History The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer are a two piece blues band. The band consists of Shawn 'the Harpoonist' Hall on vocals and harp and Matthew 'the Axe Murderer' Rogers on guitar and drums. They draw influence from Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters style blues but filter it through a modern rock and roll feel.

History

Shawn Hall and Matthew Rogers first met by chance at a jingle recording session in 2006. Prior to the band, Hall worked for CityTV and Rogers worked (and continues to work) as film composer. They discovered they had a mutual affinity for a multitude of musical genres, but mainly folk and blues.

The band began as a folk duo and their sound continued to evolve into a bigger, more electric sound. Their working relationship was built from their similarities but also their dissimilarities. Both agree that the friction resulting from their different musical tastes is both a frustrating but fruitful part of their creative process.

They have had their songs featured on television shows such as CSI, NCIS New Orleans, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, and the aptly-named TV movie Lizzie Borden Took An Axe. The duo has no plans to slow down. They are on a continuing journey, constantly finding inspiration from musicians they meet or collaborate with. These encounters challenge them to deepen their songwriting and to keep performing with their trademark fervor and authenticity.

Live

Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer are widely known for their amazing live shows and commanding stage presence. They have had the opportunity of playing SXSW 2013/2014, Winnipeg Folk Fest, Ottawa Blues Fest, Atlin Arts & Music Festival, Calgary Folk Fest, Vancouver Folk Fest, Festival D'Été, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival and Montreal Jazz Fest.They have shared the stage with Dr. Dog, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Taj Mahal, XIXA, Tinariwen, Booker T Jones, David Wilcox, Mother Mother, The Sheepdogs and Serena Ryder.

Awards

Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer received a Sirius XM Indie award in 2013 for Blues Artist of the Year.[10] Their third album, Checkered Past (released on October 27, 2011) was nominated at the Maple Blues Awards for 'Album of the Year' in 2013. Shawn Hall was also nominated for a Maple Blues Award for Harmonica Player of the Year In 2014,they were nominated for a Juno for their album A Real Fine Mess.[14] In 2017, The

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