By Timothy Collins
Asked to define his band’s music, Scott (Murch) Murcheson chuckles.
“Our music has aspects of all kinds of different genres,” he said. “There’s some metal and stoner rock but there are aspects of several different styles that set us apart from a definite definition. There’s some hard rock, some punk … what can I say… it’s loud.”
“Maybe we have to create a whole new genre,” he said.
Murcheson is the frontman for Buzzard Asylum, a Victoria-based band that has steadily been gaining popularity and recognition for their hard-driving style and unique musical riffs. He writes most of the music and arrangements, while Sasha Nevermind writes the lyrics and the band works with the songs to create a truly different sound.
But then, Murcheson is quick to point out that everyone in the band is unique.
For example, Nevermind, the lead vocalist and guitarist, comes to the group from Berlin.
“He came and auditioned for the band and as soon as I heard his voice I said, holy crap, he is really, really good,” said Murcheson.
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Then there’s Tony Green on drums.
No stranger to the music scene, Green’s been (on and off) playing alongside Murcheson since their school days. The two musicians played in a band called MK5 for about 5 years and when Murcheson started Buzzard Asylum, Green was a natural choice.
Finally, there’s Glen Butcher on bass.
“Murch asked me to come out and try out for the band in 2021 and we just gelled really well. It was a no-brainer to join the band after that,” said Butcher.
“In my youth, I played with a lot of different bands, but I’ve always loved heavy rock. The power of the music engages the audience in a way no other music can.”
Butcher insists that, despite his attraction to the heavy rock style, he doesn’t have any particular bias toward any one musical genre.
“So long as it’s well written and well performed, music is fantastic. The music that Murch is writing is incredible, for example.”
Heavy rock really evolved in the mid-60s with some of the earliest hard rock coming from bands like the Kinks, the Who, Cream, and Iron Butterfly.
The musical genre continued to evolve with bands like Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, and Metallica gaining in popularity.
But Buzzard Asylum, while drawing inspiration from some of that music, retains its own sound.
“One of the greatest compliments I’ve heard from a fan came when I was told, ‘You guys don’t sound like anyone else. You sound like everybody else all at once,’” said Murcheson.
“I think that’s great. I like that you can hear other musical influences in our music but the way we put it together sets us apart.”
Buzzard Asylum will be playing Nov. 10 at Phoenix Bar & Grill and hosting their music release party at Hermann’s Upstairs on Dec. 7.
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