N.N.

There are times when I feel I spend a lot of time shouting the virtues and rich inheritance of rock that remains largely unknown south of the (US/Canaduh) border. As a Canuck in the Yankee’s court of The BTO I try to reference the golden nuggets of dirty rock, noise, garage, punk, post and proto and offer that there’s an aspect to the large open spaces of this faded country and the distance between us all up here that should encourage us all Canadians to rock louder and harder than most (I mean fuckin’ Big Sugar? Hello, Tricky Woo? ‘Nuff said…)
But if not for the increasing tightness of the border and the wiles and sidesteps bands have to do to drag rock back to the spawning grounds of the USA, y’all Americans would see more searingly good bands like N.N.
Dirty, raw, loud and unpretentious, these five bros from Edmonton, Alberta are a surprising breath of fresh air from the armpit of the prairies.. or as I call it, “The Methscape”. Heavy, heavy and simple riffs that anyone could get behind, from the hit single ear-worm “Poisoning Me”, there’s no shortage of head bobbing-ly awesome gutter riffage that hits a tough stride on “U” with some riffs that could have been drawn from Touch & Go era Butthole Surfers or even Mudhoney. Then centerpiece “Bitter Man” gets cranking and I realize what a great singer Carmelo is.. the pathos is restrained and when the songs pops into the explosive bridge, he just GOES INSANE, sounding somewhere in between Peter Murphy, Gibby Haynes and Thomas Antona from Alice Donut. In fact there are a few Alice Donut-esque moments of hard and weird riffy psychedelia droning, like “Not Tonight” which could’ve been an outtake from Revenge Fantasies of the Impotent .
Pulling liberally from every good genre of rock, N.N. really sound like true believers, paring down the riffs and songs to a gloriously sludgy essence, the drums and bass a pillar of stone, the guitars burned and rough, the vocals dangerous and full of pathos. When the peaks hit and culminate in every song you know it’s heartfelt and all of that desperation and controlled energy just leaps out of this collection of songs, which translate live into a fury of the same mosh-worthy explosiveness. Tour beasts all, N.N. will hopefully be hitting the US soon so all can have a taste of some true Canuck rock music. - The Big Take Over magazine (New York)

Language warning. This album is rock hall dynamite! Originating in Edmonton, this five-piece punk rock band debuts a ten-track stunner! There is much to hype from the very beginning of the album. It's more than indie shoe-grazer. The two vocalists, two guitarists, bass player and drummer make for an exciting foray into punk Canada's mnemonic landmarks and punk rock phonemes. Tracks like, "Autumn Sky" and "Not Amused" explore chord digressions and lyricism that keep the listener hanging onto the edge. A take notice debut, certain tracks slow the pace of the album but an altogether solid round-about from NN, a localized Canada West punk timbre! Downtown core poster punk recorded, mixed and mastered by Nik Kozub. All songs written and recorded by NN; Princes is a tangible effort that makes the grade.

By Tristin Norenberg-Goodmanson
Dec 30, 2011

- !earshot

Celebrating the release of its first full-length album, Princes, Edmonton punks NN will be headlining a show at New City, where attendance gets you the CD. Prior to the group's show, singularly-named drummer Anton outlined the course the band took to make Princes.

Vue Weekly: How long did it take to make Princes from the initial songwriting through to the end of the recording?
Anton: It took about a year. We started around May 2010 and had the majority of the songs done by December. After our first recording session in January 2011 we decided we needed a couple more songs. We wrote a few more and found two that fit. We finished recording May 2011. Agreeing on album artwork and the title is what delayed the release. At that point the name Princes was a perfect fit.

VW: When you were writing the songs, did you come at them in a particular way? Lyrics first? Music first?
A: We always start with music first. We did try to put music to lyrics a couple times but it always led to a wall. Our singer/lyricist Carms will usually write/test lyrics as we experiment with the song. We meet each other at the end.

VW: Did the songs come from one person fully formed, or were they sketches that were then filled out as a group?
A: They usually start with someone bringing in a riff and a loose vision. We'll jam on it and see what works and what doesn't. The song will usually morph from the original concept into something good or something we never play again.

VW: What were the recording sessions like for this album? Did you record as a band live off the floor or did you piece it together one track at a time? Why?
A: We recorded live off the floor with the exception of the vocals which were tracked later. There were a number of reasons for recording the record this way. Recording live off the floor gave more of a raw natural sound. We like the little imperfections that can be caught off a live recording. Time and expense were also factors.

VW: Were there any other songs written that were left off the album?
A: Yes, many songs didn't make the cut. We felt some were just not good enough to release and then we had some that we were not happy with. Either not happy with the end product or it was not complete in our eyes.
VW: How did you decide which songs to include on the album? Did you have an idea of what you wanted Princes to be when you started, or did the finished shape emerge as the writing and recording went along?
A: We didn't have an idea or concept for the album. Our only plan was to write new songs. We had a stock of six to seven songs we had been playing for a couple years. Once we started playing live shows we decided we needed new material. Over the next year we experimented and pushed our limited musical abilities. In the end we had 10 songs we were very happy with.

VW: You recorded this album with Nik Kozub. What was that like and what does he bring to the process?
A: We love Nik. We found a mutual comfort level with him. He was honest when he thought something wasn't working and had to be redone/rewritten to work. We had heard a lot of the recordings of bands he had worked with and knew if anybody could capture us it would be him. We're very happy with his work and look forward to working with him again.

VW: If you were to trace the musical map that led you to Princes, what would it look like?
A: To be honest our musical map would be all over the place. Each member has a type of music that influences them above all others. When we get together we end up blending it all together. Blues, new wave, punk, mainstream, oldies, etc. We wrote a few songs together that worked and kept going. Princes was the end result. V

- Vue Weekly

With a band name that pays homage to victims of a right-wing dictatorship in Chile, one can be forgiven for expecting Edmonton punk rockers N.N. to be a political group.

Yet, Anton, the group's drummer who simply goes by his first name, clarifies the group's name is really more of a reflection of the band's Latin roots.

"Three out of the five band members have family from Chile," he states. "There was a right-wing dictatorship there and they had a bad habit of killing left-wingers. Instead of telling families what happened to those people, they basically would bury them anonymously and put N.N. on them. It was a way of getting rid of martyrdom so instead of telling the families what had happened they would put people in anonymous graves to get rid of the martyr aspect of things."

While the band name isn't necessarily a true reflection of the band, their debut album Princes is a dynamic introduction to a band that only played their first show in 2010.

After being a band in name only, as a bunch of guys hanging out and playing their instruments, the five-piece garage-influenced outfit has become admittedly better with their instruments and has created a sound that is tough to pigeonhole into any one genre.

"Our full-length," describes vocalist Carmelo, "came about much like our first EP where we needed something to legitimize ourselves as a band. The logical choice was to record another album, and as you progress as a band you want to grow and show that representation of yourselves as a better band. The new disc demonstrates more of what we want to play and how we want to portray ourselves.

"We also came across a guy named Nik Kozub from an Edmonton band called Shout Out Out Out Out who produced the album and he just kind of got us. He understood us and knew what we were going for and it was an awesome experience."

"Not to talk bad about other producers," Anton interjects, "but we did talk to producers that ran larger studios and really only came from the school of (famed producer) Steve Albini. That's cool but it's cooler when you talk to someone who knows where you're coming from and he relates to (us) on that level. All you have to do is see his record collection and you can see he knows what he's talking about.

"He gets it. He's a music nerd just like us."

With a record that is sure to appeal to garage punks that enjoy Toronto's F***ed Up and Pennsylvania's Pissed Jean, Anton assures that their live show Friday night at The Exchange will be a truer representation of what they offer.

"A lot of people have said that while our record is good, it doesn't do us justice live and I know that's typically a given. I think we come across as sounding more powerful in a live environment and I think can appreciate the band a lot more.

"The attitude that we transmit from a stage is so different. You can always tell when people are really feeling it and not faking it. It's just an attitude that you have and a lot of people have told us that the experience is like a type of explosion from the stage. I think that's really cool because you can really get into that energy that's being transmitted off the stage."

(with Coyote and Stunning Creatures) Friday The Exchange



Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/entertainment/Latest+album+adds+evolution/6885495/story.html#ixzz21qVBiZmQ - Leader Post

N.N. Brings Albertan Garage Punk to Town
Alex Giardini — Published July 11, 2012 | Updated July 13, 2012 | No Comments


N.N. at L’Escogriffe July 13
It’s with a garage punk fury that Edmonton’s N.N. sustain Canada’s affair with loud music, but they wouldn’t go as far to name it as such.

“I’m willing to bet that most musicians disregard classification of their music,” said N.N.’s guitarist Dre Calderon. “If only because as music fans we know that there are only two types of music: good and bad.”

The blue-collar ambitions of the five-piece come from past pioneers of punk. Distorted riffs, chunky and fuzzy bass, and ear-shattering drums, accompanied by howls, yells and sometimes shrieks from vocalist Carms, supply a heavy dose of grungy rock & roll. According to Calderon, it’s what’s most natural for the band.

“Our biggest influences have less to do with music per se. We’re much more influenced by the attitude of the artist, no matter their medium.”

Amidst the release of their first proper album, Princes and the supporting Canadian tour, N.N. is searching for recognition and have no plans of slowing down.

“For now, we’re all content striving to be the best band we can possibly be. Cliché? Well, that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
- The Link - Montreal

Edmonton-based band N.N. are known for their aggressive, garage-punk style of music, but still, hearing vocalist Carmelo Zumbo say he hopes the band members don’t kill each other is a bit unsettling, or at least it would be if he weren’t joking.

“We’ve all been friends for too long to do that,” said Zumbo.

Hopefully, N.N. can resist any violent urges that are bound to come along when spending hours cramped together in a van on the band’s first Canadian tour.

They’re on the road in support of their latest album, Princes, with the first stop of the eastbound leg in Regina at the Exchange on Friday night.

“Every one of us is excited, said Zumbo. “We can’t wait.”

Following N.N.’s Canadian tour, Zumbo said he and the band are looking forward to getting back in the studio to do another album, and they already have a couple new songs written.

“I think after the tour we’re probably going to take a bit of a break, and then go back into the studio and start writing more songs to get another album out there as soon as we can,” said Zumbo.

While this is the band’s first Canadian tour, this isn’t the first tour for the band. After recording their debut EP, N.N. forwent touring North America — opting instead for a ten-hour flight to Tokyo.

“We actually skipped a whole bunch of steps as a Canadian band,” said Zumbo. “We recorded our first songs and EP, and then we took off to Tokyo and did a tour there. It was a whole different experience altogether -— different culture, different language, different everything. We weren’t sure exactly how we were going to be received.”

Despite cultural differences, Zumbo said the band was well received in Japan.

“I think a music fan is a music fan,” said Zumbo, adding however, audiences on either side of the Pacific digest music in different ways.

“With Tokyo, I found the crowd listens more intently to the lyrics and are more focused on that. Here in Canada, (the audience) typically just feels the music, the energy and beat,” he said.

N.N. play the Exchange on July 6, alongside Coyote and Stunning Creatures. Tickets are $8 at the doors, which open at 7:30 p.m.

- Metro Regina

Edmonton grunge punk rockers N.N. are bringing their music to Regina on July 6th. Since the band started in 2010, they've released 2 EPs and headlined a show of 200 in attendance. Rage talked with drummer Antonio Ponce, who describes their music as "a blend of genres played loud and fuzzy."


"Everyone in the band came from a different place musically," Ponce added. "I think that's what makes our songs interesting. You'll hear elements of blues, hip hop, new wave, noise, punk etc. When we get together we each bring those influences with us and we make NN."


The band recently their album, Princes, which you can stream from their bandcamp or buy for $5. "The album took about a year to complete," said Ponce. "By early 2011 we had 10 songs we were happy with and eventually released Princes October 2011. This album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Nik Kozub. We had heard previous albums he had recorded and knew he had to be the one to record us. We recorded the album live off the floor in the same room. It gave the louder fuzzier sound we were looking for. We're very happy the way Princes turned out. "


Ponce says their success comes from setting goals with each other and then working hard to achieve them. "When we write a new song it usually begins with someone bringing in a riff or beat they wanna try out. We then each add our own flavor and in the end we'll have a song. That process is usually applied to anything the band decides to do. We each have an opinion and we'll work together to find an end we're all happy with."


Ponce said the band's goals include simply continuing what they're doing now. "We'd love to tour the world & continue to write new music. We as individuals enjoy travelling and have gone on epic adventures whenever we've had the chance, most recently together. We also really enjoy creating new music and new sounds. If we could continue touring and making new records we'd probably look back on life with a smile."


Catch N.N. at the Exchange July 6th - Rage Regina

What you need to know about N.N. before we get started – they play a brand of hard rock and punk that sounds like sort of a cross between Iggy and the Stooges and the Beastie Boys. They’ve had the same lineup for four years, even though during that time there’s been some shuffling (in the early days, Antonio Ponce – now the drummer – started as the lead vocalist). They’re about to release their first EP and are heading to Tokyo for Japan Music Week this fall. And they have very graciously hooked us up with a few songs for you guys to enjoy – but I am having a hell of a time getting them uploaded. I promise I’ll add them as soon as our Internet woes get sorted out - The Edmontonian

Getting booked to play showcases in Japan is an accomplishment any band should be proud of, let alone a band that’s only been taking music seriously for a few months. N.N.’s recent transition from “drinking group that had a band problem,” to legitimate band, has the Edmonton rockers heading to the Land of the Rising Sun for a series of early November shows at Tokyo’s Japan Music Week.

But first, there were plane tickets to buy. The situation called for a bit of creativity: drummer Antonio Ponce, along with guitarists David Leicht and Andres Calderon, bassist Alvaro Andres Anacona Zuleta and singer Carmelo Zumbo opted to solicit for donations before holding an epic series of garage sales to help fund their travels. The mission was successful.

“That’s where we made a lot of our money,” Ponce says.

The undisputed business head of N.N., Ponce also found a way to sidestep visa requirements by making sure the band would be earning no money during this trip. Putting the band’s EP up for download on iTunes Japan in advance means there’s no longer a need to bring merch, and the group plans to pass around cards containing information on where its music can be purchased.

N.N.’s 7-song EP This Is… N.N. is half professional and clean, half fuzzed out and lo-fi. It’s a result of mixing studio recordings with ones done at home by Leicht.

“One thing we all decided was that we needed to go and get something that was a tad more polished,” says Leicht, in reference to the songs. “Not everything can be lo-fi and sound disgusting.”

But that gross noisiness is definitely a part of N.N.’s history. When you get down to it, they’ve more or less been a loose unit for five years, a booze-fuelled party pastime that often involved jamming out Flipper’s “Sex Bomb” over and over and over.

“That was the only song we could all play in unison,” Calderon says.

Wait, what? It seems a strange common ground for your average group of guys in their late twenties.

But N.N.’s sound is an amalgamation of all its members’ interests, which include more than just inaccessible early hardcore.

“The way I’ve always seen it is Carmelo is more influenced by bluesy rock. Alvaro has got a little more of a dance edge to him insofar as you can consider Joy Division and New Order dance bands. Anton is more of a pop guy; he’s got pop sensibilities. Dre pretty much got me into punk rock, Black Flag and stuff. Dre and I are the punk guys in the band,” Leicht says.

But N.N. finds common ground in areas other than musical preference: three of its members are of Chilean descent, childhood friends whose families suffered under the right-wing coup of 1973 and relocated to Canada as political exiles. The band’s name is in homage to the many victims of atrocities under Pinochet’s regime; they’ve adopted the initials used on the graves of unidentifiable corpses.

“It’s a tribute to those people,” Calderon says
- See Magazine