One of the things I love about the oi! and punk scene is that the music is written, performed, and released by regular working-class folks like us. It’s democratic, it’s DIY, and it’s authentic. Anyone can pick up a guitar and write a song that means something to them. That being said, the downside of the unrestricted nature of our scene is that there are a lot of honestly untalented people out there calling themselves oi! bands. Noi!se from Tacoma Washington, USA are definitely not one of those bands.
A friend of ours from the West Coast sent out the 7” release “Walk Beside Us” a couple of years ago, and it was one of the best early Christmas presents I ever received. It was so refreshing to hear lyrics that were thought-out, intelligent, and meaningful. The vocal stylings were completely different from a lot of modern-day American oi! bands, and the quality of musicianship displayed by the band was unmistakably high. Noi!se is one of my favourite new bands, and I am sure they will be one of yours too if they aren’t already. Read on and then pick up their latest release “This is Who We Are.” You won’t regret it.
Subculture Spirit: To start off, could you tell us about what motivated you guys to originally start the band up? Did you start off the band hoping to put out something different, or hoping to continue along the lines and sound of previous American oi! bands?
Nate: Originally, I started the band with a co-worker as strictly something fun. I think that as a musician there's always an undefined idea for music that follows you until you find the right situation. I found Matt, and I felt he had great talent. It's hard to find guys that good who are willing to write simple songs and let the different hooks and layers tell the story. We had no plans to fit into a specific category, or design our sound around an existing archetype, and at the
time were not even sure if people in our culture would love it or hate it. For some reason we have different influences and it really seemed to work well from the beginning. It was spooky.
time were not even sure if people in our culture would love it or hate it. For some reason we have different influences and it really seemed to work well from the beginning. It was spooky.
S.S: Have you guys all played in previous bands? If so, could you describe them to us – any other bands you are currently playing in?
Justin: We’ve all played in bands before. Though he hates talking about it, Matt was in Aires and Graces, which essentially went defunct as soon as he was out of the band. Nate has been in every kind of band imaginable. I’m most familiar with Shield Your Eyes, which was his hardcore band. He’s also been in some straight-up rock n roll bands (Mack Truck, for one). I was in a few bad punk rock bands as a teenager, and played old school Victory-style hardcore in Forced Life when I was in San Diego. After that, I tried to start a few projects, but I pretty much put my guitar down for awhile once I enlisted. Kenny's been in bands forever. I've known him for over a decade and he's done a lot of punk, hardcore and even metal during his time as a musician. He drummed in Contingent and Lahar, two heavy hardcore bands from a while back and he also played bass in Crooks to Kings and more recently guitar in Poverty Bay Saints. It helps a lot having a drummer that has that kind of experience with inputs and styles, because he really knows how to function as an individual and a team player at the same time.
S.S: One thing that I like the most about the band is that you stray away from falling into the typical “oi!” clichés in your song-writing. Who writes the lyrics to the songs in the band, and where do you find the inspiration to write the words?
N: Thank you! Matt and I write the majority of the lyrics. We all love really traditional punk and Oi! songs, that have point blank –in your face lyrics, but we shy away from specifics for the most part and write from the standpoint of a reaction, response or feeling generated from the situations in life as opposed to the situations themselves. We are living in a crazy world now and it brings out all kinds of inspiration.
S.S: I really dig the song “The Coming Storm” off of the “Oi! This is Streetpunk” compilation. Could you tell us a bit about what the song is about – what is the “coming storm?”
Matt: I'm glad you like it! Though Noi!se is not (and never will be) a political band, we are a band that writes about the world around us. That being said, it became very hard to ignore how the political climate in our country was adversely affecting its citizens. While wealthy politicians argue over who has the nation's working class's best interest at heart, we have friends that can't find work and struggling to make ends meet. Our songs don't take political stances, and The Coming Storm is no exception. It simply describes the irony of the ever growing distance between the policy makers and those affected most by them.
S.S: From what I understand, the band is based in Washington, but Matt and Justin, you guys are often doing military service. Do you guys find it difficult to keep the momentum going with the band with one or more members often living out of the country?
J: The military definitely makes it difficult. We still managed to find ways to make it work. When I first joined the band, I had to go to Texas for two months to do some training, and we worked it out so we could play Austin with our friends in The Broadsiders. It was like a mini-vacation with a show thrown in. Later on, we recorded a seven inch, a ten inch, and tracks for two splits because we knew Matt was deploying to Afghanistan, but we couldn’t play any shows to promote them because he left almost two weeks after everything was on vinyl. We basically put the band on ice when he left. Still, we have very positive, pro-active attitude about songwriting and practicing, so me and the rest of the band who were here stateside continued to practice and write songs without Matt, and he continued to write new songs on a guitar that he brought to Afghanistan. That strategy played out really well. The internet has really helped us all communicate, too.
S.S: Matt and Justin, while on the topic of the army, the military has meant many different things to different people in the punk and oi! scene. In the punk scene, the army is often depicted as an authoritarian and unjust institution, whereas in the oi! scene it’s often made out to be a method of protecting one’s home and taking pride in one’s abilities. What motivated you to join the troops, and how do you reconcile it with your participation in the oi! scene?
M: That's an extremely accurate assessment of the differing viewpoints for the most part. At the risk of sounding like an ad, I joined the Army to serve my country and find some desperately needed direction in my life. After I joined, I realized that I really enjoyed it and decided to stay in. That being said, soldiers are not oblivious to the problems in their government, nor are they "brainwashed" and blindy serving it. I was once asked by a German zine how I deal with all of the "bullshit" rules, and I think my answer kind of speaks to your question as well. What job is there where employees do not complain about things they are required to do for their vocation? Even if you're self employed you are beholden to your government to pay taxes, etc. Living in the real world means doing things you don't necessarily want to do sometimes. People watch TV and think they have an inkling of a notion as to what being a soldier entails. Apart from being away from our families, and some of the things we have do (as well as the danger involved with them) the Army is not much different than a "regular" job. Yes, we all wear a uniform, but so do the guys at Burger King and you never hear anyone asking a BK employee how they deal with all the "bullshit rules". Bottom line is that both I and my family are proud of what I do for a living and that transcends the need to belong to any scene. If people have a problem with what I do, it's exactly that….their problem.
J: I cannot and do not speak for anyone but myself here, but I’ll give my two cents. I joined after 9-11, but to be honest, though, I was considering military service before it happened. To me, it has always been a means to an end. I worked in factories and warehouses before I joined the Army, and I’ve always had a very blue-collar approach to whatever I’ve done for a living. Sure, the Army is authoritarian, but the more time you spend in the military, the more you realize that it’s not all that different than a typical job in the private sector, whether blue or white collar. Like Jimmy’s cousin says in Quadrophenia, ”There's always some cunt with stars and stripes on his arm telling you what to do! “ I don’t care if you’re making windows, moving furniture, doing data entry, or on patrol in Afghanistan, it’s the truth all the way around. As far as what I do for a living, I don’t feel the need to reconcile it with any scene or group of people.
S.S: Nate – I heard through the grapevine that you are a tattoo artist. In your opinion, what is the connection between the oi! and punk/underground scene and tattoos? Do you think that as tattoos become less taboo they will become less a part of the skinhead movement, or do you think that they are a natural part of the aesthetic?
N: They're here to stay. They serve as a way to show dedication, or even someone's lack of dedication. It's easy to get a tattoo, harder to stand behind the commitment, but I don't think anyone should feel mandated to get a tattoo.
S.S: Matt – another thing I really like about Noi!se is the unique vocal stylings. I find that a lot of oi! is about having gruff, monotone vocals – but your vocals have a lot of affectation and melody in them. Was this a conscientious choice, or did it just come naturally?
M: Thanks so much. As a kid, I spent a great deal of of time listening to Motown in the car with my mom (she is a Motown fanatic). That is the first music I sang along to and I've always been drawn to music with melody/ harmonies. When I got in to punk and Oi!, I always liked the bands that were able to convey an aggressive message and sound while maintaining a melodic element to the music. When I started to write my own music, I always tried (tried being the operative word) to add a small element of soul to the vocals. Apart from that, there is very little deliberate intent behind my writing. A bassline or riff will pop into my head and I'll start humming it. Once I figure out the progression, I'll start humming a melody that fits as a vocal progression, then guitar, then drums…..and that’s how I write a song. A lot of times they're completely written by the time I get to a guitar. "What Happened to the Kids" was written on the side of a mountain in Korea. Admittedly, it's a very amateur writing style, but it definitely comes in handy, given my profession. The great part is showing the song to the band and having them come up with their individual parts that far exceed what I came up with in my head.
S.S: What is the scene like out on the West Coast? Do you guys play many gigs out there, or do you find yourselves travelling to play shows?
N: I love the west coast! Seattle is so supportive, we love it. There's so many great bands out here, we are lucky. We play locally. We like to travel, but with our jobs collectively sometimes it's hard to get out. We really want to go to the east coast and play, so I would say
we do as much as we can of both right now.
we do as much as we can of both right now.
S.S: Seems like you guys have been collaborating lately with many different groups such as Sydney Ducks, Gestalts, Razors in the Nights, the Broadsiders... any other up-and-coming American oi! bands that you could recommend to our readers? Any bands that you hope to collaborate with in the future?
J: Hounds and Harlots, Opposing Force.
M: There are quite a few. Justin hit the nail on the head with those two. There is a big resurgence in the American scene right now that is really awesome to be a part of. I am actually putting together a compilation to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project called "United We Stand: The Frontlines of American Streetpunk", which will essentially highlight some newer bands in the scene as well as established bands. Old Firm Casuals, Harrington Saints, Patriot, Broadsiders, Hounds and Harlots, Gestalts, Broken Heroes, Roadside Bombs, and Aces and Eights are just a few that will be featured. I'm really excited about it.
S.S: So what’s next in the cards for Noi!se?
M: We have a show with Cock Sparrer and Rancid in San Francisco in about 2 weeks at which time our discography is being released on a CD called "Pushing On" (Longshot and Step 1). We will go in to the studio to record our first full length (and debut release on GMM) sometime in late May or early June. I will be doing some guest vocals on Perkele's next release, as well. We will also be playing the 2000 Tons of TNT Fest in September. Apart from that, we will continue to try and get more bands from our genre up to Seattle to play (interested bands, hit us up) and record songs for splits and comps. Needless to say, 2012 is going to be a very busy year for us. ■
