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About jen murdza

 
Portrait of jen murdza
“...I got to see her set and I thought it was really amazing. It's really nice to see another girl singing really big and singing loud who's influenced by country and rock-n- roll...we may kidnap her and take her on the rest of the tour with us.” -BRANDI CARLILE

“...the whole package...” -XM SATELLITE RADIO

“Soulful standout Jen Murdza has beaten the pack by continually defying genres” -BOSTON.COM

"Distinctly different" -NORTHEAST PERFORMER

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HIGHLIGHTS:
2008 XM Satellite Radio, Radar Report - Artist of the Week

2008 Lowell Summer Music Series performance supporting Brandi Carlile

2007 Boston Music Award Nominee - Best New Act

2007 Mountain Stage NewSong New England regional finalist

2007 NEMO/Starbucks Music Makers Competition semi-finalist

2007 OurStage Blues Winner in September for "Cold"

2006 New York's Songwriter Circle at The Bitter End (alumni includes Vanessa Carlton and Nora Jones)
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Jen Murdza (murd-za)

Skillfully maneuvering lush vocals around her unique guitar rhythms, Boston's own Jen Murdza is an eye-catching, ear-catching performer who will take you instantly by surprise.

With a fresh songwriting style built on an almost sarcastic marriage of somber lyrics and playful, rhythmic grooves, Murdza blurs genres like no other. Her final sound is an addictive, foot-stomping mixture of soul, rock and jazz with a voice bigger than her body. The Boston Herald agrees and writes, Jen has a "strikingly supple voice".

Paul Jordan, BlogCritics.org writes, "Not since I first heard Diana Krall, nearly five years ago, have I been so excited about the advent of a fresh new female vocalist to the music scene, Jen Murdza is going to break a lot of molds and cross lines between genres, mark my words, she is the real deal."

With the well-received debut EP "Things Untold" behind her and the recent release of her full-length follow-up "Reboundin'", Murdza is quickly gaining notice. This sophomore effort finds her helming the project as producer, arranger, rhythmn guitarist, keyboardist... and she even plucks the bass on one of the tracks. Supported by notable musicians from Boston jazz, soul, and rock music scenes, the album is alive with the rhythms and textures from the days when music was less mass-produced.

Murdza's "Reboundin'" is a collection of original music ripe with genre-blending tunes that are truly a "tip of the hat" to so many styles of music close to her heart. Songs like the title track and "Soft Shoes" have hints of the influential music from the peak of the Sun Records' era from artists such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Johnny Cash. The more pop-oriented tracks like "Gracious", "Cold" and "You'll Never Know" share strong roots in the R&B music Jen's Mom imparted on her from legends Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight. "Did I Ever Tell You", a song about never feeling you've said quite enough how much you love someone, blends the haunting melancholy of an old Hank Williams' tune with swirling Wurlizter-like tones of a carousel and textural guitar effects often found in modern day electronica. While Murdza definitely pulls from multiple genres, there is an inarguable cohesiveness to the album driven by her strong vocal style, unusual tempo changes, and acoustic guitar rhythms. Though influences abound, the sound is distinctively her own.

Jen has been featured in numerous publications including The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, Northeast Performer, Bay Windows, Northeast In-Tune Magazine, Metronome Magazine, and Skope Magazine among a number of online publications. She's performed live before the massive viewing audiences of Boston TV stations, including WBZ-TV, Fox 25, and NECN. Major Boston radio stations Mix 98.5, 92.5 The River, and 100.7 WZLX played Jen's songs "Gracious" and "Cold" in their You Outta Know, Homegrown and Sunday AM Blues shows. XM Satellite Radio featured Jen as their Radar Report Artist of the Week, in January '08.

She has opened for standout artists such as Dave Mason, Joe Bonamassa, Johnny A, Bill Janovitz, and Ryan Montbleau to a consistently positive response.
Birthdate: September 23
 
 

Events

 
Poster of Birchmere (solo) o/f The Subdudes
Poster of Toad (band show)
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Oct 11 7:00pm
Poster of The Plaza at Patriot Place - next to Gillette Stadium (band)
 
 

jen murdza's Achievements

 
Top-10
August 2008 Radio 92.9
Top-10
August 2008 Funk/Groove & Soul Rock
Top-10
June 2008 Blues
Top-10
May 2008 Singer/Songwriter (Female)
Top-10
April 2008 Radio929 Earthfest
Top-10
February 2008 Singer/Songwriter
Partner_prize
Feature spot on URB/OurStage Microsite
Top-10
January 2008 Acoustic
Critics_choice
Starbucks Musicmaker Performance
Partner_prize
Free Subscription to Fanbridge
Channel-number_1
September 2007 Blues
 
 

jen murdza's Blog

 

I was already a fan of their music...

...now I am also a fan of their demeanor.

Last week, Aug 1st, I had the distinct pleasure of opening for the mega-talented Brandi Carlile and her band at the Lowell Summer Music Series. This was such a crazy bit of luck since I could have been lined up with a number of the artists on their schedule but was in fact selected to open for someone whom I’ve become a serious fan of over the past 2 years.

I’ve followed them from headlining at Club Passim to headlining at The Orpheum and watched them grow with each time into more stellar performers. Brandi is a joy for me to watch because she is unabashedly raw and commands the stage like man. It is thrilling for me to watch a girl summon the presence and passion of Johnny Cash or John Fogerty while also easil...

 
 

jen murdza's Photo Gallery

 
 
 

Comments

 
  • Posted by funkmata on Sep 16 at 4:44 AM EDT
    Love your stuff. Quite different from what I do,but excellent in many ways.
  • Posted by Sarah Tollerson on Sep 10 at 12:48 PM EDT
    Jen,

    So looking forward to seeing you in person this Saturday at the Lizard Lounge! I have loved your stuff on the virtual stage and now we move on to a real one! See you then. Happy-dark

    Sarah
  • Posted by lerex on Sep 9 at 11:08 AM EDT
    Hello Jen. Sorry for my english, I'm french, living in the east of France. I'm sending a comment while I listen to your so perfect sound. It's very sweet in my ears. Now you have one fan more. I'm supporting friend. ON the page YULESBAND you canhear their pop/folk music. Can you go and send me a comment. If you like their sound, don't forget to become a fan. Thanks a lot.Have you a myspace? I love all your songs with a special for "lamb". Pierre
  • Posted by mmedi225 on Aug 3 at 12:38 PM EDT
    Hey Everyone!

    Boston Music Spotlight, your leading source for concert reviews and updates in the Boston area, has an awesome article featuring up-and-coming artist Jen Murdza. Read more about her here:

    http://bostonmusicspotlight.com/article.php?id=1315
  • Posted by Leeia Music on Jul 12 at 11:38 PM EDT
    LOve It!
  • Posted by staump on Jul 12 at 7:29 PM EDT
    Hey,
    The New Staump.com Site is up!!

    We have been working hard over the last 2 years to develop a site that could simplify the online experience for independent musicians.........

    Let us know what you think!



    The new Staump.com now supports YouTube, Flickr, and standard blogs (via RSS) as services!This means you can set up your Staump.com account to automatically post to your lifestream when you upload a new video, post new photos or post to your website's blog. For more information about lifestreaming and the services we support, please see the Staump.com FAQ.(Myspace and Facebook services will be available soon! )

    OurStage and Staump.com have teamed up to provide more great opportunities to more talented artists every month! On OurStage, artists, fans, & industry professionals all come together – to discover, judge, & enjoy the best new music and the best new artists online.



    Tired of having to visit three or four different websites (myspace, facebook, flickr, Youtube) just to check up on a band you like? Staump.com now offers a convienient way for users to check out what artists are up to on all their different websites at one location!
  • Posted by Charlotte Ryerson on Jun 24 at 11:59 AM EDT
    Hi Jen,
    I just put in a friend request--you are one of my Myspace friends! I just got word this morning that I'm in the quarter finals here in soft rock. . .anyway I enjoy your music!
  • Posted by jessicajarina on Jun 7 at 1:28 AM EDT
    Awesome music! I'm so glad you've done so well, you def deserve it!
  • Posted by Cathie Fredrickson on May 15 at 1:02 PM EDT
    Great songs, great vocals, you've sure got the edge, best to you, Peace always, Cathie
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jen murdza's Stuff

 
Amorous
Uploaded Oct 02, 2007
"Unwind" LIVE at Lizard Lounge
Uploaded Sep 14, 2008
Reboundin'
Uploaded Jul 30, 2007
 
 

jen murdza's Friends

 
 
 

jen murdza's Fans

 
Number of fans: 99
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