Alex McMurray (solo)
Alex McMurray has been performing as a solo artist since the Circle Bar opened in 1999. His weekly Wednesday night gig became a semi-legendary showcase for his eclectic tastes and off-kilter sense of humor, a tradition he has been continuing Thursday nights at the Saturn Bar since 2008. The solo work has allowed him to workshop songs and try out new arrangements, tell jokes too ugly for a band to tolerate, play as long (or as short) as he wants, entertain requests from any part of his somewhat vast repertoire and just plain do whatever pops into his head.
The solo format has also allowed McMurray to travel to places he might not otherwise be able to go, from Maine to California, Europe and Japan. He's also prone to invite special guests to share the floor which has brought some memorable pairings such as with Luke Allen, Tommy Malone, Jim McCormick, Meschiya Lake, Bill Malchow, Glenn Hartman and a host of others. The fact that the Tin Men sprang from an informal sit-in situation on a McMurray solo set speaks volumes.