Addison Herron-Wheeler has a huge mutt, a fluffy black cat, and a fat ex-alley cat to ensure there’s never a dull moment in the life of the New Noise Editor.
Archive for the Interviews Category
‘New Noise’ Editor Addison Herron-Wheeler Has the Purr-Fect Punk-Rock Cat
Posted in Interviews with tags Addison Herron-Wheeler, Cronos Compulsion on 05/23/2025 by Kurt OrzeckBruit ≤ Force Fans to Challenge Their Musical Horizons With New Album
Posted in Interviews with tags Bruit ≤ on 05/23/2025 by Kurt OrzeckThe Age of Ephemerality, the sophomore effort from France’s Bruit ≤, is a transfixing tornado that sweeps into its spiral numerous musical styles, moods, tones, volumes, and melodies. Read my interview via New Noise.
Fuzz Evil ‘Smear’-ing Boise with Punk-Rock Doom Tonight
Posted in Interviews with tags Fuzz Evil on 05/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
To use the most groan-inducing rhyme that we can conjure at the moment, buzz is building around Fuzz Evil, a distortion-heavy desert-doom quartet set to perform tonight at Realms Arcade in Boise. The four dudes share a strong affinity for the Stooges, and it shows in the ensconcing Smear Merchants, a new full-length the band unveiled almost two months ago to the day.
Fuzz Evil hail from Sierra Vista, Arizona, and feature drummer Kenneth (Cajun) Adam, baritone guitarist Preston Jennings, guitarist/vocalist Wayne Rudell, and bassist/vocalist Joseph Rudell. (As you probably surmised, the Rudells are brothers.) In addition to Smear Merchants‘ 10 slow-but-somehow-still-catchy songs, Smear Merchants marks a watershed moment for Fuzz Evil, as they reconfigured themselves from a trio into a four-piece.
Joseph (affectionately called “Joey” by his mother) humored us with his answers to a slew of questions we tossed Fuzz Evil’s way just three days ago.
Continue readingExclusive Album Premiere: Wipes’ ‘Wipes’
Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, News with tags Wipes on 05/21/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
Wipes are declaring Don’t Tell My Parents with the new LP that the noise-punk band will issue through Hex Records on Friday. But The Bad Penny is telling everyone we know about the righteously rambunctious by exclusively presenting a stream of the entire album today.
Not to be confused with Wipers, the influential Portland post-punk band that both Nirvana and the Melvins covered, the rather similar-sounding Wipes are still in their toddler years and hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Wipes carry the heavily distorted torch previously held by Wipers but are even more committed to making exuberant, off-kilter noise.
The band released new cuts “Social Mask” and “Stone Eater” earlier this year. Now, check out Don’t Tell My Parents in its entirety:
Continue readingM(h)aol Meld Feminist Punk With Animal-Activism
Posted in Interviews with tags M(h)aol on 05/20/2025 by Kurt OrzeckDublin’s feminist-punk/animal-activists M(h)aol littered their new record with copious references to their precious pets. Get better acquainted with the band in my recent New Noise interview with the Merge Records musicians.
Exclusive: Miracle Blood Are in for a Bloody Good Time With Epic Tour
Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, My City Rules, News with tags Caterwaul Fest, Miracle Blood on 05/19/2025 by Kurt OrzeckNoise punks Miracle Blood are ready to bring the ruckus with an ambitious tour starting July 11 in Buffalo, NY, running through August 2 in Washington DC.
The Beantown badasses are also on the docket for the fifth edition of the ultra-underground Caterwaul Fest in Minneapolis on May 26. In between Caterwaul and the onset of their summer trek, the band will hit up Portsmouth, New Hampshire (June 13); Troy, New York (June 24); and Boston (June 28).
Miracle Blood certainly aren’t allergic to playing live, and this new jaunt will be their most extensive one to date.
“Play new material in front of crowds to kind of see what’s landing right and what maybe needs a little bit more work,” cofounder/guitarist/vocalist Andrew Wong told The Bad Penny.
With so many upcoming engagements, it’s patently obvious that Miracle Blood–who tout themselves as “gnarly noise-punk for the weird at heart”–are on fi-yah. If noise-punk isn’t your jam, give Miracle Blood a shot nonetheless, as they meld their music with mathcore as well.
Expect scenes like this to unfold frequently during Miracle Blood’s upcoming gigs:
Friendship Commanders’ Buick Audra Can’t Stop Making Music
Posted in Interviews with tags Buick Audra, Friendship Commanders on 05/19/2025 by Kurt OrzeckThe impressively prolific Buick Audra could have gone on a hiatus—but instead, the gifted guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter decided to turn her focus from Friendship Commanders and toward her other project, which is also called “Buick Audra.” Read my interview with Audra on New Noise.
Ataris Frontman’s Dog Helped Save Him From the Brink of Death
Posted in Interviews with tags The Ataris on 05/18/2025 by Kurt OrzeckKristopher Roe, frontman for punk legends the Ataris, has a secret to keeping himself happy, healthy, and sane. He derives superhero invincibility from his beloved dog, which he gushed about for New Noise.
Michael Younker and His Kitty Are Like Two Cool Cats in a Pod
Posted in Interviews with tags Michael Younker on 05/14/2025 by Kurt OrzeckSinger/songwriter Michael Younker’s affection and connection with his cat Birdie is air-tight in more ways than one. The two share a 700-foot flat in Brooklyn and rarely leave each other’s sight. Birdie is not only an indispensable friend to Younker but a pet that keeps the artist throughly entertained when he’s not making music. Read my hot-off-the-proverbial-press New Noise interview with the enormously talented and kind-as-can-be musician.
Harpist/Violinist Duo LEYA Out to ‘Conquer the World’
Posted in Interviews with tags Leya on 05/13/2025 by Kurt OrzeckGo to New Noise for my intriguing interview with Brooklyn harpist Marilu Donovan and vocalist/violinist Adam Markiewicz, who are touring incessantly and wowing crowds across the world with their one-of-a-kind music project, LEYA.
The Bad Penny (beta) 