Noumena’s “sci-fi surf rock” hits the scene
Saturday, May 19The BrainwashersNoumenaAsh Street Saloon225 S.W. Ash Doors 9 p.m.21 and over
A laid-back guy with an easy manner sat down with me in Smith Center. Dave Jaber, a business major at PSU, told me the story of his band Noumena. He described them as a ���good band for short attention span people.���� He said it with only a hint of a mischievous smile.
A power trio that plays every genre, Jaber described their music as ���sci-fi surf rock.���� Jaber (bass/vocals), his brother Kekoa ���the Islander���� Jaber (drums/vocals) and cousin Kyley Quinn (guitar/vocals) originally began playing together in Eugene. After moving to the Portland area about a year ago, Noumena has played steadily in the local area in wide variety of venues including Dante���s, Berbati���s, the Paris Theater, Mt. Tabor Theater & Pub and Medicine Hat. ���Portland���s kind of a funny place to play since it���s so scene-ish,���� Dave Jaber said.
The scene here in Portland may be different from what Dave and his bandmates are used to in Eugene. It is quite a change from the Jaber brother’s homeland of Hawaii. Hawaii seems to have had an influence on the music of the band. Kekoa took his name from an experience hiking on the island of Maui. According to Dave, his brother fell into Haeakala Crater and was transformed into Kekoa ���the Islander���� jungle drummer.
Surfing is another challenge for the brothers. After giving the Oregon coast a try, Jaber decided to stick to snowboarding, skating and other activities more suited to the Pacific Northwest.
Jaber doesn���t seem to have much difficulty juggling his studies and their busy schedule of gigs. It���s ���pretty cool���� to be in school and in the band, Jaber said. He spends the majority of his time outside of school involved in the band and the multi-media aspect of the band.
Music files, cartoons and short films are on the Web site at www.noumenaland.com. The three songs are available as free mp3 downloads on the site are ���Sailing the World,���� ���Cyber Satisfied���� and ���Rubber Tramp Dayz.���� The track ���Sailing the World���� is definitely worth the download. While the vocals could be a bit stronger, the music is tight and the sampling sweet. The three band members share the vocals. It is possible that a strong vocalist could take them to the next level.
���Cyber Satisfied���� is a tongue-in-cheek look at modern romance with a nice groove to it. The song ���Rubber Tramp Dayz���� sounds good with some nice guitar work. Live, this song should rock.
Musically diverse influences such as Man or Astroman, Ween, Frank Sinatra, Satan���s Pilgrims, John Coltrane and others contribute to the sound of Noumena.
If you don���t catch the guys this weekend, watch for them to play Saturday, May 26 at The Triangle, 3215 Liberty Rd. in Salem. This summer they will be on a mini tour of Oregon and here in Portland. Check the schedule online to keep up to date. Or if you happen to be incarcerated, you might still be in luck. The trio has a gig in the works to play at the Santiam prison for a crowd of 5,000 plus.
