Noise [Org]

With lineup releases pouring in every day and Rothbury rumors heating up, it’s tough not to look at the calendar with apprehensive anticipation when you’re a festival-lover in the month of January.

Luckily, the second annual AURA Music and Arts Festival was able to satiate my hunger for non-stop music months away from the bevy of summer events. And though I went into the festival with snow on my mind, I left with a brain full of fire.

[CHECK OUT Headstash’s 2011 Music Festival Guide for comprehensive analysis, ticket pricing and lineup information.]

While only a local event with 750 attendees the first year, this time around the festivities were moved to a larger location at the Crescent J Ranch in St. Cloud, FL holding nearly three times as many happy hippies. And with the recent success of festivals in that area – like Bear Creek and Wanee – growing every year, AURA is looking to follow in a similar fashion. So far, the young event seems to be doing just fine.

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A few days before AURA, I was snowed in at my New Jersey home and heard that there was more snow on the way. That’s all I needed to hear to know it was time for me to pack up and get down to sunny Florida. Driving straight through the night, and the blizzard, we finally made it in less than 20 hours. (Not too shabby.)

I was a part of the production crew, who are in charge of building the stages, running the sound, hanging the lights and all of the awesome things most people take for granted at shows. After everything was all done and set in place, a wave of accomplishment began to take hold as we witnessed the first light show of the weekend. Even though it was merely a test, it was still a wonderful feeling.

[FIND pictures from AURA on the festival's official website.]

The following day was the first night of music and we were all ready for things to get kicked off. With three total stages, including a “rage tent” that did just that until 6:00 a.m. every night, AURA was bound to be a wild time.


Photo Credit: Ryan Stiles
The first notes rung out at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and filled the sunset with a classic rock and roll feel. That evening Diocious (think an even more psychedelic Zappa), The Malah (what Lotus wishes they were), Greenhouse Lounge (The Album Leaf on speed), and Zoogma (what STS9 would have sounded like in the early 90s) helped ring in an amazing night of great electronic music.
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After getting to bed at 6:00 a.m., I was up again at 10:00 to help set things up for the day of music to come. If Friday was the warm-up and Sunday was the “chill” day, then Saturday was sure to be a blowout.

Music started at noon but the real party started at 6:00 with Noise[ORG] followed by Aquaphonics, Damn Right!, The Heavy Pets, Sci Fi, Papadosio (what STS9 should be) and DJ Craig Heneveld.

This was easily the best night of music with no more than five minutes in between each set, sometimes even as little as 30 seconds. No time to catch your breathe at AURA. At a few points I wished I had gotten more sleep, but I could only reflect for a short second before another band would start in with some powerful sounds.

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Sunday morning started off similarly with great music played unrelentingly throughout the day with little pause. The Resolvers played a lively reggae set that lit a fire under every ones’ ass. Just what we needed.

Shak Nasti was up next with local legend Roosevelt sitting in on lap steel to liven the place up. Cope was next to play jamming out for quite a while to close out their set with a well-timed “Comfortably Numb” Pink Floyd cover.

The main headliner that evening was Papadosio who, unsurprisingly, played a mind-blowing set that lasted an hour and a half but felt like under a minute. The groove-rock captivated us and led us into a dancing frenzy where time was nothing. - Ryan Stiles, Headstash.com

Yesterday I got a chance to catch up with Kyle Holly and the boys from Noise [Org] who are opening for Big Gigantic this SUNDAY @ the Social in Orlando. Hailing from Auburn these guys have already contributed immensely to the ever-growing electronic music culture with their DJ-fused live band sound…and it only gets better when you go to their shows. SO pumped to see these guys on Sunday but let’s get to the interview (which may or may not have a special surprise at the end):



PBJ: So when, where, why, how (and anything else in-between) was Noise [Org] formed?

Auburn, AL in the Winter of 2008. We started out because we wanted to make a statement in the music scene in Auburn. Something that no one here, or in Alabama has ever done for that matter. Kyle & Bobby met each other Freshman year of college and knew there was something special about the combo. Trey Wright (who plays Bass) met our guitar player, David Wright , randomly from a friend who used to jam with us and everything meshed really well. It was a blast writing all of the music, and the shows just started taking off.




PBJ: You guys have a very unique sound, I read somewhere that Noise Org ‘blurs the lines between a dj and a live band’ but how would you describe N.O.’s sound to someone who hasn’t been to one of your shows or seen the site?

Our sound is exactly that.. Blurs between a LiveBand and DJ, but theres a twist. We sound like an electronica band, but with a bluesy southern-style guitar with a monster sound. A good friend of the band likes to call it Southern DnB, but with everything mixed in between Rock, Electronica, Hip-Hop, Trio-Hop, DubStep, Reggae.. The influences are all over the place.





PBJ: What were some of the highlights for Noise [Org] in 2010? And how did you guys kick off the New Year?

2010 was a huge year for the band, but it all started booming in Fall of 2009. From doing Official STS9 Afterparties to supporting our homies in Big Gigantic, things just started off right. We had Dominic from Big Gigantic sit in with us in November of 2009, and that was really cool. 2010 took off strong too. We started touring more & more, and by the summer of 2010 we had a few festival dates lined up and another Official STS9 Afterparty run + 3 more shows with Big Gigantic. We brought in 2011 in ATL on 12.29 with Two Fresh & the 12th Planet at the Masquerade. We have always loved ATL, and doing that night with our friends in Two Fresh took it to a whole different level.




PBJ: You all have teamed up with some pretty heavy hitters (Disco Biscuits, Pnuma Trio, Big Gigantic, Break Science, Future Rock, DubConscious, Zoogma, Two Fresh, etc.)…if you could pick, what artist (or group) would you like to collaborate with in 2011?

All of those guys listed have been amazing towards us, and really responsive to our music, and what we have been doing in the South. Zoogma, for example, are great friends of ours. We did some of our first shows with them in 2008, and we just booked a mini-tour of the south with them in February. We love getting together with those guys. The guys in Big Gigantic have been great as well. Orlando will be our 7th show with them and we love having them around. Great attitudes about touring, production, and just the music scene in general. We would like to do some more collaborations with bands like Lotus, STS9, Bonobo, & The New Deal. Trying to iron out all of the details.




PBJ: Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and when your not in the studio or doing a show what are you listening to?

The spectrum of musicians. A lot of us grew up listening to classical stuff, especially Kyle. His father was always on tour with Little Richard, so he got to see the aspects of running a business at a very young age from a legend. From this day and age, we take influences from all over. Lately, being more so from our friends in bands like Zoogma, Up Until Now, The Malah, EP3, Papadosio, GreenHouse Lounge etc. Its a wonderful thing for so much art to be created from all of our friends, as well as us, and its just inspiring to see everyone doing so well. There’s much more to be done though.




PBJ: You guys hop around a lot in the U.S. but if you could play anywhere where would it be?

We are in the process of lining up a MidWest- Colorado run right now in March that should be announced soon. It’s definitely a dream of the bands to play Red Rocks one day, either as support, or headlining.




PBJ: How do you think the electronic music scene has grown into the craze it is today and what’s it like to actually be a part of that?

The electronica scene is booming, no doubt about it, and all four of us are stoked to have our piece in it. People are loving the sounds, the lights, the color, the art, everything about it is inspiring. It seems as if people can’t get enough of it. If there is an electronica show going on, people want to be there & be involved. Its a great thing to be able to contribute to such a beautiful movement.




PBJ: What do you enjoy the most about Noise Org shows and playing with Big Gigantic again?

Noise[Org] shows have become an all out party with a positive message, and combining that with our friends in Big Gigantic is great. Kyle found out about Big Gigantic when they released their EP, Fire It Up, in 2009 and knew something was going to blow up about these guys. Getting on bills with him is a great fit because we can bring the full band electronica style to add to their brand of electronica. They are also a pleasure to hang with and be around. Super easy to work with, and crazy humble about what they’re doing and what they’ve accomplished.




PBJ: Where can we find more Noise [Org]?

Right now, our website is being held up due to a server issue but it should be resolved shortly. We have been working on our EP for the past year, trying to get it perfect, and are going to put the finishing touches on it in Atlanta at The Underlying Themes Studio. We are hoping to have it finished, mastered, and released by March of this year. We are all super critical of our music and want to release the best possible EP for our fans, family, and friends. For now, check out www.soundcloud.com/noiseorg, or check us on FaceBook. We will be announcing dates all over the U.S over the next few months as well. - Pnut Butter Jams

The final act of the evening was Noise Organization. This was a fitting final act because the group seemed to take all of the prior shows of the night and mesh them into one sound. Mixing rock, dub, experimental and trip hop, these guys define where the computer meets the rock band. An entirely instrumental show, this group displayed incredible musicianship as it belted through its set. The band seemed to glow through smoky silhouettes by backing its setup with a light show that was less elaborate but comparable to something you might find at an STS9 show. Even after hours of dancing and sweating, Noise Organization suffered little loss of crowd. The audience paid to see a full show and never lost an ounce of energy as it was given just that. - The Boro Pulse

Almost anywhere you went for a drink in Auburn Friday night, you were sure to run into some great music. My tastes led me over to the Independent somewhere around 10 p.m. to catch the opening notes of Auburn locals, Noise Organization. The band played almost all original songs including titles such as “Psyche Split,” “From This Day Forward” and “Samsara."

Noise Org, as most people call them for short, has transformed tremendously over the past year. After loosing a couple of members in early '08, they were able to bring on David Wright (guitar) and Bobby McAlister (keyboard) in addition to original members Trey Wright (bass) and Kyle Holly (drums). The member additions, plus an obvious relentless practice schedule has sky rocketed these four into a rare and special live music experience.

Others in the music scene are taking notice as well and have presented Noise Organization with a spot in Asheville, NC’s, annual Trinumeral Festival (Sept. 11-12) sharing the stage with names like Pretty Lights and Conspirator. The boys of Noise Organization will also be opening for Future Rock at his upcoming Bourbon St. show on Sept 23.

After Noise Organization finished I felt extremely contempt with my night, but due to an increasing crowd at the Independent I decided to stay and see what the next band had to offer. Coming to Auburn from Oxford, Miss., the five piece calls themselves Zoogma. Zoogma is a appealing blend of electronic, rock and jazz that makes you want to move your feet. Zoogma consists of Josh Hastings (guitar) Matt Harris (drums) Preston Boutot (keyboard) Brock Bowling (turn tables) and Ryan Nall (bass).

Like Noise Org, Zoogma has been together for a little more than a year, but is also already making significant strides on the live music scene. They play famous venues like Oxford’s, Lyric Theatre and Nashville’s, Exit/In in September. Also they are scheduled to play the “Deep South Music Festival” in Mobile on Sept. 12.

Together, both bands offered a night of interesting music.

www.myspace.com/noiseorganization - Corner News Auburn AL