| Noothgrush | ||
|---|---|---|
 Hatred for the species. | ||
| Background information | ||
| Origin | Oakland, California, USA | |
| Genres | Sludge Metal, Doom Metal | |
| Years active | 1994 - 2001, 2011 - Present | |
| Labels | Slap a Ham, Bovine, Reservoir, Fuck Yoga, Parasitic, Emetic, Southern Lord Records | |
| Associated acts | It Is I, Operator Generator, Asbestosdeath, Graves at Sea, Asunder, Dystopia, High Tone Son of a Bitch, Human Anamoly, Livestock, Wood, al Qaeda, Amber Asylum, Descending Sorrow, Nostra Cornu, Alaric, Carcinogen, Ghoul, Phobia, Insideous, Lachrymose, Fireclan, Melting Euphoria, Spirits Burning, Fear No Robots, Allegory Chapel Ltd., M.N.L.F., Liquorball, Seed Mouth, Culper Ring, AEAEA, Force, Frozeninamber, Iao Core, Grey Force Wakeford, The Love Force, Mortuous, Nothing Left, Exhumed, Repulsion, Baptized by My Boogers, Exhumed, Gruesome, Pounder, Cretin, Gory Melanoma, Cadaverizer, Explusion, Gravehill, Scarecrow, Exodus, Jenny Piccolo, Grey Force | |
| Website | ||
| Band Logo | ||
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Noothgrush is an American sludge metal band founded in 1994 in Oakland, California. The band's name is a reference to the 1974 Dr. Seuss book There's a Wocket in My Pocket, where a noothgrush appears annoyingly on the main character's toothbrush. Along with the tongue-in-cheek Seuss reference the band's themes would be drawn from misanthropy, pessimism, misery and some references to Star Wars.
The band experienced various line-up changes throughout its career, all of which left guitarist-vocalist Gary Niederhoff and drummer Chiyo Nukaga as the only two constant members. In the band's original run Noothgrush would release a single album among several demos and split releases. Noothgrush would re-form in 2011, touring North America, Europe and Japan while releasing archival and new material.
History[]
Initial Run (1994 - 2001)[]
In 1994, in San Jose, California, Gary Niederhoff and Chiyo Nukaga decided to start a band that played slow, heavy, riff-based music. They were soon joined by Tom Choi and Luis DaVilla. Their slow tempos and sound was punctuated by a severe low-end attack when Gary and Luis both played bass on many songs. Turned out Tom and Luis had different ideas on direction and just several months into the project and directly after recording an eponymous demo, both would depart.
Russ Kent joined, new songs were being written and the band began playing out. Matt Harvey (Dekapitator, Exhumed, Athrenody, Gravehill, Repulsion, Scarecrow) took over second guitar for a short time, recording the Kashyyyk demo in 1995. Gary would take over his spot, while Al Ruel took over bass for about a year. Chiyo's friend Chris Dodge soon offered to put out a 7". This created a buzz and offers started coming in to do splits culminating with a split 12" and CD with Corrupted. The 90's were filled with writing, recording for several split releases, endless shows and doing a few tours along the way with others like Seized, Sourvein and Corrupted among performing with fast-paced bands such as Dystopia, Phobia, Black Army Jacket, Agents of Satan and Carol Ann among others.
Work would eventually begin on a debut studio album, conceived in 1996, recorded circa December 1997 and artwork completed in 1998. The band would self-release Erode The Person in 1999 and tour behind it. However creativity and interest in the band would wane, leading to Noothgrush disbanding in April 2001. The band's final release during their original run was a double 7" split also featuring Bongzilla, Dystopia and Corrupted entitled Twin Threat to Your Sanity. Two posthumous compilations would see release over the years: 2001's Failing Early, Failing Often (A collection of split tracks and demo recordings) and 2006's Erode The Person (A collection of the band's recordings in their final years.).
Second Run (2011 - Present)[]
Several Noothgrush releases would see re-issue in 2011. Fuck Yoga Records would re-issue the band's first demo on vinyl, Parasitic Records would re-issue Erode The Person on vinyl, Emetic Records would re-issue Failing Early, Failing Often and Southern Lord Records would issue a collection of previously unreleased live recordings entitled Live For Nothing on 27 September 2011. The band decided to re-form to support these releases and would make appearances at Southern Lord's festival The Power of The Riff for their first shows in over a decade.
While the trio lineup of Niederhoff, Nukaga and Kent would perform the 2011 shows the band would recruit a new vocalist in Dino Sommese (Asunder, Dystopia, Carcinogen, Ghoul, Phobia), Noothgrush would tour Europe for the first time surrounding an appearance at Heavy Days in Doomtown. The band would also appear at the tenth annual Maryland Deathfest, Miami's 305 Fest and supported a touring Eyehategod in their native Oakland.
Following sharing the stage with the likes of Bolt Thrower and Autopsy among others, [1] Noothgrush would record for the first time in over a decade circa May 2013, releasing a split LP with the Japanese death/doom split Coffins via Southern Lord Records on 25 November 2013. Both bands would tour together through Japan that Fall. The next year would see Noothgrush would return to Europe for marquee appearances at Roadburn Festival and Doom Over Leipzig among appearances at Maryland Deathfest and RRROOOAAARRR Fest.[2] The band would release a new EP entitled Entropy via Fuck Yoga Records that summer.
Noothgrush would tour the UK in 2015 surrounding an appearance at Desertfest London, return to Japan in 2016 touring with Nepenthes and finally embark on an extensive tour of Europe in 2017, making appearances at the likes of Hellfest, Blowup, Black Forest Fest and Bloodshed Fest among gigs all over Europe.[3]
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- Erode The Person (1999, Self-Released)
Demos and Extended Plays[]
- Noothgrush (Demo) (1994, Self-Released)
- 8D8 (Demo) (1995, Self-Released)
- Kashyyyk (Demo) (1995, Self-Released)
- Embraced by the Anti Self (EP) (1996, Slap A Ham)
- Entropy (EP) (2014, Fuck Yoga)
Splits[]
- Noothgrush / Deadbodieseverywhere (Split with Deadbodieseverywhere) (1996, Bovine)
- Useless / Untitled (Split with Agents of Satan) (1996, 100 Years of Solitude)
- Black Army Jacket / Noothgrush (Split with Black Army Jacket) (1997, Reservoir Records)
- Noothgrush / Corrupted (Split with Corrupted) (1997, Reservoir Records)
- Sloth / Noothgrush (Split with Sloth) (1997, Dom's Records)
- Gasp / Noothgrush (Split with Gasp) (1998, Clean Plate Records)
- Carol Ann / Noothgrush (Split with Carol Ann) (1999, Anhedonia Productions)
- Wellington / Noothgrush (Split with Wellington) (1999, Deep Six)
- Twin Threat to Your Sanity (Split with Bongzilla, Corrupted, Dystopia) (2001, Bad People)
- Noothgrush / Suppression (Split with Suppression) (2012, Fuck Yoga)
- Noothgrush / Coffins (Split with Coffins) (2013, Southern Lord Records)
Live Albums[]
- Live at Fiesta Grande (1996, Self-Released)
- Live on KZSU May 1, 1996 (1996, Self-Released)
- Live For Nothing (2011, Southern Lord Records)
- A Failure of Imagination: Live at Gilman 1996 (2014, Self-Released)
Compilations[]
- Failing Early, Failing Often (2001, Slap A Ham)
- Erode The Person (2006, Throne)
- Uncovered Failures (2014, Choking Hazard)
Members[]
Current Members[]
- Gary Niederhoff - Bass, Guitar, Vocals (1994 - 1996, 1997 - 2001, 2011 - Present)
- Chiyo Nukaga - Drums (1994 - 2001, 2011 - Present)
- Russ Kent - Guitar, Vocals (1995 - 2001, 2011 - Present)
- Dino Sommese - Vocals (2012 - Present)
Former Members[]
- Luis Davila - Bass, Moog, Echoplex (1994 - 1995)
- Thomas Choi - Guitar (1994 - 1995)
- Matt Harvey - Guitar, Vocals (1995 - 1996)
- Al Ruel - Bass, Vocals (1996 - 1997)
Guest/Session Musicians[]
- Elden M. - Effects (1995)
- Marlon Kasberg - Guitar (1995)
- Hirohito - Effects (1996) (Died 2010)
- Kris Force - Violin (1998)
- Mike Exhumed - Violin (1998)
List of Known Tours[]
- Fuck The U.S.A. Tour (With Disassociate, Hellchild, Corrupted) (1997)[4]
- 1999 North American Tour (1999)
- The Power of The Riff (2011)[5]
- 2012 European Tour (With Aldebaran) (2012)[6]
- Southern Lord Tour (With Martyrdod, Burning Love, Black Breath, Enabler) (2012)[7]
- Coffins / Noothgrush Japan Tour (With Coffins) (2013)[8]
- 2014 European Tour (With Throw Me In The Crater) (2014)[9]
- 2015 United Kingdom Tour (2015)[10]
- The Endless Nightmare (With Nepenthes) (2016)[11]
- 2017 European Tour (2017)[12][13]