Say what?", "Wow, really?", "Damn...that's crazy!", "Sounds like fun!"
These are just a few of the responses that The Nubile Thangs get on a regular basis when they try to
describe their music to other people. The idea that a band could take the raw energy of The
Replacements and mix it up with the tight grooves of James Brown and throw in a keen knack for catchy
songs and a firecracker of a live show and well....it sounds like such a good idea, people can't believe it's
true. that is, until they see The Nubile Thangs for themselves.
"Our sound just sorta snuck up on us," says bassist/ vocalist Lindsay Jones. "It's like this is the band
we've always wanted to be and it just took us a while to get here. But now that we've got it, it's the best
thing in the world. This music is who we are."
He is, of course, referring to their new album Pork Chop Extraordinaire, a fantastic compilation of the
band's best 15 songs and audience favorites from around the country. Recorded from Sept 97 to Jan 98,
this tasty platter was expertly co-produced with the band by Critter, who is best known for his work with
The Jesus Lizard, The Cure, Liz Phair, Gravity Kills and Marilyn Manson among many others. Each song
on the record has a unique flavor thanks to some terrific guest appearances that range from slide guitarist
Bob Egan (of Reprise Recording artist Wilco) to the new beginnings Gospel Choir to famed flamenco
guitarist Carlo Basile. Finally, the long-famous energy of a Nubiles live show has not only gotten down on
tape, but given a whole new life as well!
The Nubile Thangs were formed in the spring of 1991 with Chris Eudy on guitar and vocals, John "bootie"
Noyes on drums and Lindsay Jones on bass and vocals when all three were enrolled in the School of
Drama at The North Carolina School of the Arts. Their previous band, a 12-member sexual carnival act
known as "The Smut Boys", had just broken up following the nervous breakdown of their lead singer and
these three were anxious to write some songs that weren't going to get them beaten up again. they wrote
songs quickly and recorded their debut album "Kill Bootie" for $300 on Groundhog Day, 1992.
After that, things started to happen fast. The band quickly sold out their initial pressings of the album and
began touring the southeast. Somehow, they came to the attention of theater director Victoria Bussert,
who offered the band a job as Buddy Holly and The Crickets in the national tour of Buddy! The Buddy
Holly Story. They accepted the offer and toured the U.S., Canada and Mexico for a year playing Buddy
Holly during the day and sneaking off to rock clubs at night to play as The Nubile Thangs. They also
appeared on an episode of the Fox television show America's Most Wanted as a band who's lead singer
had been murdered. But the band is anxious to put those days behind them, citing the "Buddy Holly" tag
as misleading.
"That whole time was a lot of fun," says Noyes, "But we really wanted to get back to our music and our
career as a band. The truth is that we have grown a lot since that period and it has no bearing on what
we do now. People usually realize this as soon as they hear us and then it never comes up again. The
music we're playing now, this is what we really know how to do."
The band relocated to Chicago and picked up two new members, Jason Singer on Saxophone and Oscar
Ybarra on Trumpet. They released their second album Tough Luck, Fatboy! Which was received
enthusiastically in the press as well as with their fans and the band started touring to support it. But there
was still one thing missing
"For some reason, we had never put the horns together on any song." Says Jones. "It was like there was
a trumpet song and then a saxophone song. One day while we were practicing, it just sorta hit me. What
the hell were we thinking? Jason started arranging songs for both horns and it just clicked instantly."
With this new sound, The Nubile Thangs recorded The Unit, a 2-song 7" featuring "This Music (Will
Never Sell)" and Tearing" that blows the doors off anything the band has done before. The songs
themselves have been extensively road-tested with the band's own D.I.Y. your schedule (completely
arranged by the band) that has seen 27 states in the last year alone. In fact, this year alone, The Nubile
Thangs were invited to showcase at both The Midwest Regional Music Festival (MRMF) and The
Philadelphia Music Conference. The title The Unit reflects the band's interaction with the music industry
so far.
"They always ask 'How many units (records) are you moving?'" laughs Eudy. "They gotta know that first. I
guess it also refers to the stability of the band now. We've been touring so much and working really hard
together. It's like we've become a unit of our own."
Immediate plans for the future are to tour, tour, tour ("Live shows are what we do best," says Jones,
"people who see us once always bring their friends the next time.") and to release their third full-length
album sometime in the fall. But when The Nubile Thangs come to your town, don't miss out!
"I've always had a money-back guarantee on our shows." Says Jones. "So far, no one's taken me up on
it. I guess that pretty much says it all for me."
