NOi!SE

"NOi!SE" is a new band from the northwest. We recently had the opportunity to ask Matt, who sings and plays bass, a couple questions about being in "NOi!SE".

First things first, what's the lineup of "NOi!SE", and how did you begin playing together?
NOI!SE is
Matt: Vocals, Bass
Nate: Vocals, Guitar
Justin: Lead guitar and backing Vocals
Miko: Drums, Backing Vocals
I was in Korea doing some training and got an email from Nate saying he wanted to put something together. He and Miko were fucking around with some stuff and when I got home I came in to jam one day and was really impressed with what they had going on. Nate's style of writing and my style are very different, but seem to work well together. I met Justin at the pub during a Sounders match and found that he played guitar. Then listened to him do it and was blown away. That was about 2 months ago. We're a pretty new band.

What do you guys like to do in your spare time?
Between the Army, the band and spending time with family and friends (they're pretty much one in the same) I don’t have much.
Nate builds motorcycles and tattoo machines.

What happened with Aires and Graces?
I returned from a training exercise in FL and received an email from A and G's guitar player informing me that the band "wouldn’t work with me in it". Probably for the best as I’m in a band I really enjoy now.

What kinds of things inspire you to write music?
I get inspired by people's reactions to the world around them. Blame, for example, is about people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions. We live in a time where a glance at the evening news is inspiration for literally hundreds of songs. I like to take those instances and write through the eyes of the people affected by them that so often don’t have a voice. Every day we hear "the American people..." from people so far removed from our society they couldn’t possibly know what we are going through. Music is a vehicle for giving a voice to the unheard.

In the past 2 months the North West has had the misfortune of seeing 5 cops killed, and 2 more shot and in critical condition. With parts of the skinhead and hardcore scene saying "fuck 'em", what do you have to say about the general loss of life, and law enforcement?
I live down the street from where the degenerate child rapist and career criminal piece of shit murdered 4 cops in a coffee shop. I thinks it's amazing that anyone could say "fuck em" when innocent people are murdered. Those cops were people's mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. Whatever your personal experience is with cops. Are there police that abuse their position of authority? Absolutely. I’ve experienced it myself. Are there just as many in it for the right reasons and who make a conscious effort to make communities a safer place at the expense of their safety? Yep! Grouping demographics of people together based on an negative experience with a select few is something I have a really big problem with and sounds a lot like what racists do, doesn’t it? I think it goes against everything this scene is about. When you start wishing death on them, you get dangerously close to losing what it is that makes you a human being. Just my opinion, although I have lost friends to a group of people who want to kill a very large demographic they have lumped together into one big object for hatred.

What's your opinion on violence in the skinhead scene?
Violence is always going to be a part of the scene, although it does seem a little less violent now than it was when I was younger. When you're dealing with a group of individuals with a substantial amount of pride and principles that will not be compromised, people are going to butt heads. Then again, there are fights on every bullshit reality TV show you turn on, so maybe instead of casting aspirations on our scene people should just chalk it up to human nature. Maybe we're just better at it than the assholes on "Jersey Shore" or whatever the hell it's called. Wearing a pair of Tapout shorts doesn’t make you hard, kids.

It seems a lot of skinhead bands today like to talk about uniting the scene. What do you think of the U.S. scene, and what would you change about it?
Unification is one of those words that can start to lose importance without some sort of implementation. We can all say "let's unify the scene" but, if nobody lifts a finger to make it happen, or at least spends some time actually considering what that entails, then we're no better than the politicians running their mouths about how this and that is going to change and doing fuck all to make it happen. Possible good intentions with a bunch of empty promises and no way to make them happen, the end result being (I think I may have gone off on a tangent there)


Being a soldier of The U.S. Army, did voting in the last presidential election mean more to you than times before?
Not really. My job stays the same no matter who’s steering the ship.

What do you think of the current U.S. President, Barack Obama?
He's my boss........remarks complete.

With roots from Atlanta, what do you think of the (in my opinion under appreciated) bands, Moonstomp, and The Kickers boys?
Im with you. Great bands

What are you top 5 favorite bands of all time?
That’s incredibly hard for me to answer and if you ask me next week you may get a different answer, but here goes:
Emergency
The Anti-Heros
The Krays
Alternate Action
Stiff Little Fingers

Top 5 albums?
Emergency: 1,2,3,4
Sick of It All: Built to Last
Anti-Heros: American Pie
The Slackers: The Question
Terror: One With the Underdogs

Top 5 songs?
Ottis Redding: These Arms of Mine
Alternate Action: Never Again
Control: Keep the Homes Fires Burning
Vogelfrei: Tonight
Beyonce: All the Single Ladies

What current skinhead bands are you into?
The Broadsiders; The Bad Bloods; Rough Stuff; Harrington Saints; Marching Orders and last but not least, the Jonas Brothers

Are there any bands or types of music you are into that your friends, or band mate would never expect?
I am a big fan of Old School hip hop. This sometimes can be heard during sound check, or when I think my wife cant hear me and begin my various renditions of old favorites.

I'm a very big Sounders F.C. fan, and I know you are as well. What were some of your thoughts when you heard that we lost Le Toux to the Philadelphia Union?
I think after a first season like the one we had, any loss is going to be a disappointment to every fan, but such is the way in sports.

If you could bring back any celebrity, be them a musician, actor, artist, politician, ect. who would you bring back?
That’s a good question, man. I'll try to restrain my sudden urge to blurt out Chris Farley. I'd say Joe Strummer, I don’t think he was done here.


What's your favorite beer, and meal?
Blue Moon or New Castle, Any time I come home after being gone for a while:Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and collards. Any other time: steak. I like pretty much anything put in front of me.

Any last words, thanks, or shout outs?
Thanks for interview and to anyone who’s checked out our music. We have a 7 inch coming out on Contra Punk/ Longshot in the next couple of months. To anyone who hasn’t checked us out yet and would like to waste some valuable time doing so:
www.myspace.com/destinycitynoise
www.contra-net.com
www.longshotmusic.com