A Short Interview with One of Minneapolis’ Rising Stars – The Notties!
Matt Riehle of The Notties. Photo taken by Chuck Pitman
The Notties were the first band performing at Glitter Ball 09’ on the St. Olaf College campus. Unless one has explored their MySpace page or happened to run across them playing at Stasiu’s Place in Minneapolis, they are relatively unknown. For the 400 students that packed the floor at St. Olaf’s, this was a first experience. They walked onto the stage and humbly introduced themselves to the crowd, then like a twister blew everyone away!
At the end of the first couple of songs The Notties sound inspired the crowd to dance harder and cheer louder. Matt’s vocal lead was captivating, with the energy of Ian Hunter and the stage presence of Freddy Mercury. Mike and Andy held the rhythm expertly tight and precise, and I imagined Jon and Tim being handed their first guitars shortly after the doctor smacked them on the a**. These guys are pros, and they sounded great! As I looked around I could see that I was not the only spectator delightfully mesmerized, many people standing in the back were dazzled.
Jon Ehresmann, The Notties. Photo by Chuck Pitman
The Notties emit an aura of ease and comfort, making for a natural conversation. All of the boys are Midwest natives; they met while attending McNally Smith College of music. Originally, Jon Ehresmann (guitar and vocals) and Andy Thornbrough (drums) were a part of a Pink Floyd trio with their instructor Mike Menard (bass). Some time afterward, they formed The Notties with schoolmates Matt Riehle (vocals and keys) and Tim Liddicoat (guitar). Jon brought some music he had written to the band and off they were, playing shows to fine tune their craft.
Each member brings unique influences to the band. Jon told me that he is partial to his “dirty, swaggery, rock… Rolling Stones and Pavement coupled with 90’s Indie rock like Wilco,… and alt. country.” They named off a myriad of influences from Jay Z to Charlie Parker. Matt declared his love of show tunes, “I like the epic numbers and soaring harmonies…Queen style”. The Notties are music lovers, not music snobs, all confessing some guilty pleasures like Bjork, Hall and Oats, Toto, and Phil Collins to name a few. Although they assured me that the guilty pleasures “do not!” influence their music.
Andy Thornbrough, The Notties. Photo by Chuck Pitman
Their current recordings are “pretty raw”, Andy stated from behind his groomed handlebar mustache. “We recorded them at The Temple… garage band style.”, he added. However, you can expect the release of their album, “Poor Traites” late this summer. “We want to get something into people’s hands”, Jon commented when asked about the album’s length. When inquiring about the sound of the new album, Jon had a difficult time committing to a particular description of the new songs, only saying that “… (a) couple of songs are very classic rock influenced… (with) very rock driven beats”. Fair enough! It’s difficult to accurately describe a single song without sweeping generalities, let alone an entire album.
“Deep Dark” is the first song off of the soon to be released album. A mellow piano introduces the melody quickly joined with the guitar. This song is reminiscent of 70’s rock. Take a listen, and then join us at Stasiu’s Place on June 6th at 10pm for the show!
“Deep Dark”, The Notties
[audio=http://borangutan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/deep_dark_test.mp3]
Mike Menard, The Notties Photo by Chuck Pitman
Tim Liddicoat, The Notties Photo by Chuck Pitman
posted May 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pm Reviews
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