A Musical Knundrum

Noel Niehaus is a waiter at Yogi’s Restaurant. His real occupation and passion is musical performance. Noel is a songwriter, musician and performer. He says that music gives him a sense of connection. To him, “it’s his home.” With music he can be himself. When he is composing, playing and singing, he feels he is the most honest person he can be, true to himself.

Noel is a self-taught musician. He has had no formal training. He may have inherited his love of music naturally, as his family has a musical and acting heritage. His father’s family had several musicians. His great grand uncle, until the age of 85, played sax and other horn instruments in a Big Band era music band. He was a role model and inspiration for Noel, and sadly died two years ago. His father was not as musical, but his mother was a singer in the church choir and played piano. Noel says there was always music in his home, growing up. His older siblings are artistic and both ultimately became theatrical actors. Their parents “forced” his siblings to take piano lessons when they were young and they rebelled. Noel, as the youngest child, was never forced to take piano lessons, and he never did. Yet, today he plays the piano by ear as well as rhythm guitar, both totally self-taught.

Noel started singing in school. He recalls his first solo at the age of seven in a third grade musical. He loved the acting that went with the singing. From a very young age, and until puberty, he could hit a high C, so his natural skill got him recognized more as a singer than an actor. During his sixth grade year, he won the state-wide COY singing contest and was named Indiana’s best young male vocalist. That same year he attended an Elton John’s concert which subconsciously set his professional direction. Though his parents did not support his professional musical direction, they gave him the freedom to pursue his dream. Noel stays in touch with his elementary teacher. She encouraged his gift for singing and built his confidence early in his life.

As a songwriter, Noel has written about ninety songs. He has sold one song, though the major focus of his songwriting is for his band, Knundrum, to perform, vis-à-vis both their albums and their live performances. Songwriting is a creative process for him. He writes “when the mood hits”. He says it is a gut feeling. The notes and the words come to him due to some drama in his life, or he creates drama so that he can write a song. Songwriting is a release. His first song was inspired by a breakup with a girl and he needed an outlet to vent. That first song was named “Separate Ways.” He says he learns from his songs though sometimes it takes years for him to learn the lesson. Music, he says, is the greatest teacher I have ever had. Negative incidents initiate his songwriting, though ultimately his songs have a positive vibe. His songs speak of life’s experiences, a peaceful, better world, and relationships with nature, thus interpreting situations in positive ways. There is something to learn from his songs.

Noel likes creating music. Sometimes creation comes together at one sitting, and other times over a long period. Lyrics come to him spontaneously, often outside the period when he is songwriting. He gets the lyrics out of his head and onto paper, whether for a song now or later. Like art, Noel says the key to his writing songs is to determine when the song is complete. He has some lyrics that are still “not done” after seven years. With the lyrics documented, he develops four chord progressions to develop the melody for the lyrics, and the rest is in his head. He remembers all his songs, even when they are in the formative stages. Then it becomes a team effort by the band. Noel plays the melody, with the band becoming part of the creative process to fill in the harmony, the rhythm, and the beat. In their repertoire, they have instrumentals as well as lyrical songs.

The band is in the studio during the year and on the road in the summer. They are currently working on album five and six – one is a studio album and one is a recording of a live performance from one of their shows. They are also working on a DVD recording; the visual is complete and the music recording is now underway. The band averages about 14 live shows a year, one or two a month. Their songs are accessible online, with royalty income for I-Tunes, Rhapsody, Music Match, Verizon, and Cingular downloads.

Noel says Knundrum’s sound is distinguishably theirs. He calls it world fusion, a jazz eclectic fusion genre, or new age folk rock. Their website describes it as “bluegrass fused with new age folk rock and psychedelic jazz." One can listen to his music by accessing www.knundrum.com. When asked how Knundrum gauges success with its live audience, Noel’s reply was multi-faceted. The tangible indicators include repeat bookings by the venue, onsite purchase of CDs and DVDs, supportive emails by audience members, and thank yous at the performance’s end. The emotional indicators are the goose bumps he gets during some performances, feeling the vibes of the audience and reacting to their callbacks at the performance’s end.

Though he is in music because he loves it, ultimately it is a chosen vocation. Noel sees his music as his legacy, for others to enjoy one hundred years from now. He is proud of his family’s musical and dramatic heritage and sees himself as adding to that tradition. Noel foresees a future in music that will sustain him and the other band members. His gut feeling is that his musical career will work out eventually. The challenge is keeping the band interested and together long enough for this to happen.

This blog entry is my response to Encounter Project Four, Material Culture (Artist).