The Notekillers Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 25th 2010 2:00PM by Tim K Harlow
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Philadelphia band the Notekillers deliver an unrelenting rendition of instrumental rock and roll. Formed in the mid '70s, the band brought a free form and avant-garde jazz aesthetic to guitar-driven rock, at a time when the punk movement was redefining musical boundaries. The band disbanded in 1981, but found new life in 2004 when Sonic Youth founder Thurston Moore pegged the Notekillers as having been a major influence on the SY sound. Moore's Ecstatic Peace label released 'Notekillers 1977-1981' in 2004, which was a collection of mostly demo and live performances. The Notekillers are preparing for their second appearance at SXSW, and for the upcoming release of 'We're Here to Help,' their first record of new material in over 30 years. Spinner spoke with group founder David First about the band and their upcoming SXSW performance.

You became a band again in 2004. How does it feel to be together again after being frozen in time for almost 25 years?

It's been pretty amazing on a couple of levels. First of all those two guys [drummer Barry Halkin and bassist Steven Bilenky] are two of my oldest friends. We were friends even before we played music together going back to elementary school. The fact that we were able to recreate this situation, one that years ago had an unsatisfactory ending, has been rewarding. We just have a great time whether we are rehearsing, playing or traveling. Second is people are digging the music now, where as we kind of had a rough time back in the day. People didn't seem to get us. It was hard to get in the door at places that played mainstream music. Even the punk clubs where we played were expecting something different than what we were.

And for the uninitiated, can you describe your sound?

I call us a rock and roll band. Maybe you could call us art rock and roll. For me, the definition of rock and roll is when you are trying to do something that is beyond your ability. You're working to get beyond your own comfort level of skill. It's all about rhythm and energy, and not necessarily about any kind of virtuosity or competency. What we are trying to do is create a complete experience--where you don't feel like anything is missing. We don't have vocals, but one of the best complements we ever received was from another musician, when he said it took him about half of the set to realize that there were not any vocals. We're not trying to be minus something, but instead were trying take what is behind the vocals and bring that forward. We don't really have a message except we just want to get people off.

Where did the name Notekillers come from?

I guess it was the idea that "notes" were something to go beyond. We could say the "Note Transcenders," but that wouldn't be quite as rock and roll. One day it was suggested that we call the band the Notehaters, and the drummer said, "No, the Notekillers," and that was it.

What were some of your musical influences?

I would say everything from free jazz players like Albert Ayler to the acoustic guitarist John Fahey . A lot of what I do is trying to translate that into electric guitar. As far as actual rock and roll influences, guys like Bo Diddley were important.

So how did the band get started?

We were playing before punk rock came along. Unlike a lot of other people that started playing when they heard punk rock. A lot of what influenced us preceded that era, and is probably what set us apart from other bands back in the day. The whole punk rock movement gave us the idea that we could put some of this into the rock and roll format. Two years prior, I was playing in an ensemble with avant-garde jazz pianist Cecil Taylor. The whole idea of coming back to rock and roll started by listening to reggae, which gave me the idea you could still do things like that in a song format.

You have a new record coming out soon called 'We're Here to Help.' Can you talk about the new record?

We have been together this round since 2004. During that time a lot of what we have been doing is getting back into shape, and we have been developing new material along the way. The one thing I told the guys when we got back together was that I didn't want to be an oldies act. It still had to sound like us, but I wanted to stretch that a little bit. Hopefully we have succeeded at that. I think we're a little better than we were back then. We are certainly more professional [laughing]. I think we play now with more intensity and we are pushing even more.

What are some of your musical guilty pleasures?

I like a lot of singer-songwriters. I just like a lot of sentimental stuff from Joni Mitchell to Motown. I just love a good sad song.

Do you think we will ever see a Guitar Hero version of your song 'The Zipper'?

People have joked to me about that. Sure, I'm ready for it, so why not. Hopefully people wouldn't hurt themselves.

Tim K Harlow is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.