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On stage with her band in January at the New Moon Coffeehouse in Haverhill, Massachusetts, her material ranged from a lush, drone-backed version of the traditional ghost story "She Moved Through the Fair," to covers of songs by writers like Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan, and Patsy Cline, to an abundance of her own intense pictures of contemporary life. While the songs were often dark, her personality was anything but grim; between songs she joked like Christine Lavin about disastrous first marriages, an ex-manager’s tacky taste in souvenirs, and two weeks spent without electricity following a recent ice storm. Two standing ovations from the full-house crowd followed the final songs.

Noonan has lived for many years in rural Maine, but she grew up in the Boston-area town of Peabody, Massachusetts, where her father ran a construction company called Noonan Building & Wrecking that lent its wonderfully metaphorical name to her second CD. Her father’s collection of Irish records was an early influence. "It’s not like they were immigrants or anything, but that’s pretty much all my Dad listened to," said Noonan. "That’s really all I heard growing up."

As a teenager in the 70s, she got into her older brother’s collection of Top 40 rock albums, bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Three Dog Night, as well as her sister’s Stevie Wonder albums. She also listened to Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. "That’s why my sound is all over the place!" she said with a laugh. "I could sing, and I taught myself to play guitar. But I didn’t really start writing until about 10 years ago. That came really late. I’d never really tried it before. A friend of mine wrote a lot of poetry and jottings. I started putting music to that, and it worked out pretty well. I branched away and tried it on my own and did okay, so I figured I’d keep trying it. It was kind of a skill I had that I didn’t know about."

After high school, Noonan attended the classically-oriented New England Conservatory of Music as a voice student, an unusual academic background for a folk-rocker, but one she feels was important to her career. "It was kind of for lack of knowing what else to do. My ignorance was amazing going into that school, and I had a hard time. But it was a great experience. I hadn’t been exposed to anything, and all of a sudden I was hearing the best musicians around. It opened up a lot." While at NEC, she sang in a chorus with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. And through school connections, she met two other former NEC students, Alan Williams and Rick Harris, with whom she formed the regionally successful folk-rock band Knots and Crosses a few years later.

With a strong vocal and electric instrumental sound often reminiscent of the late 80s Richard Thompson Band, and with serious, penetrating songs to match, Knots and Crosses developed a dedicated following in New England. They made two self-produced CDs, and Noonan’s lead vocal work with the band won her a 1993 Boston Music Award for Outstanding Female Vocalist. Unfortunately, a series of personal and financial difficulties within the band led to its demise shortly thereafter. Noonan appreciates the experience, though: "It was definitely a place to start. I hadn’t ever sung or played professionally with anybody, and all of a sudden I had a drum kit, the whole works. I loved it. It made me write, and it inspired me to do everything I did." Several of Noonan’s songs from the Knots and Crosses years remain in her current band’s set lists.

After a bit of regrouping, Noonan signed with Philo Records and released her first solo album, Absolution, in 1995. Although the musicians were different, the predominantly electric instrumental sound of Knots and Crosses and Noonan’s soaring, heartfelt singing carried over. Her two subsequent Philo releases, Noonan Building & Wrecking in 1996 and The Only Witness in 1997, further refined those arrangements with crisp precision. Those recent CDs are credited to the Carol Noonan Band, a distinction she finds important: "I’ve always wanted to play with a band. Whoever it is, I want it to be at least a few people. As a promotional thing, if people just see my name, they’ll think I’m just there by myself. And I think it’s a better show with the guys."

The Carol Noonan Band’s lineup varies between recordings and concerts, but the sound is consistent. "Actually, Paul is the only steady thing," said Noonan, referring to versatile bass/percussion/synth player and producer Paul Bryan, who has played with Noonan throughout her post-K&C career. Lead guitarist Kevin Barry is featured on the albums, but since his touring work with Grammy-winning rocker Paula Cole creates schedule conflicts, the equally talented Thomas Juliano often handles live shows. Harmony singer Kristi Kollias and ace Boston guitarist Duke Levine are frequent guests, along with ex-K&C drummer Ben Whitman.

Asked about her songwriting and the roots of its consistently serious mood, she laughed. "I have a feeling that a lot of people who write in those dark ways aren’t necessarily unhappy people. In fact, sometimes I think it’s the opposite. I’ve met Richard Thompson a couple of times. He writes some really dark things, and he’s kind of a weird guy, but he seems pretty happy. We actually got to cook a lobster dinner for him.

"I had a nice childhood, not a depressing one. I think my melodies lean toward those dark sounds, so you can’t really write anything happy to them. I always write the music first, and the music dictates what the lyrics will be. I really love dark melodies, and I’m really drawn to them. It’s not that I have some big doom in my life, no more than anybody else. I guess everything comes from somewhere, but not literally."

Among her sharper-edged recent songs are "Emery Lane," a cutting account of high school life on the rough side of town, and "Not Coming Home," in which a shattered woman learns that she’s suddenly alone. Both rely on a laconic stream of brief images to tell a detailed, graphic story.

Unfortunately, Noonan is running into the economic realities that make life difficult for North American folk-rock bands. "I have a day job and I’m sick of it. We haven’t been able to tour beyond New England because I just don’t have the money. Having a band is an issue. If I was by myself, I would probably be able to do it, but that’s not how I want to present myself."

Suddenly, she smiled wickedly. "Maybe I could have a baby that was a monkey or something. That would get us attention!"

 

Copyright 1998 Dirty Linen Ltd