Nooner

The moment “Concrete Jungle” hit my ears, it became impossible to sit still. After listening to some of what else Nooner had to offer, I found myself relating to every lyric they were putting out. The most addictive beats I’ve heard since The Clash. Nooner’s music appeals to all ages, a quality that seems to have vanished in recent bands. They prove that crossing over into different genres does not demand the sacrifice of their bottom line attitude. From the screaming frustration of every day life in “Concrete Jungle” to the generation defining charge that makes “Kids” raise their hands as one, it’s apparent that Nooner has arrived. They just seem to get it. Rock n Roll at its best. They’re here to stay.
–Lawrence Erlichman
Music Gorilla Founder
- Lawrence Erlichman

By Sean Claes, Kyle TX

Whatever happened to rock and roll? You know, the artists that don't need a drum machine, synthesized voices or a gimmick to get their music heard? Well, four guys out of Austin, Texas are putting the rock back on the music scene.

Nooner is made up of lead singer Chris Telles, guitarist Greg Massouh, bassist Tim Brown, and drummer Ben Mills. This foursome plays a mean live show. Brown is a maniac on the bass and Telles has a great command over the crowd.

What occurred to me while listening to their debut self-titled album, is, their songs could easily be soundtracks to this generation. The songs rock, have intricately simple lyrics and are easy to sing along to after one or two listens.

Remember hair-bands of the 80s? Well, take a hair band, infuse some Nirvana for some balls, and you will have the basic idea of Nooner's sound.

The just-past teen-angst sound of "Hold It Together" has some great lyrics. "It gets us by, it pays our high, and if we got our friends we could hold out together."

There are a couple of times while spinning this disc that I felt the lyrics were a bit weak, like in the over-rhyming "Boss Me Around" but the bulk of the album is really well done.

The power-ballad of the set is a song titled "Richard Pryor." It is an almost funny look at the extremes a man will go to explain how he feels about a woman.

"Friday Night" is pretty true description of what can happen in a relationship when one is a little overbearing. "If I want some drama, I've got you."

Whether you catch Nooner live, or pick up a CD, you shouldn't be disappointed. Find out when Nooner is playing your area, or how to get hold of this release by going to http://www.noonerrock.com.
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This review can be found at http://krox.com/cdreviews/display.aspx?id=30494
- Sean Claes -Insite Magazine and 101X

http://www.theedgemagazine.com/Pages/34.pdf

http://www.theedgemagazine.com/Pages/35.pdf - Sharon Jones

A nooner - the word itself has certain implications. It's naughty but oh, so great. It's something most people strive for, but seldom experience - gratuitous fun.

For the last year, Austin has been blessed with Nooner - a four-piece pop-rock band that unapologetically takes the stage and brings audiences to the brink of enjoyment. Nooner isn't angst-ridden-I-hate-everyone music. Nooner isn't thought provoking mood music. Nooner is straight-up rock and roll - the return of the three-minute feel-good power-pop song.

Nooner's music is a hark back to many of the party bands that were popular in the 1970s and 80s- like Poison, Cheap Trick, and KISS. It isn't because of the music per-se; it's more the fact that there finally stands a band that is dedicated to having a good time again.

"There's a little bit of all of those (70s and 80s) bands in our sound. All of them are whom we grew up with," lead singer Chris Telles said. "Those bands are who a lot of the people in our audience grew up with. Everyone gets something different from a Nooner show. There was some guy in El Paso who kept insisting we sounded just like the Misfits. It's all up to interpretation."

Nooner is a band that doesn't need to be figured out. They are a simple catchy pop-rock band. "When we get compared to some of the 80s bands, it means we are a fun, happy, energetic party band. We don't write about teen angst. I don't take that as a bad thing," drummer Ben Mills said. "I see us as background music for a party."

"I see us as an excuse for a party," Telles said.

Speaking of a party, Nooner has snagged themselves a spot at a showcase during Austin's biggest music industry party, South By Southwest (SXSW). They will be playing on Friday, March 19 at 11p.m. at Jakarta Jack's. (located downtown above Coyote Ugly at 6th and Neches).

Bassist Tim Brown has attended SXSW as a fan and was a member of a band in a showcase a few years ago. "So much goes on during that week, it's so hard to process," he said. "Just to be a part of it is so big. It's a bit overwhelming."

They will be a part of the Austin Indie Alliance's (AIA) showcase. The AIA is a network of local musicians who get together and cross-promote each other. Nooner has been a member of this group for about six months. "Everyone in the AIA have been really supportive of each other. We check our egos at the door," Telles said.

Promotion is something that Nooner saw the benefits of in the very beginning. In fact, before they played their first live show, they had recorded a three-song demo. They used it to get their foot in the door at clubs, and then to leave a little something in the hands of folks that came out to see them. "Out of the bands I know in Austin, none of them promote themselves like Nooner does," guitarist Greg Massouh said. "We probably handed out 3,000-3,500 demos at gigs, at First Thursdays (on South Congress), and on 6th Street.

Also, Nooner recently released their debut CD. The self-titled ten-song disc comes in just under 36 minutes. They finished recording the CD in time for a January 31, 2004 release.

The bulk of the tracks are upbeat songs. The lyrics are catchy and the music is easy to remember. Their first single is "Concrete Jungle" a fun Austin survival song. They hope to be garnering some air play on radio stations soon.

One of their more serious tracks on the disc is "Richard Pryor," an ironic love song. The chorus is "If I were on fire / with Richard Pryor / or if I was underwater / with Jacques Cousteau / all my thoughts would be with you / All my dreams would be of you."

"It seemed like such an extreme situation - To a) be on fire and b) be with Richard Pryor - and then to be thinking about a person is so sweet," Telles smiled. "I like scuba diving so Jacques Coustou just seemed natural."

A live favorite is the first song off the disc, "Kids." The song features some women yelling cheers between verses. Very catchy. "When we play in Austin, we always close with Kids, because a bunch of women jump up on stage and sing the cheerleader parts," Brown said.

Their CD has been selling well at shows and they have had to replenish the supply at CDBaby (http://www.cdbaby.com), an online CD retailer. But, Telles is quick to point out that the amount they sell isn't what drives the band. "Numbers aren't important. The fact is, the CD is selling. People are coming out to the shows and wanting to leave with a CD. That's blowing us away," Telles said. "I signed my first chest in Wichita Falls."

He signed a woman and a man's chest that night. "I don't know if they were together or not, but they showed each other," he said.

That's what it's all about, bringing signed bosoms together.

Nooner isn't in talks with a label at this point, but wouldn't mind the opportunity. "I don't think getting on a label was our focus until now. We now have some pieces lined up - a full-length CD, attendance at our shows, a catalog of music, we are more ready to talk to a label at this point," Brown said.

Of course, they are already causing some stir in Germany. "Actually, as soon as the CD was released, we got two e-mails from some DJs in Germany saying they wanted to spin it," Brown said. They jokingly hope to dethrone David Hasslehoff as the king of German pop music, but they know that Hasslehoff has a firm hold on that market.

For now Nooner is just concentrating on playing the high-energy live shows.

When a person goes to a Nooner show they are just as likely to hear a Afghan Wigs, Loverboy or Pat Benetar song as an original one. "We play whatever is going to make someone happy and tap their feet and don't shove music down anyone's throat," Massouh said.

Seriously, it's hard to be serious around Nooner, be it watching them perform or sitting down to interview them. They are four guys that have a common goal - to rock and roll and have fun while doing it.

"Some people are born with a God-given gift to take music to the masses," Massouh said. "I'm not one of those people, but I'm trying to have a good time.

If you don't catch them at their SXSW showcase, be sure you stop by http://www.noonerrock.com to see how to pick up their debut album or check to see when and where you can catch them next. - InSite Magazine-Written by Sean Claes

Sometimes it's hard to believe that only about 575 miles of desert separates El Paso from one of the biggest music Meccas in the country. But while Austin might be a prime destination for those hoping for a career in rock 'n' roll, El Paso has a draw of its own as an emerging scene, eager to be heard.

Austin-based rock band Nooner has selected El Paso to be its first road gig destination. The band, which formed about a year ago, has two members from El Paso - singer Chris Telles and lead guitarist Greg Massouh. Telles left Sun City for Austin 10 years ago to go to college. But he has kept his eyes on music since his days of playing in bands in El Paso as a kid.

Telles said Nooner has had some success in the cutthroat Austin scene, packing small bars and clubs with their Foo Fighters-esqe sound.

"I only wish I would have started doing this sooner," he said by telephone while he got an oil change in Austin.

Telles, 28, said he and the other members of the band are pretty much all working and leading normal lives, making touring difficult. But El Paso sounded like a good place to start with road gigs since he grew up here.

He also thinks the El Paso scene could blow up at any moment.

"It seems like if El Paso's not careful, it's going to end up like Seattle - for better and for worse," he said, referring to Seattle's burst of grunge rock.

It certainly seems like El Paso could be poised for an explosion, with strong bands like Maximus, Electric Funeral and The Conversation.

But the biggest trick seems to be making that leap east or west to be heard in other cities. Local scene watchers know there is something to be heard here, but crossing the desert in a hot, sweaty bus can be tough - and expensive.

So it's either suffer through the traveling or leave town, which is what pop-punk band Wednesday did recently, after getting signed to a label in Phoenix. The quartet shares a two-bedroom apartment. Not exactly glamorous, but at least they're doing it.

- El Paso Times-By Matt Johnson

http://insiteaustin.com/current.pdf - INsite Magazine