NOODLE BOY
Inventive multi-instrumentalist Noodle Boy creates complex collaborative compositions with infectious melodies. It’s his combination of complex instrumentation and simple, honest lyrics that make Noodle Boy songs uniquely his. With a three-part single series underway, Noodle Boy continues to challenge himself and listeners alike in his forward-thinking approach to songwriting.
Noodle Boy’s first single “SPINE” is streaming now.
Photos by Sydney Cramer
Cover art by Rafe DiBiase and Lilli Marvin
Basement: What influences your sound?
Noodle Boy: Noodle Boy on the music side is definitely influenced by proximity. I'm staying in the Chicagoland area right now and there are so many great bands out of the area that I’ve grown to love. I also have been a big fan of artists who do their own engineering and play most if not all the instruments on their records. NNAMDI is one of those people and is someone who inspires me to be a better musician and take more risks. Also, Andy Shauf plays on all of his stuff as well and he is one of my favorite songwriters at the moment. And there are many other bands/artists that I like to absorb like Courtney Barnett, Alvvays, Slowpulp, Bill Wurtz, and Thin Lizzy to list a few.
Basement: What does your writing and recording process look like?
Noodle Boy: The writing process is pretty simple. I usually start with some kinda riff or changes, then find a melody or some lyrics, then demo it out as fast as I can. Then after some time, I will stockpile a list of 20ish demos and only pick the best ones out of that list. After that, maybe make some final tweaks to the songs and then start getting the final sounds. I usually start with a scratch track of the centerpiece of the song, then build it up from there. I went to school for audio so I’m kinda a studio nerd when it comes to that lane of making music, and enjoy micing things up and making new sounds.
Basement: What narratives do you hope or notice come across in your work?
Noodle Boy: I'm honestly not sure what themes come across. I have certain meanings and attachments to the songs but I don’t think that all listeners should get the same things out of one song. I like the fact that each listener can think a song is about something individual to them. And I feel like if I give a black and white answer, It might alienate some listeners if the way they interpreted it was different.
"MOMENTS"
"SPINE"
"NO PLACE"
Basement: Can you tell me about “SPINE” and what went into making the single?
Noodle Boy: Spine was a fun song to make. I think it’s cool because it only has 4 chords in it, just rearranged and played in different rhythms, and while that isn’t a new concept in making music, It was a little different from previous songs I’ve written that sometimes have watered down Deacon Blues like progressions. My friend Liam Fagan killed the drum part, and another good friend, Schaefer Hugebeck, did the licks and the solo work in the bridge part. That's one of my favorite sections I’ve worked on in this band.
Basement: You have two more singles dropping in the coming weeks, can you tell me about these songs and what we can expect?
Noodle Boy: Yea! We have a tune “MOMENTS” coming out on the 27th of May and another one on June 10th called “NO PLACE”. Hopefully, you can expect more tunes that you dig!
Basement: Anything else on the horizon? Where do you hope to take this band down the line?
Noodle Boy: Yes, when it’s safe enough to do so, we want to play as many shows as we can. That's my absolute favorite part of playing music, sharing it with others in a space like a venue. So book us or come see us play! I absolutely can’t wait for that world to open up again. Hopefully down the line, we get to a comfortable spot to make some kinda EP or just a more cohesive project. But in the meantime and as soon as it's safe to do so, shows shows shows.