Mark Sandman - vocals + 2String Slide Bass Dana Colley - bari, tenor + double saxophones Billy Conway - drums
For over five years now, the three members of Morphine -- Mark Sandman on bass, Dana Colley on sax, and drummer Billy Conway -- have been doing things their own way. The trio has no guitar player, opting instead for the stripped down instrumentation of two-string slide bass, baritone sax, and drums. They've also chosen to headline their own tours, often playing for two or three consecutive nights in major cities, rather than taking support slots for larger bands. As a result, they've gradually built their own following around the globe, an underground phenomenon that appeals to a diverse audience of music lovers everywhere. The trio emerged playing loft parties and corner bars around Boston and Cambridge in the early '90s. With a solid and loyal regional base in place, they went national with their first CD, GOOD (1992), and then international with the release of their second CD, CURE FOR PAIN (1994). They toured in 16 countries, setting the stage for their next album, YES (1995), which ended up on dozens of top ten lists at the end of 1995. That was the same year Morphine swept the Boston Music Awards, peaked at number one in US college radio airplay, and played to crowds of up to 75,000 people at the Glastonbury, Reading and Roskilde festivals. In 1996, the band once again won Act Of the Year at the Boston Music Awards, as well as Outstanding Rock Band. Hollywood has also been seduced by Morphine, as songs by the band have appeared on soundtracks for several films, including Spanking the Monkey, Beautiful Girls, and Get Shorty, as well as on the television detective show Homicide.
