Gianna Murphy

**Gianna King Murphy** (born 9/19/1977) is a American former bassist best known for her time in Shattered Silence. She currently is a monster truck driver.

## Early life

Gianna Murphy was born in Newton, Massachusetts by a Ozzy Osbourne touring member father and a monster truck show promoter mother. Her older brother Josey Benns Murphy was born 5 years prior on November 8, 1972. The two formed a sibling bond that is to this day inseparable. Josey went to a interest of pro wrestling and Gianna went on to a more musical path. Getting a Epiphone Thunderbird Goth bass on her tenth birthday. She learned Paranoid by Black Sabbath and One by Metallica.

## Shattered Silence (1995-2017)

Gianna was at a jam session with a local funk metal band which Tyler Paimon and Adam Cleaver (who goes under the name Axiom) were attending. Both of them were very impressed by Gianna's bass playing that Tyler asked Gianna to join a new band they were forming called Shattered Silence. She agreed, they traveled and later found rhythm guitarist Matthew Bishop at a Battle of the Bands and drummer Benji Nixon at a open drum session at the GM Fitchburg Food Court.

In 1996 they performed a show at The Saloon Bar 'N' Grille where Charles "Rusty" Novello was present at (he was scouting new talent). He was impressed by the band and right away signed the band to Dayglow Records label. In July 1996 the band started working with Evan Griffiths on their debut studio album *Controversial Sanity*, which released in late 1996 to very great reviews from nu metal fans and critics alike.

The band collaborated with Brink's Jay Houston for the song "Bleed to Death", in 1998 the band recorded their second album. This album, 1999's *Sorrow* featured a more emo influence which, again, would receive very great reviews. Some even called it the Abbey Road of the Boston nu metal scene.

In 2000, the band was banned from El Kadsre as "the band has zero artistic merit and would cause a massive uprise in school shooting cases in youths". Tyler would respond in a local El Kadsre magazine saying "As Damon Kenney once said: Don't like it? Don't listen to it. We aren't going to stop doing what we love because some butthurt idiots are upset by it. And we live by that quote now, so, start listening to Blue's Clues songs and don't listen to us assholes of El Kadsre." However this ban was later lifted after the merit rule became more chill in 2017.

In 2001, the band released their third album *King Sling* which was a example of "Third Time's a Charm" as King Sling was a smash hit. The band kicked off a 6 month tour in 2002 with Woonsocket as the opening act. However, a onstage cat fight between Joey DiCosta and Christian Hughes (similar to Andy Brass and Colt Cobra from Penda Points Series) ensued at the first ever Resch Center show. Which Tyler Paimon and Kyle Kirkpatrick broke up after five minutes. According to Tyler, he nearly got killed after Joey pulled out a pocket knife but security took it away from him.

When the fourth album, *Swerved* was in the works, nu metal was starting to decline, so the band decided to take a more pop metal direction. Which they told Charles Novello right away for. Charles was concerned that the album would flop, but this album released to universal acclaim in 2003, and the second song on the album "Bad Habit" is still the opening song for their live concerts and their tours since.

From 2003 to 2004, the band went on tour with Tribunal as the opening act. In 2005, the band released a photo of them in the recording studio on Myspace. The band were releasing a new album in 2006 called *Supercrossed the Line*, which was received positively. In 2007, the band was included on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

In 2012, the band returned to their nu metal sound while combining pop metal elements (catchy pop-influenced hooks and melodic-singing verses and choruses) with elements of nu metal (downtuned guitars and bass, riffs and screaming and growling in chorus and bridge parts) with their sixth album *Omni*. From 2013 to 2014 the band went on tour with Stitched Up Mouth as the opening act and headlined Dayglow's annual Wicked Festival alongside Tribunal, Blakk Army and The Nothing in 2015.

In 2017 however, the band parted ways with Gianna Murphy on good terms due to her taking a break from music to focus on her monster truck driving career, Brendan McMillan from My Darkest Days was her replacement.

## Gear

Hofner Sunburst Club bass (used while with Shattered Silence)

## Discography

*Controversial Sanity (1996)*

*Sorrow (1999)*

*King Sling (2001)*

*Swerved (2003)*

*Supercrossed the Line (2006)*

*Omni (2012)*

## Personal Life

Gianna currently resides in a countryside ranch in Malibu, California with her husband George Balhan whom she's married to since 2019. She was married to Tommy Vext from 2009 to 2018 and had two children together (which Gianna has custody of) named Micah Vext (born 2011, age 11) and Amanda Murphy (born 2013, age 9). Gianna's a Roman Christian, She owns a tamed lioness named Nala, a red panda named Mei Mei, a light brown Mustang horse named Spirit and a white Brahman cow named Frosty.