Album Notes

Almost pure rock 'n' roll, but with a gritty punk finish. The lead singer sounds a bit like Dave Vanian, but the music is pure Max's Kansas City circa '76. -- Listen.com

Maybe it's the fact that the band is comprised of four guys who have little in common except beer. Maybe it's the fact that each member has different musical tastes ranging from the MC5 to the Buzzcocks to Spacemen 3. Whatever the reason, Noisy-Le-Grand has found a niche that has propelled them from a fledgling Boston club band to one of the most sought-after live acts in New York.

A Noisy-Le-Grand gig is a devastating exhibition of attitude, energy and volume. The songs are throbbing, visceral, riff-laden assaults on the senses. You really have to see it to believe it.

Rumor has it that one is never the same after witnessing Noisy-Le-Grand. The energy of their live shows shakes the crowd to the core and as proof, one needs to look no further than their massively swelling following. With its revved-up, stripped-down brand of rock, Noisy-Le-Grand is helping to define a new movement in New York City's indie music scene.

Nosiy-Le-Grand's music lies right in the middle of the spectrum that encompasses all that is great in rock n' roll. There is nothing else like it in New York City or elsewhere - see for yourself and sleep well knowing that you have seen the future of rock . . . and it's Noisy.

It all started back in 1994 when future Noisy frontman Lars Murray got restless and conscripted record industry cohorts Rob Watts (bass), John Hendrickson (guitar) and Zach Peterson (drums). Toying around in Watts' attic, Noisy-Le-Grand practiced diligently, sometimes as often as once every three weeks. Eventually, Hendrickson left to go back to college, but Noisy continued as a power-trio and, in June of 1996, made their live debut - a 29-minute set at the Middle East Club, Cambridge, Massachusetts' indie rock mecca. This led to a steady stream of gigs around Boston, and soon enough, they were regularly sharing bills with, among others, the LYRES, the Delta 72, and the Fleshtones.

After a few years and a series of drummers and lead guitarists, Watts and Murray hooked up with Hendrickson again in New York City in 1999, and it was there that they decided to push forward at full speed. The only missing piece of the revamped Noisy-Le-Grand was a solid drummer. Enter Washington, D.C. punk vet Steve Masur, who had the skills and attitude to match the Noisy style - raw, loud, and fast. The line-up was complete - it was now time to bring the rock to the people.

After a handful of gigs, a distinct buzz began to build around the live shows of the swaggering rock machine that is Noisy-Le-Grand. People spoke of the energy, the beer-soaked ambiance, and, of course, the music - some cited Thin Lizzy, some name-checked the Damned, and it just got weirder from there. Peppered by short blasts of big guitars, bigger hooks, and searingly intense and sharply barbed lyrics, audiences might not have been able to agree on Noisy's genre but could certainly agree on the end result: rock n' roll catharsis.

That same buzz is spreading with every show. In late 2001, Noisy-Le-Grand captured this energy in the studio and the result is their first album, ROCK IS CHEAP.