Murder by Death started under the name Little Joe Gould, playing clubs for free drinks. Bassist Matt Armstrong says the group sort of fell into the music world with the help of one of its favorite bands, Thursday.

“They helped the band out a lot,” Armstrong says. “They sort of taught us how to do all this.”

After being signed by Eyeball Records, the group has appeared with bands like The Cure, Cursive and Interpol. Other than the normal obstacles that could stand in a band’s way, such as crowds disliking its music, Armstrong says the band really hasn’t run into any major problems on its road to success.

“Nothing that would cause a VH1 ‘Behind the Scenes,’ at least,” he says.

Murder By Death is currently on tour to promote its latest album, “Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them.” Armstrong says the long drives may cause some crankiness, but other than that, touring is an enjoyable experience.

“It is like getting paid to hang out with your friends and drink beer,” Armstrong says. “We like pretty much everything about it.”

Armstrong says touring provides the band a chance to visit national parks and participate in ritual arm-wrestling tournaments on off days. When they aren’t performing, the band members also like to window shop.

“Other than that, we like to hit up local guitar stores to look around and drool and wish we had more money,” he says.

Armstrong says the members who comprise Murder By Death each have different likes and dislikes, and these influences have unique effects on the band’s music. For example, Armstrong gets a lot of inspiration from another band member’s deep interest in Tim Burton movies.

In the end, Armstrong says, music is just an extension of the musician.

“It’s just what flows out of you,” he says.

Armstrong says many bands these days don’t realize what it takes to be successful. The band did not know what it was doing when it started, Armstrong says, but it has learned at least one thing is important when trying to be a professional musician.

“Make sure you are serious and willing to drop everything else in your life to do it,” he says. “You have to want it.”

Playing a lot of shows helps too, Armstrong adds. The band never passes up an opportunity to make friends.

“You never know who is going to pull through for you, ” Armstrong says.