Pete "The Treat" Murphy was born with his eyes closed, but he wasn't born with a bass his hands...it just seems that way. His music career took root in what can only be described as "untraditional" as a wee lad in the rural wilds of Guilderland, New York.  Oddly enough, instruments were not a part of Pete's arsenal in those
early days. Rather, Pete was fascinated with the wildly popular
Whack-A-Mole game, and spent hours on end boppin' and thumpin' away at
the wily little critters. Daddy'd come home from work, and say, "Now,
where is that boy?", knowing full well that the answer given by Pete's
momma, same as it ever was, "He's thumpin' them moles a'gin", to which daddy'd respond, "Cain't the boy find somethin' else to do?", to which momma just said, "I suppose not.", and that was the end of it. So the conversation went, day in day out, month after month, for what seemed like years.  And then, one day, it happened. Maybe there was something in the water..maybe it was alien intervention...maybe Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow...we'll never know for sure. But on that fateful day when daddy asked the question and momma responded with her usual, "I suppose not.", daddy blurted out, "Sweet Ham an' Cheese, momma, the boy's gonna change his thumpin' ways!", and from outstretched arms, produced a Rickenbacker bass. The screaming lad, upon being wrestled away from his game, and seeing the bass guitar, went stone cold silent, and took on the look of a Swedish Monk preparing for solemn Penance in Duomo Cathedral. A moment later, eyes closed, the lad began chanting, "Thump, thump, thump!", and before his bewildered parents knew what was happening, Pete had snatched up the Rickenbacker, and was finger-popping the melody to "Morning Has Broken". The rest, they say, is history.  Pete made his public concert debut with a mime-fronted version of "The Sound of Music" at an elementary school talent show, and went on to dazzling audio heights for the remainder of his pre-pubescent school days. In 1998, The Treat co-founded "The All American Cheerleaders", a progressive contemporary band based solely on variants of Rah-Rah Chants. The band folded unexpectedly in early '99 when crazed fans stole their Pom-Pom's.  In 2002, The Treat was back at it again, this time, shaping a jazz-funk-jam band called, The Tri-City All-Stars. Co-founded with guitarist Justin Molineaux, the original intent in creating the band was to form a combo
that would be able to produce a sound and style of music that had never
been done before, while holding onto qualities such as defined
melodies, danceable rhythms, improvisation, and spontaneity that make
music fun to listen to. The band met some success with their debut CD, Pebijudo, but parted company after realizing that there were four band members, and only three cities in the Tri-City area...it just didn't add up...  Pete's resume of artist affiliations and gig performance's reads like a "Who's Who (not The Who or Horton Hears A Who) and Where's Where (not Tupperware) music manifesto. Be assured...Jealousy drips from the pores of other local bass players vying for such acclaim. Since his mind-numbing formative years, Pete's also been a member of such esteemed ensembles as Voodoo Runner, Hmmm, The Mike Campbell Experience, and if that experience weren't enough, The Pete Murphy Experience...unfortunately, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a bit before Pete's time.
The Treat has throttled out the bottom end of his 4-string at such diverse and illustrious venues as The Van Dyke, De John's Pub, The Rosendale Street Fest, Homestyle Pizzeria, The Muddy Cup, The Moon & River, Arthur's Market, The Night Sky Cafe, Valentines (Music Hall & Beer Joint), Savanna's, and Bread & Jam.
 In the Flood Road band, Pete not only plays bass, but also sings, sways, stomps, and occasionally chuckles, all with his eyes closed tighter than a frog's behind.
INFLUENCES: Muddy Waters, Dan Quayle, Thelonius Monk, J. Peter, Miles Davis, Betty Davis, The Davis Cup
All American Cheerleaders - Soccer Time! (1998) Tri-City All-Stars - Pebijudo (2004) J. Peter Yakel & Flood Road - Pickin' On Park Ave (2008)  Grain of salt. Take as necessary while visiting the Flood Road Band website. Copyright@2009 by J. Peter Yakel and Flood Road. | Visit Pete "The Treat" Murphy's Reality Page Return to Flood Road's Page! Return to Flood Road's MySpace Page!     |