The love affair continues. Like two schoolgirls living richly in a self devised world of cave trolls and tormented princesses, Miss Murgatroid (aka Alicia J. Rose) and Petra Haden mesh their collective imaginations to deliver majestic themes culled from the ether itself. Reuniting after more than a six year hiatus, Miss M and Miss Haden convene anew for another bout of ebullient sonic symbiosis.
Their last effort, Bella Neurox, met with critical acclaim and delighted fan frenzy. Their simple but unique combination of accordion, violin and voice delved into waters deep and strange, with a mix of vocals and instrumentals that transported the listener to eerie dark alleys, lush Italian seasides and the false bottoms of haunted toychests.
Their newest effort  Hearts & Daggers, offers 9 new tracks of absolute symphonic loveliness. But it’s the story behind this new recording that gives it such heart. In 2000 Petra Haden was the victim of a brutal car accident, winding up in a coma and with major injuries. Without any medical insurance, the music community on both coasts banded together to perform a string of benefits to help her with her recovery and her bills. These benefits included performances by Beck, Tenacious D, her brother Josh Haden (Spain), Stephen Perkins, The GoGo’s, Vincent Gallo, Sean Lennon, Miss Murgatroid and many more. With the love and support of her friends and family, Petra made an astonishing recovery and by 2003 was back at work creating her own music and collaborating again - her talents only strengthened by her fateful and trying past. Remaining good friends throughout this tragedy, Miss M and Petra talked often about reuniting, but distance (Petra lives in Los Angeles, Miss M in Portland), circumstance and finance made this less than simple.
In 2004 a mysterious benefactor approached Miss Murgatroid about reuniting with Petra for a follow up to Bella Neurox. Apparently he had written his last 2 books while listening to their collaboration as well as to Petra’s fantastic solo disc Imaginaryland and to Miss M’s spooky and surreal Through Alien Empires. He offered to help the duo make their next record with the honest motivation of simply wanting another one. The girls agreed, and created 9 new gems of fanciful delight. Fueled by mutual heartache, spectral visions, grandiose baroque fantasies and their undying fondness for one another’s brains, Miss M and Petra have truly outdone themselves. Layering vocals, violin, viola and accordion in ways that will utterly enchant and intrigue the listener, this is a true labor of love that defies as many genres as it is influenced by.
Daughter of legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden, Petra was a founding member of girl pop sensations that dog and has worked with many fancily panted superstars - Beck, Luscious Jackson, The Rentals, Cibo Matto, Sean Lennon, Foo Fighters, Spain, Victoria Williams and Bette Midler amongst others. Most recently she released a duet record with jazz great Bill Frisell and her solo accapella tribute opus The Who Sells Out. Miss M has spent many years berating innocent bystanders with her accordion and her acerbic wit, releasing 4 albums and charming the pants off of accordion naysayers everywhere - though recently she has taken to photographing ballet dancers and talented musicians .
This reunion of sorts is unbelievably epochal to both of them and the release of Hearts & Daggers is long overdue. Bella Neurox cover artist  Christine Shields has Âcrafted a fabulous panoramic painting for the cover that involves an army of angry princesses fleeing a flaming castle. She's fancy....click on our pix to see a bit...
NEWS!! Hearts & Daggers may have finally found a home! Negotiations are in play and this lost treasure of a record may finally see the light of day in fall 2007. Please send good vibes of hope out into the universe for us on this matter...Updates soon!