CD release party coming to Bodles

WARWICK-"You could do that." Those four simple words were the catalyst. They came a few years back at Bodles Opera House in Chester. Chip Murray, who started playing guitar when he was about 11, was there listening to music with "the person who will eventually become Mrs. Murray," Jodi Sander. She knew he had played on and off for many years, and she knew how much he loved music. He dusted off his guitar that night and started writing songs. Next week, Murray and his bandmates, Mike Reale and Pete Verudes, are releasing their first CD, Gone Wishin', as the group Cavern. The release party is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 24, at Bodles, where it all happened for Murray. "This is an autobiographical CD," said Murray, who wrote all of the songs. "It is totally dedicated to the vision and dream of what came to me that night at Bodles." After getting the push he needed from Sander, Murray started playing at open mics. He hooked up with other musicians and eventually formed Cavern. They did cover songs and played throughout the area, especially at Bodles and the Warwick Valley Winery on Little York Road. "We look at the Winery and Bodles as our home field," Murray said. He chose Bodles for the release party because that was the first place he played publicly this go round. "Bodles has a pretty special place in my heart," he said. As for the name of the band? "I came up with the name," Murray said. "It is a place, kind of a retreat from the noise of modern day life that detracts from us. You can go there and be at peace, find quiet. The songs come from that joyous place." This CD has a variety of music, including blues, country, and rockabilly. Murray is very proud to have a variety of local musicians play on the CD "We started working on the CD one year ago," Murray said. "One of the greatest thrills for me was to make this CD with lots of local musicians and friends." Some of them include Marji Zintz, Steve Bernstein, Rave Tesar, John Cariddi, and Jude/aka Judy Streng. Murray's early musical influence n hands down The Beatles. "The primary bonds between Pete and myself is our total devotion and how we revere The Beatles," Murray said. "They are probably the reason I picked up a guitar in the first place." Music from the 1960s in general "was pretty much my religion," Murray said. He credits James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, and Pearl Jam for influencing his writing style. "The music in this CD is the best way I can describe what happened to me," Murray explained. "Fallen Angel is the story of my being rescued. When she (Sander) did what she did, I started my life over that day." Reservations are suggested for the release party, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 24, at 5:30 p.m. at Bodles. The cost is $25 per person or $40 per couple. This includes dinner, show, the Gone Wishin' CD, and a Cavern T-Shirt.