“It’s been a lot of touring in the past year. I’ve never toured that much in a year before. I’ve learned a lot about the logistics of touring and getting a band around the country,” laughs singer/songwriter Cornelia Murr, who serves as her own tour manager and has been touring sophomore LP Run To The Center (which dropped last February on 22TWENTY) basically since we last spoke in May of 2025. At the time, she told me that she was quite excited for her first-ever show at Johnny Brenda’s, but confessed that her lack of recent time on the road had left her a bit anxious about playing live, feeling notably more comfortable with the writing and recording processes. However, during a phone chat this Monday, Murr tells me she’s come to enjoy performing… usually… but admits that she’s almost ready for something else: “I really enjoy it. It’s a huge amount of work, the schlep of touring, but it’s very rewarding… I now sometimes look forward to playing shows… sometimes [laughs]… Although I’m very much ready to get into a different gear.”
During our most recent chat, Cornelia tells me that her Johnny Brenda’s gig definitely lived up to expectations: “That last show at Johnny Brenda’s was kind of a standout moment… The sound is so amazing and the people who work there seem really happy to be there, which makes a big difference for me!” In addition to her headlining dates, Murr also spent much of the fall touring with singer/songwriter Matt Maltese (including an October show at our Brooklyn Bowl), which she tells me was an especially enlightening experience: “I spent quite a lot of time on the road with Matt Maltese, like 31 shows, and I sang with him, too, in addition to opening. His band is incredible. It felt so elegant and professional to be a part of it all.” But amidst switching gears, Cornelia Murr will be officially wrapping Run To The Center‘s album cycle with live jaunts scheduled throughout March and May (including a March 15th return to Johnny Brenda’s), which she’s eloquently named the “Last Run To The Center” tour. “It’s a little theatrical!” she replies when I comment on the lost art of naming tours.
Since the release of Run To The Center, Cornelia Murr has released a handful of additional tracks, including B-Sides “Treaty” and “Gotta Give,” along with a remix of “How Do You Get By” courtesy of Frank Maston (better known simply as Maston), her collaborator for some August recordings that she hinted at during our previous chat: “You’re right, I did do some recording last summer! I did a batch of songs, and one is coming out on March 6th, ‘Come Undone.’ I recorded a batch of songs with Frank Maston in Paris, and I’m returning in April.” In addition to the release date of her next single, Cornelia also gave me some advance details of the “Last Run To The Center” tour, which officially dropped today: “It’s mostly the same band, but I’m bringing a backup singer, Storey Littleton, who’s also going to be doing a short opening set, and then Reverend Baron – which is Danny Garcia, who’s also playing in my band – is doing the main support set. It’s a family affair [laughs].”
While Cornelia Murr’s set at Johnny Brenda’s last June ran well over an hour, she tells me that her upcoming performances may be even more extensive, including a number of older tracks in addition to much of Run To The Center, whose songs she says she’s really appreciated seeing evolve in a live setting. I ask if she currently has a favorite album track and she tells me, “It’s changed regularly throughout all that time. I have very much enjoyed playing ‘Pushing East,’ which has taken on a new direction live, which is fun to see; it’s gotten much bigger.” Following her US dates, Murr says she’s looking to tour Europe in July, but also admits that, in addition to new music, she’s also working on more practical matters: “It’s a little mysterious for me right now, because I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to live long-term. We’ve been staying in Upstate New York when we’re not travelling… but I think the one project this summer is just to get home secured away and nest a little bit… and write, as well.”
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