[[wysiwyg_imageupload:63:]]Photo by David Szymanski
When David Murphy, bass player of Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), announced in January 2011 that he had been diagnosed with cancer, the live music community was shocked, in much the same way the electronic music community was shocked by the news of Bob Moog’s brain cancer years before.
Though by no means was this the first time a band has needed to stop touring due to a member’s personal problems (see: Phish, The Grateful Dead), rarely are these problems due to a disease like cancer. Drug addictions are much more common, and to many, much more relatable, than cancer, which made Murph’s diagnosis of internal skin cancer sound particularly menacing.
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When the diagnosis was published on the STS9 website in January 2011, it came alongside the news that all shows in February and March would be canceled. In this time of confusion, fans were concerned about the band’s health, as well as Murph’s; March is creeping up on festival season, which is when STS9 tends to shine. With only five months from the diagnosis until the beginning of summer, many fans braced themselves for a season without STS9.
Even the most loyal fans were shocked when, after this terrible-sounding diagnosis in January, the band announced only a month later that they would resume touring in April. In another letter published on their website, they described Murph’s recovery as “amazing, inspiring, and impassioned,” and scheduled two shows for their hometown, Athens, GA, on April 20 and 21 (coincidentally a jam band holiday of sorts). After these 4/20 shows, the tour didn’t stop and STS9 proved themselves again and again during festival season, playing like they hadn’t, just a few months earlier, had a reason to stop.
Now that we are in the slow part of the year for festivals, it is important to acknowledge the contribution of every artist to every festival, and to be grateful for the opportunity to play on and enjoy every day. STS9’s presence at Moogfest will be all the more appreciated given Murph’s incredible recovery.
Live DJ Suite 12.30.10 (David Murphy & Hunter Brown) by STS9
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