Mr. Budget. RIP, little man. 2007-2013.
Photo by Carolina Mariana

NEW SHIRTS AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOP!

You’ve got yourself two kinds of people in this world: cat people, and people who settle for dogs because of allergies (e.g., most of our friends).

It’s no secret The Boys of Noise™ are all about the cats.

And in honor of our dearly departed Mr. Budget we’re selling a limited edition “Never Take Off The Tux” tank top. Proceeds will benefit Chicago’s Tree House Humane Society, a cageless, no-kill humane organization specializing in the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured stray cats.

Designed by our friend Nicholas Stahl (with special help from Micki Hadley and Andrea Bell), these slick tanks will have you looking like the coolest cat on the playground all summer long.

Just look at these color options!

Black on heather gray. Classy. But bold. It proudly proclaims, “I’m confident, I’ve got attitude, and I’ve had Taco Bell for dinner every night this week. But I’m a sensitive sonofabitch.”

Golden yellow on “ash blue.” It’s hip (but timeless). It’s loud (but subtle). This bad boy says, “Whoa! Look out! I’ve got my eyes closed and I’m walking into traffic!”

Pick up a shirt in our SHOP right now, or snag one at our next show:

Middle of the Map Festival in Kansas City, Missouri. We play Saturday, April 5 at 3pm on the outdoor stage which is where !!! and Of Montreal will be playing just a few hours later. We’re honored to once again be a part of this fantastic festival. Hope to see you there!

Mr. Budget and the Noise Boys looking absolutely fabulous. Little did Mr. Budget know what was in store for him…*
*rectal cancer.
Photo by Carolina Mariana

SXSW 2014.

This was our 6th consecutive year touring to the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and we realllllly thought this was going to be our year. Amidst the thousands of bands swarming the city and competing for the attention of anyone on 6th Street we were pretty damn sure we’d be the one big success story of 2014. Hell if we were leaving Texas without a major label record deal. No siree, not this time!

We left Texas without a major label record deal. But we did drink a lot of margs!

 Whatever SXSW supposedly used to be (an idyllic festival for independent artists and innovative industry folks to gather and connect in an environment that celebrates and cultivates music culture, or something), it’s taken a nose-dive into a shit show of free alcohol and general debauchery. (*Check out our 2011 Review of SXSW HERE*)

But man alive is it a good time. 

We played 4 shows in 2 1/2 days at SXSW which roughly translates to like, a hundred margaritas.

The Music Gorilla showcase. Space is limited at SXSW.

Dad came to SXSW. After seeing our touring lifestyle and bathroom accommodations firsthand, he may never talk to us again. *see toilet above

Kansas City’s MidCoast Takeover at Shangri-La. Bring your own sunglasses.
Photo by Carolina Mariana.

Austin in tank, Alex in 80′s track suit, Barry in glorious red leather. Photo by Jim Vondruska / DoomsDayRobot

Dad & mom questioning Austin about his life decisions.
Photo by Carolina Mariana

The Wahoo’s Fish Tacos showcase — where the fish tacos swim in a margarita river.
Photo by Carolina Mariana

We invited dad to SXSW on the pretense of love — but we really just needed a merch guy.
Photo by Carolina Mariana

My god. Everyone take a moment to look at Barry’s jacket.

Mom seeking safety at SXSW.
Photo by Carolina Mariana

Check out our talented friend and photographer Jim Vondruska of DoomsDayRobot for more of The Noise FM at SXSW. 

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We toured through our hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, for a show at Replay Lounge with our friends The Kickback and La Guerre. As per usual, we previewed our homecoming with a special message for The Larryville Chronicles. Read it in its entirety HERE to find out why we’re currently homeless:

“…we found out our landlords are selling our house in Chicago and want us out in “30 days, preferably less.” We wanted to object, but then we remembered we never officially signed a lease, which should have been the first hint that something like this might happen. They did give us first dibs on buying the house though, a nice gesture, but after paying for half a tank of gas for the van we double-checked our bank accounts, and sure enough, we’re a bit short of the $400,000 asking price.

It’s been a long week. So come on out to Replay on Saturday to make us feel like we’re at home, because when we return to Chicago we may not have one.”

We recently used our $79,000 in Kickstarter donation funds to time-travel to 1982 to film the video for “Keep Me in the Dark.” In case you’re wondering, YES, we definitely did mess with the space-time continuum: Barry stepped on a cockroach and as a result y’all will never get to live in a world in which sentient Furbys* overthrew the Ukrainian government in 1997 and “Demolition Man” won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

We are excited to release the 2nd music video from “Attraction,” and Chicago’s RedEye has the exclusive premiere!

“…Mantras about living in the moment don’t come much more vivid than the chorus of “Keep Me in the Dark,” off Chicago electro-poppers The Noise FM’s recent album “Attraction.” “Whatever you’ve done before, just keep me in the dark,” Alex Ward sings, “Whatever you’ve got in store, just keep me in the dark…” - Matt Pais

“Keep Me in the Dark” is surely a new peak in Noise FM artistic achievement:

Check out what Chicagoist had to say about the video HERE!

“…The Noise FM‘s Attraction grabs some of its gusto from ’80s New Wave—though its pull isn’t strictly from that pole—so it’s not surprising that their latest video from that album would look like it was filmed in my suburban high school circa 1986. One of the band’s strengths is their ability to write propulsive, catchy tunes that adroitly combine a tongue in the cheek and a swagger in the ass. This combination is in full effect for “Keep Me In The Dark…” - Tankboy

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Thanks to Kyle, Becki and Matt, the crew and dancers at Rhapsody Productions for making this thing happen. Thanks to Carolina Mariana for the behind-the-scenes photos. Special thanks to Cristina Board for styling and hair.

*Your new president.

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Congratulations to Stephanie Hoeman and Brigitte Bose, winners of the Tunespeak Noise FM Bowling With The Band contest. They won this contest way back in October, but we operate on a 4-month delay over here at Noise FM Headquarters.

Stephanie and Brigitte were treated to autographed copies of “Attraction,” limited-edition posters, bowling at Fireside Bowl in Logan Square, and a pitcher of lethal margaritas. For the record, Austin usually makes homemade margaritas. I tried to take charge this time around but didn’t know what the hell I was doing so I just served them a pitcher of tequila with strawberry in it. It worked.

We bowled a combined score of 7.