LCD Soundstystem/DFA members James Murphy, Pat Mahoney, and Tim Sweeney have always wanted to pursue a career that reflects their Irish roots. After months of debating the right move (pun intended) the three pioneering musicians and djs have closed down the label and disbanded LCD in order to form the Brooklyn-based moving company, Murphy, Mahoney & Sweeney.
Murphy, whose great great grandmother is from the county Cork town of Youghal (pronounced y’all, like the contraction of ‘you all’ that is used in “fuck all y’all,” a common expression in America’s south), had this to say about the startling change of direction, “Pat and I were bored with touring, playing sold-out shows, and djing all over the world. Tim was weary of hosting the radio show, Beats In Space, which features the best djs on the planet. We wanted to do something that reflected our Celtic heritage.”
Mahoney, whose great great great grandfather hailed from the southern Irish city of Limerick — perhaps why he’s so good with lyrics — agreed with Murphy and added, “At first I wanted to open a bar, then James suggested we start a painting company. Tim was passionate about a funeral home, mainly because he’d been listening to a lot of dark, synth music. Finally, I said that a moving company was the way to go, and James and Tim were totally up for that.”
Sweeney’s great great great great grandparents were from the town of Clonmany in County Donegal, also the home town of Mister Saturday Night’s Eamon Harkin, a NY-based mover…and shaker who thinks he’s from Derry in Northern Ireland. Sweeney gushes excitedly about the transition to serious work, “I could spend my life hanging around with Harvey, Prosumer, and that ginger from Hercules and Love Affair, but there’s nothing more satisfying to me than pushing a piano up six flights of stairs in the middle of a New York heatwave.”
Murphy interjected, “Coming up with a name for the company was a no-brainer but, finding a tag line was a different story. Pat thought ‘New York, I Love You, But I’m Moving To New Jersey’ was catchy, but Tim wasn’t crazy about it. I suggested ‘Time To Move Away,’ which didn’t fire up Tim and Pat. Finally Tim came up with ‘Daft Punk Is Playing At My House And Then I’m Moving To Austin, Texas To Avoid The Landlord.’ We knew that would corner the market with the most disposable income, people who are moving south or west, to San Francisco, to find themselves, after we’ve lost two of their drawers, broken a printer, and squashed the lamp shade they got from their grandma in Poughkeepsie.”
“I’ve a really good feeling about this,” Murphy told us. “Changing the direction of modern rock by absorbing influences from classic dance music isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and…I’ve always wanted to move furniture. I was a sound guy for Six Finger Satellite and I moved heavy gear every night.”
Murphy met John Maclean, aka The Juan Maclean, when Maclean was a member of that band. Maclean wasn’t interested in becoming a partner because his great great great great great grandparents emigrated from Aberdeen, Scotland.
