Peter Murphy has announced plans to produce and direct a new series of live webcasts — dubbed the “Secret Bee Series” — that will feature the singer and rotating bandmembers performing stripped-down versions of “solo classics alongside rarely, if ever, performed Bauhaus album songs.”
Episode 1, according to Murphy’s website, “is planned to be set in a location in the Catskill mountains (in) upstate New York in February.” For the debut, Murphy will be backed by guitarist John Andrews, Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione and violinist Emilio China. A broadcast date has not yet been announced.
Murphy’s webcasts follow last year’s Secret Covers Tour, itself in conjunction with the singer’s release of four one-off cover songs via iTunes. During the course of 2009, Murphy released renditions of John Lennon’s “Instant Karma,” David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Joy Division’s “Transmission” and Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.”
This year, Murphy is planning a 100-date co-headlining world tour with Dead Can Dance’s Brendan Perry,who is due to release his first solo album in a decade early this year. Perry announced initial plans for the tour — expected to start in March — on his website last fall, and said dates would be announced before Christmas. Yet no further news has emerged about the joint Perry/Murphy tour.
UPDATE 1/24/09: The first episode will be broadcast at 7 p.m. EST Feb. 11 and will cost $24.95 for the three-hour webcast and 10 hours of on-demand viewing. Details here.
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
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- Love and Rockets’ Daniel Ash releases 4-track ‘It’s a Burn Out’ solo EP on iTunes
- Video: Nine Inch Nails and Peter Murphy cover Joy Division’s ‘Dead Souls’
- Daniel Ash closes door on Love and Rockets: ‘It’s boring for me to do those songs’
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