by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Noise music has been around for a while, but it seems that with the recent appreciation of Masami Akita’s long-running Merzbow project, solo artist Keiji Haino and the electronic mayhem of Kid 606, noise has now become the true underground alternative music.

Currently at the forefront of noise music are Ann Arbor, MI’s Wolf Eyes, who take extreme high and low frequencies to uncharted territories and deliver a pummelling, teeth-gnashing aggression that is unparalleled. The Mirror talked with Wolf Eyes’ Nate Young over the phone before he began packing for his tour with noise forefathers Whitehouse.

Mirror: With songs like “Stabbed in the Face,” you seem to have really violent lyrics. Is this a reaction to the aggressive mood of the music?

Nate Young: Well, we are playing at such a high decibel level that those lyrics just seem to fit. Our lyrics come last, so I guess they are usually a reaction to the music. I also really like Italian horror movies and Conan comic books. I also like Manowar kind of lyrics, and like putting them in a different context.

M: Would you say that noise is just a natural progression from the original intention of punk rock?

NY: I think the two definitely go together. They both share the DIY aesthetic, and I think a lot of people enjoy noise because it is something you can cultivate yourself. Also, the talent you need to do this is even less than, say, the talent you would need to be in the Germs, so it’s accessible to most people to do.

M: You build a lot of your own instruments, oscillators and so on. How did that start?

NY: I didn’t really have any money and I wanted to go beyond just what a guitar could do. I would go to a thrift store and buy some broken radios, and I realized that if I added a switch and did some other things, I could change it and use it. I’ve built a lot of elaborate and intricate stuff, but now I have to refine them and make them drunk-proof, so they’ll be user-friendly even when I’m really drunk. The stuff we use now is dependable when we abuse it, and is easily accessible in most guitar shops when we’re on tour. I think the total value of each member of Wolf Eyes’ equipment is about $50.

M: Are there ever sounds you hear in your head that you try and recreate, or do you just work with the sounds that are available to you?

NY: When I was a kid, I dropped some LSD and I heard all of these sounds in my head, and that’s when I thought I was a brilliant musician. I figured it would be easy after that, because those sounds in my head gave me a direction. When I was a carpenter, one of the best sounds I ever heard was when we would cut those 24-foot long pieces of steel with a circular saw. It just had an amazing resonance and a terrible scream to it. That sound would be perfect for Wolf Eyes.

With Whitehouse at la Sala Rossa on
Tuesday, March 7, 9 p.m., $15

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