Noothgrush is a Crushing Machine. They are one of the most killer bands around and they’ve been playing some of the most pissed off sounds imaginable over the course of the past few decades. It’s an extreme honor to be able to interview such an incredibly Heavy band. Here’s how it all unfolded.
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This is probably the most asked question…What is a Noothgrush? There’s a lot of rumors floating around, but I figured i’d go right for the source and just ask you folks.
A Noothgrush is this little prismatic stoner imp who takes over your toothbrush. That’s according to Dr. Seuss. I’ve never actually seen one, and Seuss is too deceased to elaborate on his encounter.
(Picture of an elusive Noothgrush!!!)
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Im really interested in knowing more about the evolution of the band and what other artists and musicians influenced you into playing so Crushingly HEAVY?
When the band started, it was a different sound. We had a second bass player, Luis Davila, who also played synthesizers and effects, and the guitarist was Tom Choi. After they left the band in February of 1995, Russ joined and we developed into our current sound. Part of that was that Russ was a bassist before and was therefore less inclined to play solos, which was important to us. He definitely supplied the stoner riff aspect of Noothgrush. As far as influences go, I think Black Sabbath is the most obvious and across the board influence, as well as Melvins, Grief, Eyehategod, Cattlepress, Corrupted, and definitely the more local influences were Choi’s old band Asbestosdeath, and their better known incarnation, Sleep.
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Over the years, You all have been active with other bands, and I have to say- Im way into what you folks are creating! Can you talk about some of the other projects you folks have going on right now, and about what other projects you’ve been involved in over the course of your Punk Rock History?
I’m currently in another band called Human Anomaly, which I’ve really been in since before Noothgrush, although we’ve gone by various names. It’s a couple of friends from high school and we make crazy odd timey derangements. About the only other thing I’ve done is guest vocals for East West Blast Test. Chiyo’s been in Amber Asylum, Descending Sorrows, and more recently, Graves at Sea. Dino, our new vocalist, has been in Dystopia, Asunder, Lachrymose, Carcinogen, and currently, Ghoul. Russ is the more seasoned of all of us, and was in many, many bands, including a couple of speed metal bands in the ’80s called Messiah and Rogue. He was in Nervous Surgeons, High Tone Son of a Bitch, and Green Room, which was the band he was in when we met him. He did vocals for an Iron Maiden cover band called Iron Vegan, and was a Pentagram cover band called Parallelogram. He’s been in Seethe, Neither Neither World, Big City Orchestra, and of course, his current band, Alaric.
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I know that some of you have been active DJ’s on the Legendary DOOM Underground station KFJC 89.7fm, Do you have any special Noothgrush memories from that station?
Chiyo and I joined the station in early 1994, and that’s where we met Russ, who’d been there for a few years. We were all DJ’s there from 1994 – 1997, when Chiyo and I left our regular shows and just did fill-ins. Russ did his show there for several more years. In the summer of 1994, Noothgrush played our first ever public performance, live on the air on KFJC. There were no vocals because I thought I sucked. It was the original line-up playing the songs from our first demo, which got released on LP/CD in 2011.
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Since most of the readers of this will be fans- I’d also like to ask, What were some of your favourite live performances and memories from over the years on that station?
There were so many good ones. It was so awesome. I could name bands all day, but to me, one of the best was Dawning. They were a local doom band. They went on to record an album, I’m not sure if it ever got released. All I remember is that their KFJC performance was untouchable. They also did a one-off performance as a band called Doomed Horn, which was more in the viking style. Other mind-blowing performances included Cattlepress, Corrupted, and Tatsuya Yoshida with Miss Murgatroid.
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Coming out of a hiatus and playing some pretty spectacular and large shows has got to feel good! Each Bay Area date was completely unique and it’s own experience, What has been your favourite show since the reunion?
They’ve all been good, but the most recent show, with Dino on vocals, was easily my favorite. Being able to just hide in the back of the stage is preferable to me, and I think having Dino up front just makes us a better band.
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There was recently a new addition to the band! Dino Sommese, of “Dystopia” joined the ranks. With him, He brings a Fierceness and Rugged-Tenacity that really works with your overall sound. That guy is pissed off, so it only makes perfect sense. Can you talk about the process of finding the perfect fit to take over your vocal duties?
Since we’ve known Dino for over 15 years, he was the first person that came to mind as someone to take over vocals. We knew he identifies with the lyrics, which was a very important consideration, and we liked his vocals. He relates to us on all kinds of levels, and after our first show with him, we knew it was a perfect fit.
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Being that you folks are Noothgrush, you’ve played Tons of Killer shows over the years. Im curious, What has been your favourite show to play?
I’d have to say the most recent one in Oakland, the first with Dino. Other than that, I can’t really say I have a favorite. I was always so stressed or depressed back in those days, my memory of our shows is like a frenetic blur.
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Noothgrush is going to Europe this year! Congrats on that!, Do you have any planned vacations or destinations to check out while you are overseas?
Well, we expect to be too busy driving from show to show to see much, but we made sure to have a show in Prague, which is a city I’ve always wanted to see. We don’t have much time, so it’s a short tour. We need to get back to jobs and families and our own toilets.
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At your last show, We spoke briefly about the potential of Noothgrush becoming a forward progressing band and actually writing new material…Care to elaborate?
No. What we’re about to try is so stupid, I want it to be a surprise.
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To wrap it up, What pissed you folks off nearly two decades ago/and has that changed throughout the progression of your careers and lives?
Two decades ago, I was in my early twenties. I think most people at that age start railing against the injustices of the world, and there are always so many, it becomes overwhelming. As I got older, I got more jaded and complacent. Sometimes it’s hard to parse the wisdom from the ignorance.
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