Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage profile picture

Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage

on ships of desert tribes

About Me

I am a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter; a practising artist (painting/printmaking), and a writer.

I was born in Perth, Western Australia but grew up on the South-East coast, living variously in Wollongong; Juneau, Alaska, USA; London UK; and most recently in the beachside suburb of Bondi in Sydney, Australia.
Influences in terms of songwriting: NICK DRAKE, BOB DYLAN, JEFF & TIM BUCKLEY, ELLIOTT SMITH, HOWLIN' WOLF, JOHN FAHEY, VELVET UNDERGROUND & LOU REED, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, BILLIE HOLIDAY, SONIC YOUTH, BECK, FELA KUTI, ROLAND KIRK and BJORK to name a few. These are some musicians that I love and respect. Whilst I don't necessarily try (or intentionally try not to) emulate them, something of their work as well as others known or unknown inevitably creeps in. My sound might be variously described as folky, jazzy, (too) wordy, worldy, rocky, poppy, bluesey, Noisy, etc.
In short, I'm a boy with an acoustic guitar and a bag of songs who, since 2000, has been developing quietly on the cafe, pub, and festival scene in and around Wollongong, Sydney, and the South Coast. I am interested in sharing knowledge, emotions, and experiences with people of any cultural inclination; be they artists, composers, musicians, poets/writers, and people involved in media production, propagation, and/or subversion. In the same way I am interested in people not necessarily involved in these things who are yet interesting (and interested) in their own way.
Through playing I hope to give something back to those who have had some kind of impact on me as well as those not so familiar who may yet become that way. First and foremost, I am a music fan who loves to learn and explore many kinds of musics old or new, exotic or familiar. I have played in several bands in and across the styles of folk, rock, pop, punk, jazz, electronic, experimental, avant-garde, and world musics.
Currently I am involved in projects as a either a saxophonist, guitarist, or percussionist in the folk/world combo PETTIBONE, the "atmospheric, liquid pop" of DREAMGIRL & THE MOTORIST, the punk/rock band FUGG, the six piece percussion ensemble OBROBINI, and the folk/pop/latin/jazz/world collective ATE. These and earlier groups have played with such artists as YOU AM I, THE VASCO ERA, TUMBLEWEED, NANCY VANDAL, SPIDERBAIT, MARTINEZ, MENTAL AS ANYTHING, FRENZAL RHOMB, EPIZO BANGOURA, JACKIE ORSASZSKY, VICIOUS HAIRY MARY, DHA, JIGZAG, CLUB HAVANA, JIMMY LITTLE, PROP, WAITING FOR GUINNESS, TROY CASSER-DALY, V.M.BHATT, RORY McLEOD, AFRO MOSES, MICK HART, DEAN MANNING, MACHINE TRANSLATIONS, PAUL GREENE, INFUSION, and TROUT FISHING IN QUEBEC (plus many more) at clubs, galleries, universities, pubs, cafes, and festivals.
These and many other experiences coupled with a coastal upbringing inform my art, writing and music. Thanks for listening.
DISCOGRAPHY: FUGG – Speakhole (2006) The Sandcasters - Divided Road (2006) The Sandcasters - Tomorrow's Captain (2005) The Fists - Sunshine & Breaks (2005) ATE - On The Lounge; Live at the Heritage Hotel (2004) Obrobini - 1.2 (2003) FUGG - No Left Turn Unstoned (2003) Mark Stewart - We The Borrowers (2002) Noah Hampson - 1522102 (2002) FUGG - Art Brut (2000) You should create your own MySpace Layouts like me by using nUCLEArcENTURy .COM's MySpace Profile Editor !

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/8/2006
Band Website: http:/myspace.com/Noah_Hampson
Influences: Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth, Roland Kirk, Nick Drake, Pixies, Charles Mingus, Velvet Underground, Elliott Smith, Fela Kuti, Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band, Ravi Shankar, Bjork, Ornette Coleman, Billie Holiday, Beck, Love, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, Jeff & Tim Buckley, Miles Davis, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Fugazi, Archers Of Loaf, Astrud Gilberto, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Belle & Sebastian, David Bowie, Iron & Wine, John Martyn, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Kristen Hersh & Throwing Muses, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, John Zorn/Masada, The Temptations, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Strokes, The Shins, Mazzy Star, Pavement, Paco Pena, John Fahey, Joanna Newsom, Jackamo Brown, Stereolab, The Byrds, Taraf de Haidouks, Gillian Welch, Jess Bryant, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Rolling Stones, Sparklehorse, Aretha Franklin, Toumani Diabate, Tom Waits, U2, Sufjan Stevens, Butthole Surfers, PJ Harvey, Morphine, Radiohead, Eric Dolphy, Kocani Orchestra, The Doors, Lester Young, Francoiz Breut, Charlie Parker, Natalie Merchant, Carolina Schaaf, Bob Marley, Blur, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! Bob Brozman, Beth Orton, Espers, Dizzy Gillespie, Estrella Morente, Nico, Orchestra Babaob, The Cars, Jesus & Mary Chain, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Burning Spear, Rico Rodriguez, The Cure, Joy Division/New Order, The (British) Beat, Big Youth, You!!I have also been inspired and influenced by musicians and bands closer to home, both the ones I have been involved in (mentioned in the bio) and the following: Tim Rogers & You Am I, Dirty Three, Machine Translations, Bluetile Lounge, The Necks, Dappled Cities Fly, Clarion Fracture Zone, Underground Lovers, Custard, The Church, Erika’s Jive/We Love You Madly, Steven Robinson, Ed Lee, Adam Buckland & the Dodgy World, Sweet Sweet Bulbs, The Pink Fits, Bracode, Baby Machine, Tim Ireland, David Beniuk, Dropping Honey, The Pure Evil Trio, Mark Stewart, Andy Lawler, The Sandcasters, Lola Flash, Trout Fishing In Quebec, Jackie Orszacsky, Marianthe Loucataris, Brianne Curran, Abel Cross, Pat Lyons, The Last Band Standing, The Sneaky Butchers, Patrick Arnold, Mark Holderkeeping, Pedro Altuna, Damion Stirling, Trina Collins, The Austi Beach Crew
Sounds Like: epic modal folksong, alley cat loner rock, reading a book at the pub and/or disko
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Look Mum, I wrote a jangly pop song!

BALANCE v GRAVITYBalanced on a ribbon, tracing infinities of figure eightsIn the line of fire of, a toy gun panning along the paths of planesIt's a fine line with blurred visionIt's a fine line with b...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 07:51:00 PST

A Town Called Alice

The night wraps around the pathways of fireflies,making tangible the dovetailed union of our livesIn the radium glow, of their filaments so &&&Rolling down the causewayfrom the reservoir gates, where ...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:05:00 PST

Song for Ari/Flowers for Charlie: March 15 2008

SONG FOR ARI/FLOWERS FOR CHARLIEGolden Mustangs, Coffee carts,careening at break-neck speed down the marble corridor into receptionFly endless reams of paper in trays, in boxesIn the path of a thousan...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:46:00 PST

Mark’s park, south Bondi NSW: January 7 2008

(disappearing through the night &&& )Requiem for the thousand insects who crossed my path, a thousand each way, a nice round number even for ballpark estimations &&&& then how about nine? A song for A...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:31:00 PST

East Brunswick, Vic: Jan 3 2008

The veins of the city laid bareThe arteries and capillaries upon which all manner of life travels && over and across and throughThe afternoon light catches the edge of an architect's visionThe reverse...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:26:00 PST

Barwon Heads, Vic: January 1 2008

Vanishing pointsThe spaces/noises between zeros and onesThe receding distanceTwilight drapes the hard landscape softly, like velvethard overlapping soft in reverse and back againTwilight drapes the so...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:00:00 PST

Sligo Highway Blues, Welcome/Adieu, The River: January 8 2008

A shower is a wonderful thing &&& hot showers in cold weather or cold showers in hot.Many things there have been, happening and thinking.Oh, before I forget, Happy New Year to all! I trust it was seen...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:49:00 PST

Robin Hood Blues 11/17/2007

Past one year ago, Legends of summer domestic suburban bliss recipe Dialogues pending regard/approval by appropriate legal channelsRocking next to that which is not solid, not even stationary, but in ...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:39:00 PST

mmm &&

Well, Howdy stranger &&&A few weeks back I lost my song book with 8-9 years of lyrics and a bunch of covers I had figured out and would do at shows or wherever.In the process of trying to remember som...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:27:00 PST

Contradictionary: July 6 2007

Give me a golden, sibilant death &¬&&&&&&&¬ (like in the golden era of radio)A salty holiday pillar with a face as a fish eye parking mirror &&&The linesman gets the joke &&&&& ...
Posted by Noah Hampson & the Northwest Passage on Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:34:00 PST