slick, The Velvet Underground, Kurt Weil, X-Ray Spex (Poly Styrene), Steeleye Span
History:
Begun August 2001 with lyricist/melodist/vocalist Lauri Murphy and guitarist/collaborator Andrew Berlet, Lucretia's Daggers played to full-capacity house parties of artists, freaks, goths, pagans, and friends for a year. Following the short-term addition of bassist Alex Levin and, later, Andrew Berlet's move to Michigan, Lauri reformed the band with the help of Darrell Brown (guitarist, collaborator, and sequencer arranger) in April 2002, then Stephanie (keyboards), and subsequently Mark Cloherty (bass) 6-8 months thereafter. The 4-piece band's nightclub debut and 5-song demo CD release party was held 9/7/03 at O'Brien's Pub in Allston "Rock City" MA. In Summer 2004, Mark Cloherty left the band for graduate school, and the band was rejoined with bassist/collaborator Rob Mercier who departed 11/04 to concentrate on his own band, Thylacine. LD acquired temporary bassist Tony Puleo to play its first Emergenza performance at the Middle East 3/05, and then bassist Geoff Valentine of Specimen 37 (www.specimen37.com) for its second Emergenza performance at the Paradise Rock Club 5/05. Sue Mikes, formerly of Robotzen (www.robotzen.com) provided back-up vocals.In From May-July 2007: iodine (bass) and Ms. Spyglass (backup vox). Lineup May-October: Founder and lyricist/vocalist Lucretia X. Machina, lead guitarist Elucid, and drum programmer/keyboardist DrDK.As of February 2008, Lucretia's Daggers is guitarist Elucid (Jim Donahue), bassist Odetta Mo Excrucior (Melika M. Fitzhugh), and the band’s founder and lyricist/vocalist Lucretia X. Machina (Lauri Murphy).
Membership:
Original member of Boston's dark eclectic cabaret group,the Ominous Collective, 11/04-2/06. New Collective name as of June 2007: Cracked Ceiling Society (CCS).Performances:
In addition to one to three annual house parties, other Massachusetts performances have included: Abbey Lounge (Somerville), All Asia Cafe (Cambridge), The Baseball Tavern (Boston), Bristol Studios (Boston), Burning Man Decompression Party (Boston), Borders Bookstore Café (Cambridge), Cantab Lounge (Cambridge), Great Scott (Allston), Jacques Underground (Boston), ManRay Club's "Miss Goth contest" (Cambridge, MA), New England Pagan Pride Day (North Andover), O'Brien's Pub (Allston), Post Presidential Inaugural Commiseration "Blue" Party (Boston), The Skybar (Somerville), the Tremont Tea Room (Boston), P.A.'s Lounge (Somerville), and Zeitgeist Gallery (Cambridge). Lucretia's Daggers played their preliminary round in the international Emergenza Festival competition on Friday, March 18, 2005 at Middle East Club (Cambridge) and as semi-finalists at the Paradise Rock Club (Boston) on Sunday, May 22nd, 2005.Contact LD:
Email: lucretiasdaggers@rcn.com
Phone: 617-924-8959
Official Site: www.lucretiasdaggers.com
MySpace Sites: www.myspace.com/lucretiasdaggers, www.myspace.com/sadflowersongs, www.myspace.com/castingshadow, www.myspace.com/odettamo
