Three Stars: Noon:30

Last summer you played Fort Reno. How does it feel to have played there relatively early within the band's lifespan?

Vivianne: Is that really early?

Well, it's within a year.

Aissa: It felt really good. Especially to play and see Ian [MacKaye] in the crowd. I freaked out. I found him in the crowd. I found him when we were playing, and then I ignored him the whole set and then he came up afterwards to buy a CD.

Vivianne: He bought one of our CDs.

Aissa: And Vivianne had to do all the talking. So, that was awesome. That was an awesome experience to have played. We had a really good set and it was really well received.

Are you all from the D.C. area?

Blue: Nope.

Vivianne: I'm from Maryland. P.G. County. So, I grew up five minutes across the D.C. border. So, this is always hometown in a lot of ways. And these two broads: just milking my city for everything it's worth!

Aissa: I'm from Connecticut. I came here for college, so I've been here for quite awhile. About ten years. So, this is home now.

Where did you go to school?

Aissa: I went to Trinity College. So it's been a long time. I think it's been more than ten now.

Vivianne: Yeah, I think you've been saying ten now for about three years.

Aissa: Well, I guess you don't count college because you go home, so, I'll stay with ten! I'll just stay with ten so I don't show my age.

Blue: Eighteen years later, "I've been here for ten years!" I'm from Detroit.

Vivianne: And proud of it.

Blue: Damn right.

How long have you been in D.C.?

Blue: I think this might be my sixth year. Good old District of Columbia. Just can't quite make it to being a state.

Are you involved with Girls Rock! DC? I just noticed the shirt.

Vivianne: Totally! We're all involved.

What do you do for them?

Aissa: Last summer, we were instrument instructors and band coaches. Vivianne did the drums, I did the bass and Blue taught vocals. We were also band coaches and this summer we're up to do it again.

Vivianne: I co-facilitated one of the workshops, so hopefully Aissa and I get to do one this year.

Blue: Yeah, Girls Rock is an amazing program.

How did you get involved?

Vivianne: I got involved through the bassist in the old band. She was connected to a bunch of really cool people. And as soon as I did it that first year, I was like, “Oh my god!” That first year, literally every morning I was fighting back tears of awesomeness. I cannot believe this happens. I can’t believe that I’m a part of helping young girls experience this level of really phenomenal...everything. It’s just, without words. The next year, I was like, “You’ve gotta do it!” And they were like, “Yeah!”

Aissa: While she was volunteering, we didn’t volunteer that summer, but they invite bands of the volunteers to come and play, so we played. And it was such an awesome experience that next summer Vivianne was like, “You have to come.”

Going from social consciousness within D.C. to social consciousness beyond it, your myspace page brings awareness to the mines in Cambodia. What about that issue resonates with you?

Vivianne: Aissa was the one who was interested in bringing attention to it and then my friend, a friend of mine from growing up was Aissa's roommate which is how I even moved into the apartment, was involved. She does work with land mine victims. So, it was just an opportunity to give voice to one of the gajillion really important causes that if you can lend a voice or give it that much more of a platform, why not? And I think that real connection was that, here’s a friend who, I think it will be almost three years that she’s been over there doing that work. And a lot of it’s really thankless work and a lot of it’s really gratifying work as well. But just honoring what she’s doing and giving platform to what she’s doing.

Vivianne, you were also involved in the Sin Show that Speakeasy DC did for the Fringe Festival last year. Do you also stay involved in other art forms?

Aissa: Vivianne is very active as an actress and also as a film editor, which is how she met the mutual friend with Blue. I kind of feel that volunteering is what formed this band. Because I volunteer as a graphic designer for this group called Creatathon where you spend 24 hours designing collateral for a nonprofit that can't afford a designer. And from there, the person who I had assigned to me as a client is a nonprofit that tries to be a big sister for young girls. And Vivianne volunteered for them using her film editing skills. I think we’re all active and trying to do our best. Blue also volunteers. She volunteered at the Arboretum and she has a strong passion for that as well.

Blue: And I volunteer at the Yoga Studio. Yoga District.

Vivianne: The Sin Show was awesome and it definitely took a chunk out of the band for me to be involved in it. Because a lot of things were happening. We were planning our tour last summer, we were planning our CD release show. We were getting ready for Fort Reno, which we knew was a big deal and then it was like, uh, Vivianne happens to need to be going to rehearsal and doing the Sin Show. But it all worked out in the end. All the endeavors came out on top.

How far reaching was your tour last summer?

Aissa: From here to Chicago.

Blue: We also hit up Cleveland and Detroit.

Aissa: Detroit was our best show. The venue was awesome. The people there were very much into music. The owner of the venue was cool, very personable, gave us his card. They were very into music and very into listening to music. And the whole vibe since it’s Blue’s hometown. It was the first time a lot of people saw her play.

Vivianne: There were people from all walks of Blue’s life. It was this great energy.

Did you not find that in some other cities?

Aissa: It was different. I think Detroit was the dream energy that any band would wish to have when you’re performing at the level we’re performing at.

Vivianne: Like our venue in Chicago was one of these notorious dives.

Aissa: It was like, a dive that doesn’t even get mentioned in the books.

Vivianne: It wasn’t a hipster dive, it was a “what’s that smell?” dive.

Aissa: You go up to ask for ice and they’re like, “Go behind the bar.” In different circumstances I would have been scared to have been there.

Blue: The walls were like drywall and it literally looked like it was an abandoned building and they were fixing it up. But, nope, that’s just how it was.

Aissa: The environment’s not conducive to singing if you have respiratory issues. But if you’ve got a good band, you’re on the floor with them so you can have a good, hot, sweaty punk show there.

Vivianne: And the other bands we played with, their energies were awesome. It had its own upside in that there were five or six bands on the bill that night. They just kept adding bands. People rolled up and they’re like, “Oh, yeah. This band just showed up. We’re putting them on the bill!” And even though our music wasn’t the same genre as everyone else, the bands came up close and were feeling it. I was like, “Cool, glad it was able to translate!”

Blue: I spent the whole night in the car. It was so hot. They didn’t have the A/C on, because it was probably an abandoned building. There’s no windows. I almost passed out when we were playing. I was jumping up and down and I had to stop because my eyes kept rolling back into my head and after that I was like, “I can’t be in here,” and I stayed outside.

Vivianne: And the Cleveland show was completely different, too. It was some yuppie, late night pizza bar. They had a really large space for bands in the front window. Again, people that we wouldn’t really paint as our model audience were still enthusiastic.

Blue: They were really feeling it. And they were really drunk. I think all three shows were very different.

Aissa: I think it ran the gamut of what you might experience on a longer tour. We got it in three shows.

Vivianne: It was a great experience. I had never seen any of those cities before so that was a big bonus.

Are there any misconceptions that people have about the band?

Blue: Uh, yeah!

Aissa: How much tape have you got? [laughter] Let’s start with number one. The list goes to like, a million.

Vivianne: Starting just this past week at the show a guy came up to me and said, “No offense but I did not expect you guys to sound like that.” Right, because a) you don’t expect black people to make this music, b) you don’t expect women to make this music and c) you don’t expect black women to make this music. So, he didn’t expect Aissa to get up there and have the sound that she had on her guitar, but it was phenomenal. He didn’t expect me to be playing what I was playing, he didn’t expect Blue to sound like what she sounded like.

Aissa: But that’s what we always get. When we walk into places and they don’t know who we are and they haven’t seen us play before, we instantly get, not attitude, but “What the hell is this about?” But they don’t talk to us before we play. After we play, that’s when they come up and talk to us. They hardly ever socialize with us or interact with us at all. And now we’re so used to it that.

Vivianne: It’s a consistent scratched-record effect when we walk in the door.

Blue “Who said that they were gonna bring rappers and R&B singers?”

Aissa: Usually people won’t acknowledge us ahead of time, but if they do, they’re usually female. I feel like we’ve dealt with more issues from the male black community.

Blue: Yeah, the women will speak and the dudes may say hi, but more likely, they’re not going to talk to us. And then we play. And we don’t come in like, “Hey, we’re Noon:30, kiss our ass.” No. We’re like, “Hi.” Vivianne is super friendly and they’re all dry. And then we play and they’re like, “Wow! You’re amazing!” And I’m like, “Oh, now you want to talk to me?” But that’s the way it is. I think for us to be as good as we are is even more of a shock.

Vivianne: And there was this one girl who came up to me from the same show and said, “Oh my god. You guys were fucking amazing! I didn’t expect it.” Actually, to add on to what Aissa said, we get a lot of shitty energy from females. Like, latent cattiness sometimes. Sorry, I should clarify, it’s female musicians that acknowledge our presence more than anything.

Aissa: For me, females and black men we get the most weird energy from. The most defensive or confrontational.

Vivianne: It’s almost a “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Aissa: But when we win them, they’re our most hardened fans.

Vivianne: And we always win them.

Aissa: We always win them, but we have to win them first. And I don’t think most bands have to think that hard about it.

Blue: I think another misconception: people don’t think we play instruments. People always ask Vivianne, “Can you play?” while we’re setting up for a show and while she’s putting drums together.

Aissa:And I always get, “Are you the vocalist?” We all get it.

Blue: Or, “Oh, are you guys in a singing group?”

Vivianne: “Yeah, we got this doo wop a capella for you. Sit back and relax.”

Aissa: But all these misconceptions are so stereotypical. I would have thought we’d have grown beyond this by now. It feels good to win people over. It feels good to challenge people’s perceptions and open up their minds. I don’t think I’d have had it any other way.

Blue: Because it shows people that black people don’t just play hip-hop, R&B and rap. And women can rock out just like any dude.

Aissa: Without selling themselves.

Blue: Right, ‘cause we’re not wearing hoochie mama outfits with our bras hanging out. So we can be respected just as the dudes are and we can be judged musically only.

Vivianne: And I think having had to wade through all the outside tension has made the unit tighter. It’s made Noon:30 stronger and more who we are.

Aissa: All three of us are extremely different. So if all three of us hear things or see things the same way, then yeah. Our decisions are very unified. If all three of us say yes or no, there’s nothing you can do to sway it because we would have swayed each other if that was the case.

Blue: Number one misconception: Noon:30 did not break up.

Vivianne: I went to Nigeria.

Blue: On our first show on April 10th, so many people came because they thought that we had broken up and gotten back together and wanted to see who was drumming for us. I was like, "Let me introduce you to our new drummer, Vivianne. She also looks like the other Vivianne and has the same name! OMG!"

Who are some of your influences?

Vivianne: The more and more we get asked that question, the more I reflect upon it after the fact and it’s come to me that my influences to what I’m producing aren’t from music. It’s more people’s energy and what they are doing. Someone like Beck who every album he’s experimenting. He’s working on concepts, he’s inviting other artists to come play, he’s got longevity. I may not be into 100% of the songs all the time but I have such a respect for what he’s crafting with his music. Someone like Bob Marley. Obviously, we’re not playing reggae music, but here is someone who was so deep into his philosophy of peace and love and put that into the music and was able to translate that to the rest of the world. He is immortal as a result of this beautiful energy that he’s put into his music.

And, I’ll say it, Meg White. My heart goes out to her because from the get go she’s gotten all this horrible press that she can’t play, she can’t keep time, but I’m like, “She fucking gets up there,” even with all that. And I’ve seen the shows live. She’s putting it out there. And it’s inspiring. To get up there period, even when no one’s watching you, that takes guts, but to know that you’re under the microscope and you’re still like, “This is what I do and I believe in it and I’m going to keep doing it.” Right on. My fist pumps out to her. Things like that are starting to gel more in my mind: these are my musical influences.

Aissa: I think since we’ve been first asked this question I’ve taken more of a notice as to who exactly is influencing me in my music and it’s not necessarily people I listen to on a daily basis. But, I think for me, I’m very inspired by John McGeoch. He’s a huge influence of mine in that he sounds different in almost every band he’s played with but I like that the noises he comes up with are not something that are able to be recreated at all because it’s just his signature on it. And I love Jonny Greenwood for that very same reason. People don’t recognize that he does noise, he does background, he provides the musical soundscape for Radiohead and if he wasn’t involved, it wouldn’t be Radiohead. And I think that I recognize trying to give my guitar and the music I create on the laptop more of a voice in the music. They’ve been an inspiration as to how to create music with drummer that has such a rhythmic and powerful beat which is John McGeoch’s challenge and how to make music with a singer that has such a powerful presence and voice which is Jonny Greenwood’s. I’ve been really studying them. And I think they’re pretty much my influence right now. It’ll change.

Blue: When I’m asked this, I’ll say anything from the homeless man whistling on the street to mainstream underground music. But I’ll say that because I like songs, but it doesn’t inspire me. I think that what inspires me isn’t other music, but things that have happened. Like actual experiences that I have gone through that inspires me for lyrics. So, it’s not other music, it’s definitely experiences that have happened.

What would you like to see happen in the D.C. music community?

Blue: The first thing that I would like to see happen is, I notice the music scene with bands is very segregated because for a lot of shows we are the only black artists on the bill. And I don’t want it to be segregated because what I’ve experienced is that music goes over lines and boundaries so the type of music we play can win over a crowd of hip-hop heads. That lets me see that everyone can kind of know one another and there’s so many bands here. I haven’t heard of more than half of them and they could be extremely amazing. So, that’s the first thing I want to see, is that it not be so segregated and even with venues, that they make it easier. Or a website: New York has this website that has every single band, every type of show, everything that plays. I wish someone would be more supportive of that so that more people are aware of it.

Aissa: I agree because sometimes we’ll play shows and there will be a band onstage and outside of the fact that they’re young and white and male they really shouldn’t be in the indie rock category. They really should be playing with a band that’s more affiliated with hip-hop or go-go. But we’re segregated on music lines in that, “If you look like this, chances are you play this music.” And then we’re also segregated by genres. There’s such a strong fan base here for music that is not represented at DC9, that is not represented at Rock and Roll Hotel. Why are they locked out? If it’s truly about you guys making income, then why aren’t they booking the bands that are going to bring people to the door. And it’s racial. It’s across racial lines. That really bothers me because that’s the one thing that has always held D.C. back from growing as musicians and as far as getting away from, I love Ian MacKaye, don’t get me wrong, but D.C. has not matured beyond that because the scene is so segregated and not letting itself grow.

When you go up to Brooklyn or when you even go to Baltimore you’ve got bands that are experimenting across genre lines and the city allows them to do that. The venues allow them to do that. Here you don’t have that because it’s just not possible and it’s also the ignorance of the actual bands. They’re so into sucking each others’ dick that they’re not into getting to know other people or other bands that sound different. And you’re going to go to a foreign country or halfway across the country or to Philly or New York to meet these bands that are right in your back door. It drives me crazy and I really hope D.C. gets beyond that and I don’t know what’s going to be the trigger for it to happen but it really needs to grow. And the scene doesn’t suck! That’s the thing that drives me crazy. There are so many good bands that are out there. It’s just sad.

Vivianne: I would say my major beef which I even articulated to myself recently is the fact that those with influence, not necessarily the venue owners, definitely those people as well, people who are booking, but more so the people we know who are in charge of putting on these big shows whether it’s bands or DJs or art parties or whatever it is are really complacent and refuse to take on being intentional with who they’re asking to come to the shows just because they’ll get a packed crowd, they don’t care that it’s packed with all one type of person and I feel like you have an obligation to honor where you are in D.C., which is not all one type of person. So, you need to honor that and branch out. Speak to the various communities and try to bring different type of people into a crowd. Complacency really frustrates me. They’re like, “Oh, it’s not our fault that these people don’t come to our shows!” But it’s like, “Yeah, but you didn’t try.” I feel like it’s unhealthy to surround yourself with this homogeny. How are you supposed to grow, expand and just be better?

Aissa: I also think it being a transient city also has something to do with it. I feel like a lot of the bands wait to make it and then leave D.C. So, they’re not really investing in the city. I mean, I’m not a D.C. native, but this is my home. This has been my adult home. This is where I’ve made music. I didn’t make music in Connecticut, I made music in D.C. So I feel like the scene is my home and I get really frustrated when people are not looking in their backyards for talent, because it’s like, “I’m gonna make it. I’m gonna put this New York band on the bill because I wanna get my name with them and then I’m going to go to New York.” And that’s what it is. The scene here has such potential to be New York, to be that next place that people are like, “Wow, all these bands came out of...D.C.” Can you imagine the day when that happens? Not Seattle, not Portland, not Las Vegas, not New York...D.C.

Blue: And other websites need to also support different music. That’s another way of making people aware of the different sounds that are going on in D.C. If you have a website that a bunch of people are going to, don’t pigeonhole everything. Let it be known of the other sounds, genres, energy that is going on. Because there are people here that probably want to support that.

Aissa: And it’s not enough, just saying “Such and such band is playing here,” but the only bands you go to, the only bands you review, are the same ones.

Blue: It’s a daisy-chain of dick sucking going around. It’s really incestuous.

Vivianne: It’s a fine line between being familial, which is awesome and “Yeah, we’re all in this together, we’re all family,” and being incestuous.

Aissa: I feel like they’re trying to pick which band is going to make it and either ride their coattails or drift on them. But the thing is, nobody really knows who’s going to make it. There are so many bands out there. And then, what is “making it?” If making it is having a name for yourself that goes up alongside the greats in D.C., then that could be making it, too. You can’t predict the future, so give everyone their just and you might foster a band that might not have had the opportunity and they might turn out to put a spotlight on the D.C. scene and then help out other bands.

Blue: Cause it all works together. Media and musicians.

Vivianne: And listening to this conversation, you could say the same thing, I’m sure about the performing arts scene and the writing scene and all artistic disciplines and beyond artistic disciplines: what’s going on in the corporate world. I guess it’s kind of naive to believe that hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years of systematic oppression would be reversed in forty years of righteousness.

Aissa: I don’t think it’s naive because if you look back historically, art has always been a step beyond society and has been a counterculture to what the societal norms are. But now, art is becoming commercialized and it’s emulating what the society wants. So if the societal norms are “You’re not going to see this onstage,” art is almost emulating that. It bothers me because we’re supposed to be a cut above that. We’re supposed to be directing people toward a different direction and we’re following.

Vivianne: But that’s always been part of it as well. Things are expanding with our whole information culture that there’s just an inconceivable amount of information and people could be exposed to any one different thing.