February Birthdays 
Noah Holt of Kill, Baby…Kill! - Interview by Noel
Part 1 – Background
For Part 2 go here.
For Part 3 go here.
Kill, Baby… Kill! take their name from the 1966 Italian horror film classic, Kill Baby, Kill by Mario Bava, about an eighteenth century European village haunted by the ghost of a murderous little girl. Founded originally in 2005 and guided by Noah Holt, the band’s current lineup are Erek Smith on Bass, Josh Jackson on Drums, Noah Holt on Guitar and Chris Eagle on Organ and sound samples. They’ve been included on a number of important comps since the 2011 release of their debut EP, Sometimes They Come Back. When Kill, Baby… Kill! played their songs from Sometimes They Come Back and more at the 2012 Instro Summit in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, they left everyone stunned by their power, precision and musicianship. I deeply admire artists who are fully invested in their art. Kill, Baby… Kill! play like they are totally committed to their music and their performances show it. They are all-in.
Though Noah and I “met” on the Internet surf music forum, Surf Guitar 101 (www.surfguitar101.com) and had many conversations there, on Facebook and by email, we didn’t meet in person until the 2012 Instro Summit. Noah is one of the three people principally responsible for my taking up writing music reviews and band interviews in the first place, and whose encouragement and advice have helped me over some bumps in that road. I suspect he knew I would one day ask him to agree to an interview. Having read all my earlier attempts, he agreed anyway.
Noel:
Created and led by Noah Holt, I would describe Kill, Baby...Kill! as an instrumental band on the metal, punk and garage-influenced sound of surf music. They're not anyone’s father's surf band. Would you disagree or agree with that statement, and if so, how?
Noah:
I used to be the leader. The whole idea of KBK came about in the early 2000’s as I was doing demos at home. It took a long time to find members. And when I did, that lineup was short lived. Life changes lead to another five year break shortly after our first series of shows. Then it all came back together with a completely different lineup in 2010. At that time it was certainly ‘Noah led’, but the past three years has shown an evolution of sort. While I still handle much of the business end of things, the band has really taken on a life of its own and each member has a VERY specific contribution.
As far as us not being your ‘Father’s Surf Band’, that is an understatement. I am 37 years old. Even more, the other members are 27 years and below. We weren’t raised on 1960’s surf and instrumental music. Honestly, the other members really weren’t raised on surf at all. For the most part their introduction to the genre was when they joined up with me. As for me, I came to this genre as many in my age range did, through punk rock. While Agent Orange was probably my first conscious exposure to Surf music, the 1990’s third wave revival of bands like Man or Astro-man?, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, The second coming of Dick Dale, and a handful of regional acts were really what opened my eyes to the genre.
Even with that, my roots are and have always been in Punk, Garage, Metal, Alternative Rock. As hard as I try, my schooling was with this music. In developing KBK, those influences, as hard as I once tried, always came forward. In time we all embraced this in hopes of developing a sound that is all our own. Sure, there is a lot of Man or Astro-man? and Shadowy Men in our sound. But there are equal parts Fugazi, Black Sabbath, and Dead Kennedys.
I hope that we pay enough tribute and respect to the roots of the genre, but we certainly aren’t aiming to recreate the sounds of the 1960’s. There are tons of bands out there doing that and doing a much better job than we could ever do. Like most bands, I hope that, in the end, we make our own mark on the genre and can retire knowing that we did a little something to keep the genre moving forward.
Most of my musical life was spent in Auburn, Alabama playing in punk rock bands. I believe I started there around 1988 or 1989 and then all but stopped playing in bands in 2000.
Noel:
I find the band dynamic intriguing. As I understand it, the band have undergone major changes to their lineup since their formation. How did this come about and how did you end up with the current members?
Noah:
We live in a very small town in Alabama. Finding competent musicians alone is a task to behold. Finding musicians that are in the least bit interested or have an understanding of instrumental rock n roll is nearly impossible.
The original 2010 lineup of KBK consisted of individual members that I had taken a liking to over the previous ten years of going to shows in the local area and sporadically playing in a few bands. Some of the members were fantastic musicians, some were completely inexperienced. Some were just awesome guys. Some were a constant source of stress. None-the-less, I had a firm grasp that I had very little to pick from and hoped to make the best out of what was available and mold them into what I needed. That sounds so condescending, but it is where my brain was at.
The first member I picked up was our previous rhythm guitarist. He was a bundle of personality, but really not what you want with you when 2,000 miles from home at 3am in a city you are unfamiliar with. I felt like I spent most of my time babysitting. Anyway, after one year of touring, things just didn’t work out and he had to be let go.
The second member I picked up was Wolf, our previous bass player. To say he is a great guy and an amazing presence on stage doesn’t do the man justice. He is a dear friend and was a fantastic member of the early KBK. But, he had very little experience as a musicians. At first this didn’t matter, as he took dictation very well, and the initial crop of songs was already written before I started the band. But when time to write new material came around, the lack of an experienced player really limited what we were capable of doing. Anyway, Wolf knew this as well. He bowed out very graciously so that we could bring in someone else with more experience. He is now in college and appears to be doing well.
Josh, our drummer, was sort of a package deal with the previously mentioned rhythm player. I remembered him from a previous high school band he played in called Typhoid Mary. There isn’t much to say. He is beyond a fantastic drummer, and really knows how to interpret the music that I bring in. I can honestly say that I never really understood the importance of a creative drummer outside of just keeping time until I started working with Josh. His drumming has such a huge influence on our overall sound.
The next person to come into KBK was our Key player, Chris. We played our first show around the beginning of October in 2010. We were simply a 4 piece at that point. Shortly after our show wrapped up this long-haired hippy looking guy comes up to me and one of the other members and insists that we needed to let him try out on keys. While I knew that the addition of keys was a good thing, I was hesitant. I can’t really say why. Perhaps it was just fear of adding yet another personality to the already trying collective.
Noel:
Kill, Baby...Kill! have already recorded a sensational EP, Sometimes They Come Back and are currently hard at work completing a full-length LP. Do you have a title for the new record?
Noah:
The album will be titled ‘Corridor X’ and should be released on Deep Eddy Records in May of 2013, if everything gets completed in time.
Noel:
I'll get back to the new record in a bit, but right now I'd like to ask more about everyone's musical history. Do you remember (or were told - it's a parents thing) the first song you heard on the radio or television that you really liked?
Noah:
That is a difficult question. Listening to music has dominated my conscious memory and I lack any memory of a time otherwise. Of course I have huge memories of Mom listening to Johnny Cash and Otis Redding when I was a child, but my love for those artists developed much later in life. My earliest radio memories were obviously the 'heyday' 80's radio years, with the New Romantic artists like OMD and Duran Duran and the likes of Springsteen (Born in the USA) era dominating the airwaves. I suppose the first radio artist I remember that really slapped me in the face was U2.
Noel:
Do you remember the first record you ever bought? And do you still have it?
Noah:
I don't remember the first record I ever bought. But I do remember the first record I bought that really mattered. It was a cassette of the 'In God We Trust Inc.' EP by The Dead Kennedys. I purchased it in either 85 or 86 and I do still have it shoved away in a shoebox somewhere. I grew a much bigger love for that band over the years, but at the time it was sort of a taboo purchase for the ten-year-old me. It was 'punk rock' and I knew then of the direction I wanted to go. I am sure the purchase was deeply rooted in some sort of pre-teenage rebellion.
Noel:
What was your first musical instrument and do you remember why you picked it?
Noah:
My first musical instrument was the Trombone. I started playing it at ten years old for beginner concert band. It really wasn't my decision. Like most other ten year old boys walking into beginner band orientation, I wanted to play drums. But you can't very well have a room full of just drummers. None-the-less, the band director (probably my biggest inspiration throughout my musical life) gave me the choice of that or some other instrument that I can no longer remember. From that day forward I was a trombone player. It seemed cheesy at the time and I had little appreciation for it. I excelled at it throughout middle and high school though. Little did I realize that the knowledge I had gained through that instrument would lay the foundation for everything I have ever done on a musical level...not to mention in life, in regard to self discipline and such.
Noel:
You said, "But you can't very well have a room full of just drummers." Why not? I've heard music arranged for an all-percussion ensemble, and it sounds terrific. And Stomp comes to mind. Might something like that in high-school music programs be a very good idea?
Noah:
While I find the idea of drum ensembles very interesting and novel, I am at odds with it in relation to a group of budding 10-year-old musicians. While drums go a long way to teaching rhythms, they do nothing towards training a young ear to notes. Of course this is just my opinion. I can recall one of my favorite drummers that I ever had the pleasure of being in a band with. He excelled at his instrument, but he was also well versed in guitar as well. This worked to our advantage. He had so much to do with writing outside of just interpreting the rhythms. It was not uncommon for the bass player and myself to be struggling with a part and our drummer to step out from behind his instrument, pick up a guitar, and come up with a suggestion that solidified everything.
With this in mind, even the current drummer for KBK has often expressed a desire to work on guitar in his free time, just to gain a better understanding of what is going on our end. Cross training is very beneficial to a band. While I can't play drums for anything due to a lack of coordination between my feet and hands, I have a large understanding of rhythms and the mechanics behind them in relation to a trap kit. It isn't uncommon when I am writing and demoing at home for me to get behind a midi grid and actually write out drum parts to bring into rehearsal.
Noel:
By any chance do you still have it?
Noah:
No, I took it to a pawn shop the day after I graduated High School and traded it for some cheap electric guitar, as I had been borrowing those when needed up until that point.
Noel:
What was your first band and what type of music did you play?
Noah:
Hahaha...My first band was called 'Wise Devotion'. It was your typical High School/Jr. High cover band. We had a grand total of one performance, and that was an intermission at a school beauty pageant. If memory serves me, we performed two originals and covers of Every Rose Has its Thorn and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.
Noel:
I ask this next question on behalf of the aspiring young musician in my neighborhood who has to practice his saxophone outside or not at all. Were your parents musical and did they encourage you?
Noah:
I am sad to say that my parents were mostly less than supportive of me for anything outside of organized marching and concert band. Even more, I held a lot of resentment towards them well into my adult life due to this. Most of that has been worked through these days and they currently show at least some interest in what I do. I honestly just don't think they ever realized how important this outlet was to me and how much a part of me it really is. I am sure they thought it was just some passing rebellious phase. They never purchased a guitar, lesson or anything else for me. They attended a grand total of two performances in my life. One was the previously mentioned first band performance. The second was a few years later when I played with a band called 'Why Me?'. I am pretty sure that scared them off, as it was a very terrible and angry project. I watched a video of the performance a few years ago. I must say that, being put in their shoes, I am not sure I could have stomached or worked up the courage to ever attend another performance.
I am now a dad to two precious little girls. If I have taken anything away from my experience of having less than supportive parents, it is to try my best not to make the same mistake, no matter how unrealistic the dream.
For Part 2 go here.
For Part 3 go here.
This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
Last edited: Apr 14, 2013 13:49:09
