Ariel Publicity

A lonely little girl is riding a big brown horse on a crisp autumn day. She doesn’t know it yet but the rest of her life will be spent trying to recapture that one perfect moment. Jessie Murphy In The Woods sing the songs that sustain her journey.

The group is a New York City based all female “chamber pop” trio - that means no boys and their noisy nonsense whatsoever. Their sound is Neko Case meets Vampire Weekend meets The Carter Family at a salon hosted jointly by Stevie Nicks and Emily Dickinson.

At the helm is singer/guitarist /songwriter Jessie Murphy- a critically acclaimed veteran of the NYC anti-folk scene. In 2008, while working on her Masters Degree in Music at Columbia University, she met and befriended Marcia Wood (Wurlitzer, flute, clarinet, harmonica, pan pipes and vocals) and Amy Wood (horn, cajon/percussion, flute, melodica, autoharp and vocals). Jessie, Marcia, and Amy are all NYC music teachers(just in case the plethora of musical instruments didn’t tip you off).

Amy recalls “from the first time the three of us played together, it was just easy, noticeably so”. Marcia says, “When I heard Jessie’s lyrics, it impacted my playing, it was easy to picture sounds when I was working with her.” Jessie states proudly, “We had that magic thing right away, the right vibe and the right sound. We knew very quickly that we were a band.”

And so The Woods were born. Sessions soon began for the trio’s debut album, Eight Belles. The first song “When I Am A Horse Again” is a lament to that perfect day so long ago. It is a sound out of time, classical performers playing pop forms, creating a swirling and mystical atmosphere that perfectly supports the lyrics.

So far girls have toured the UK (where they were featured on Cambridge University Radio) and have played shows from Ithaca NY to Los Angeles CA. Jessie Murphy In The Woods are preparing to release their debut album, Eight Belles, in late Fall of 2009. The album is a gorgeous showcase for the players, emotionally affecting without becoming cloying or overly sweet. The final and title track of the album, 8 Belles, is a eulogy to a filly who died on the racetrack during 2008’s Kentucky Derby. In between are nine other songs about life, love, and horses.

Jessie Murphy In The Woods has become a world unto themselves. Jessie enthuses, “The more time we spend and sing together, the more unified we become, and the more we have to give in our performances. We’re discovering the realm of our music as it happens.” Marcia says, “There’s a chamber like quality to our shows, a shared sense of intimacy.” On Eight Belles, you hear the sounds and magic of a band coming together. If their music sounds like a fairy tale, it’s fitting, for it's in its own glorious place and time. Now saddle up and ride along, it’s a long way to forever.