Releasing The Left Ready: New band to play local debut show

Get ready for The Left Ready.

Kalispell native and popular local singer/guitarist Mike Murray, along with drummer Joel Metzler and bass guitarist Chris Krager, will be bringing their debut self-titled EP, “The Left Ready,” to Casey’s in Whitefish on Friday, Sept. 19.

The Left Ready is a band on a mission to bring old-fashioned, “punchy,” guitar- and drum-based rock ‘n’ roll back into the mainstream music scene. Murray, Metzler and Krager began playing, writing and touring together as the Mike Murray Trio in 2013, but earlier this year decided to go a different direction. They officially became The Left Ready in June and hit the studio with Los Angeles-based producer Andy Prickett. The results, according to Murray, are worth getting excited about.

“It’s about chemistry,” Murray said. “Not just musically, but in a broader sense as well.”

“[The Left Ready] was a big decision for all of us to go for it, but so far we’re all really happy with it.”

MUSIC WAS an early love for Murray. Inspired by bands such as the Doors, he recalled spending hours listening to music and trying to replicate the sound on the drum set.

And his passion for music only got more serious from there.

In his mid-20s Murray decided to take the leap and try to make a living as a singer and songwriter. Inspired by time spent working abroad and with the support of family and friends he went on to release his first of two solo albums, “International,” in 2011. Life has been consistent touring, writing and recording ever since.

DESPITE HIS solo success, Murray said there are a lot of good things about being part of a group, too.

“It’s been amazing to have guys to play with,” Murray said. “Their creative input is so valuable ... The sound and songs we create together are different than what I would’ve been able to do by myself.”

Murray said the band is ready to “get out there and get things moving” with The Left Ready. Even the name of the group is indicative of their sound and goals.

According to Murray, the name “The Left Ready” came from an interview with boxer Jack Dempsey, World Heavyweight Champion from 1919-1926 and famous for his left hook. When asked in an interview how he became champion, Dempsey allegedly replied: “Well, you’ve got to have the right ready, you’ve got to have the left ready, and you’ve got to be able to deliver them on a Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.”

Murray credited Krager with the inspiration to name the band after Dempsey’s simple and straightforward explanation.

“It was a very reassuring idea in an industry where it’s hard to make it,” Murray said. “And the idea of being ready — ready to throw that left hook — it just fit.”

WITH ONE EP under their collective belts, the band is optimistic about the next steps. They’ve just signed with Tinderbox Music, a national promotion and distribution company. Tinderbox will launch a college radio campaign with “The Left Ready” EP this fall, and Murray said the band will plan its spring tour schedule based on the results of that campaign.

Murray also said the Flathead Valley can expect to be on the list of upcoming tour stops. The EP release show this month is just the beginning, “if people like what they hear, of course,” Murray joked.

The new EP will be available for purchase for the first time in Montana at the release show on Sept. 19, but a preview is available now on the band’s website, www.theleftready.com. The band also plans to shoot a video for the song, “Long Way to Fall,” at the release show. Opening for The Left Ready will be Whitefish-based rock trio Sapphire Shakedown. It all starts at 8 p.m. at Casey’s Pub and Grill, 101 Central Ave., Whitefish. There will be a $5 cover at the door.

The Left Ready’s set will include the new songs from the EP as well as yet unreleased material.

“It’s the first time we’ll have the chance to show who we are,” Murray said. “Rock music is coming back.”

Entertainment editor Stefanie Johnson may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.