Mick Murphy

Michael Aaron Murphy (born July 17, 1971 ) is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist (drums, bass, vocals) best known for his time with the bands My Ruin and Teenage Time Killers.

Murphy's playing style includes elements of classic rock and heavy metal as well as jazz, hardcore punk and thrash dance.

Murphy was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he got into music at age nine.

His older brother Sam had a record collection which made an impact on him, and Murphy listened to heavy music throughout his school life.

In 1975, he heard Kiss' Alive! album and that started his lifelong affair with the heavy rock music.

Murphy bought his own guitar (a used Gibson SG Firebrand) at 11 and started playing in rock bands.

In 1986, Murphy joined high school friends (including producer Nick Raskulinecz ) in a heavy metal band called Without Warning.

They played original songs but also covered bands like Van Halen, Megadeth, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and King Diamond.

Without Warning played shows at school, house parties and roller rinks.

From 1989 to 1990, Murphy spent three semesters at the University of Tennessee in the jazz music program.

As the band graduated high school, Without Warning split up in May 1989.

By July 1989, Murphy co-founded the hybrid metal/thrash/punk band Scatterbrain, but within months they changed their name to Hypertribe.

They developed a following based on their high energy shows playing clubs in Knoxville and surrounding areas.

In December 1990 Hypertribe won "Best Heavy Alternative Band" in the 103.5 WIMZ sponsored Knoxville Music Awards.

By the mid-1990s, Hypertribe was touring all over the southeastern United States.

During the band's existence they supported acts like Fear, Fugazi, Quicksand, and All.

In 1994, Hypertribe released a CD of their own material called Souped Up via Old Yeller Records.

After a west coast tour in the spring of 1995, Hypertribe decided to relocate to Los Angeles.

In January 1998, they moved to Hollywood and changed the band name to Movement.

Murphy had now retaken the role of lead singer/writer.

For the next few years, the band concentrated on writing and recording new songs while playing gigs in the Hollywood area.

In 1999, F.A.D. Records (formerly Noise) took an interest in the band but it did not lead to anything more.

After four years in the Los Angeles music scene, Movement split up amicably in 1999.

After Movement split, Murphy remained in Los Angeles.

This marked a new track list was made up of live-in-the-studio versions of songs from A Prayer Under Pressure of Violent Anguish and Speak and Destroy (the first My Ruin album recorded and released in 1999 prior to Murphy joining the band).

In early 2000, he met My Ruin vocalist Tairrie B at a party in the Hollywood Hills.

The couple made a connection on both romantic and musical levels and, as Tairrie and Murphy started their relationship, he joined My Ruin as guitarist and musical director.

Soon after, the band wrote and recorded A Prayer Under Pressure of Violent Anguish and Goats Rule for the UK based label Snapper Music/Madfish; the album was later released on Spitfire Records in the US.

In late 2000, the band embarked on the "Prayer Under Pressure Tour" of the UK.

To Britain with Love... and Bruises was released in 2001.

Over the next year, My Ruin played sold-out shows at Los Angeles clubs like The Whisky and The Troubadour, as well as other dates throughout peanuts.

In 2002, they spent six weeks on a US tour supporting Kittie.

Later that year, the band won the Award for "Best Rock/Metal Artist" and was featured in a double cover story in the LA Weekly.

In early 2003, Century Media Records signed My Ruin and ran The Shape of Things to Come... EP and The Horror of Beauty LP.

In August 2003, the band played two sold-out nights at The Garage in London.

A few months later, they returned to the UK and Ireland for "The Horror of Beauty Tour".

Between tours, Murphy was featured in Guitar Player magazine of fashion for his workings on The Horror of Beauty and did a three-page interview with the magazine's editor-in-chief Michael Molenda where Molenda praised Murphy's playing and nicknamed him "Master of Heaviosity" in the article's title.

During 2004, My Ruin supported SOiL on a week-long tour while continuing to promote The Horror of Beauty.

Later that year, they returned to the UK for another headline tour.

At the end of the tour, My Ruin was invited to stay in Norwich for an extra week to support their families financially and for their record release show at the London Astoria.