Murfitt and Main

Murfitt & Main plumb the depths of country, bluegrass, and western swing, playing home-made songs steeped in the living tradition of roots music. Their original songs possess a clarity rooted in the musical traditions of rural North America, in a contemporary voice. Heartbreak, honky-tonks, whiskey, unions, religion, the Canadian terrain, and the Berlin wall are all fair game in their songwriting. Sweet vocal harmonies draw listeners in adding that high lonesome country sound to the mix.

Comprising the core of the Vancouver band are songsmiths Warren Murfitt (guitar, vocals) and Kate Main (upright bass, vocals), accompanied by Chris Dawson-Murphy (banjo, guitar and vocals), Tom Hammel  (pedal steel) and Bob Hamilton (mandolin).

Warren Murfitt studied sculpture at the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design and is a respected Canadian luthier. When she’s not writing songs and playing music, Kate Main is a costume designer for the vibrant Vancouver film industry.

Multi-instrumentalist Tom Hammel  has produced and released five albums with alt-country, rockabilly, western swing and jazz-themed groups and was nominated in the steel guitar/dobro category of the 2022 BC Country Music Awards. In addition to his work with Murfitt and Main, Chris Dawson-Murphy is an art curator and studio session musician.

Yukon-based Bob Hamilton is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and the owner of Old Crow Recording. Bob has received five Juno nominations and one Juno award for albums he has produced. He has toured extensively in Canada, the USA, and Europe with a/o Diyet, A Circumpolar Soundscape, Sarah Macdougall, and Hungry Hill.

Murfitt & Main website