When I was 14 years old, my older brother took me and my best friend to my very first local concert at The Marquee Theater. Since then, I have been a huge supporter of the local music scene in Phoenix. I remember that show very vividly, and it was such an enthralling experience watching the various musicians on stage. Valley legends, Authority Zero headlined the event, but I remember thinking that all five of the bands that played that evening put on a great show. That was the first time I ever saw Numbers On Napkins live. In fact, that was the first time that I was introduced to the Phoenix based band. Prior to that evening, I had never heard of the band, despite the fact that they had already released a full length album, as well as a limited edition EP CD. Not to mention the fact that NON usually performed several local shows every month. Sometimes as many as three or four shows per week, all in the Phoenix Metro area.

I remember arriving to the Marquee semi early, but I still missed the opening act, and entered the venue in the middle of the second bands set. After the second band left the stage, Numbers On Napkins started an energetic, wild set. The band had a strong comedic presence, and I think that I pretty much laughed throughout their entire set as the band members proceeded to poke fun at each other while they drank way too much and made several comments about people in the crowd. The band eventually started involving the audience more and more as the night went on, and I was totally astonished that any of the band members were able to stand by the end of their 45 minute set with the way that they all drank while on stage. Even more incredible was the fact that the band performed very tight and polished, despite their large consumption of Jager Jameson, Patron, and beer. They also had so much energy for being so wasted, and the guitarist Moe Money never stopped running and jumping across the stage, while bassist Chase Stain would flail his bass around while banging his head and spinning around the stage, often playing the bass behind his back, or high up in the air and upside down. Drummer Tad Gurthman played his fast punk rock beats while twirling his sticks in the air, banging his head, and smiling the entire time. The only member that wasn’t going nuts was guitarist Matt Martini, who seemed to be laughing during the entire set, taking the time to wave and take notice of fans near the front of the stage.

After NON left the stage, Zebrahead introduced themselves and started to play. The band was good, but after watching NON’s antics and crazy performance, I just couldn’t get pumped the way I was during NON’s set. As soon as Zebrahead finished their set, I was immediately hit with a rush of adrenaline that boosted me up as I prepared to watch one of my favorite bands at the time, Authority Zero! The members took the stage and managed to put on a spectacular show for all of their fans. Authority Zero was just as tight and polished as NON, and the band had an energy that was almost explosive, as lead vocalist Jason DeVore convinced fans to start a pit that was literally the entire floor of the venue! DeVore demanded that patrons increase the size of the pit as the night progressed, and he yelled at fans at the very back of the venue, telling them to enlarge the counterclockwise circle. As the band performed their song, “Sky’s the Limit”, DeVore’s request was eventually granted, and the entire floor became one large pit, unlike anything I had ever seen before! To this very day, I have never seen anything like it.

As Authority Zero performed “Sky’s the Limit”, I noticed several members of NON on stage with the band. I watched as Chase Stain was kneeling on a floor monitor and hanging over the security stage fence, while he poured two separate bottles of Jagermeister into the mouths of screaming fans! Security struggled to find a way to reach him successfully and stop the process, but Stain managed to empty both bottles before two of the guards were able to pull themselves up onto the stage. Both guards rushed Stain, as the tall and lanky musician quickly ran away and jumped up to the side stage speaker and leapt into the crowd! As Stain floated on the crowd, I watched as Moe Money quickly followed suite, jumping off of the front of the stage and into the crowd! As the band ended the song, fans screamed and cheered. The band thanked the crowd and promptly left the stage. My friend and I looked around the hundreds of patrons for my older brother for a moment before we decided to head over to Authority Zero’s merch table so I could purchase a memento to help me remember my first local concert.

I decided to get an Authority Zero shirt and then stepped three feet to my right to Numbers On Napkins merch table. I immediately noticed the band members talking to customers and signing CD’s and shirts for their fans while a group of very attractive girls took orders and collected cash from various people in the crowd. I asked a stunning blonde behind the table which of the bands CD’s were better and she proceeded to tell me that they were both great, but explained that one was an EP and the other was a full length. As I looked at both CD’s, she went on to tell me that the bands full length had sold far more copies, but then added that the EP was a limited edition release. I bought the EP in case it ended up not being available in the future and then made my way over to the band where I told them how much I enjoyed their set. I ended up talking with NON’s drummer Tad Gurthman and their guitarist Moe Money for about ten minutes, and told them that it was my first concert and that I came for Authority Zero, but really was blown away by their performance. They were both super cool, especially considering that I was just some 14 year old kid, and they ended up giving me a free copy of their other CD after I told them that I had a problem deciding which CD to purchase. Moe told me that he had to step away for a moment, but asked me to stay by the booth until he came back, promising to bring back a surprise.

About ten minutes later, my older brother and his friends finally found me and made their way to NON’s table. My brother told me that it was time to split, but I told him that I was waiting for NON’s guitarist Moe to return and asked to stay for just a few more minutes. NON’s bassist, Chase Stain overheard the conversation and asked my brother to stick around, and told him that Moe would be back any second. Thirty seconds later, I saw Moe walking up to the merch table with Authority Zero’s singer, Jason DeVore. Moe introduced me to Jason, and explained to me that he had told Jason that I was a huge fan and asked him to come say hello.

Jason was a great guy to take the time to talk to some 14 year old kid, and I ended up having him sign my ticket stub. Even my brother and his friends ended up getting his autograph and talked with him for awhile. About ten minutes later, Jason told us that he had to leave, but thanked us for coming to the show. That experience really made my night, and it was an experience that I would always remember. I think that it was really awesome of NON to take the time to do that, and after that night, I became a huge fan of the band. After that first show, I wanted to go to shows every weekend. I noticed that Numbers On Napkins would play shows nearly every weekend. One night would be in Scottsdale, the following weekend would be in Tempe, the next weekend in downtown Phoenix, and the next weekend might be in Glendale or Peoria or something. There was one big problem though. NON was usually playing at bars and venue’s that were 21 and older only. The band only played all ages events every two or three months, but I made an effort to see the band whenever I had the chance.

A couple years later I went to see NON play a show with several local bands at Alice Cooperstown. I finally had a license and car, and it seemed like I would go see bands nearly every Friday and Saturday night. I remember learning that NON was leaving their current label that night, and signing with a new local label. The band had been on Bad Stain since their first release, and I had come to enjoy other bands on the label, including the band ATM, that performed with them that very night.

I didn’t see NON play live again until about a year later at The Red Owl for some huge music festival that was actually hosted by Christina Dolce, AKA “Forbidden”, who gained slight fame for her sexy pictures on MySpace at the time. NON headlined the three day event, and to my surprise, guitarist Matt Martini was not with them on stage. After their set, I learned that it was the bands first show without Martini, and that he had left NON to pursue his other band, “Reason Unknown”, that had up until that point been a side project that Martini enjoyed. It seemed strange to me that Martini had left, considering that NON had just released their new full length, “Borrachos, Chingasos Y Rucas”, and seemed to be doing very well at the time.

About a year and a half after Matt Martini left the band, I noticed that NON was not performing as frequently as they had in the past. I was only able to see the band 2 or 3 times after their show in December of 2010 at The Red Owl. In January of 2013, I read online that NON was going on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time, and the band performed their last show a few weeks later.

In December of 2017, NON announced that the band was getting back together after spending five years on hiatus, and would be recording a new album in the near future. In 2018, NON announced that former guitarist Matt Martini would be featured on the new release, playing on several tracks that he had helped develop prior to his departure.

Over the next 18 months, I followed NON's posts on their official website and my expectations started to increase regarding their new album. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, NON released their new album, "From Buckeye To Beardsley".

The funny thing is that I actually pre-ordered a copy of the CD to get it as soon as it came out. Two days after I pre-ordered the album, my editor handed me an advanced copy to review. My editor knows that I am a fan of Numbers On Napkins, and asked that I write a detailed and thorough review, so I got to work. I was excited to hear the new album, and was also happy knowing that I wouldn't need to do a shit ton of research about the band before I wrote the review, because I was already a fan that had plenty of info!

When I first looked at the digipack, I had to give NON a thumbs up from the start. The band designed cover art that is very similar to their debut release, "Waiting for Tomorrow", using a blue cover instead of purple. The band stated that they wanted to their new album to be a representation of the bands musical career, and show how the band has grown musically since its conception in 2003. The album cover almost seems to state that the band has come full circle with their music, and I loved how they chose to design it. The CD itself features a photo of NON's old tour bus, "The Weasel Wagon", and the tray card is a photo of the band members holding assorted firearms, including a handgun, rifle, and even an M-16.

The album contains a total of 20 tracks, although not all of the songs are new, and a handful of the tracks have been released on previous releases. The band also included a few live recordings, as well as an alternate version of the bands pop punk tune, "Broken", "which was originally released on "Waiting for Tomorrow".

The album starts off strong with the track, "Summer Daze", one of NON's most popular songs. This is the first time that NON released the a studio version of the song, but it has been a fan favorite for years, and live versions could be heard on YouTube or other websites for years prior to the this release. In 2008, when I first went to Zia Records to buy a copy of NON's CD, I remember looking for "The Summer Song", but was unable to find it. I had heard NON play the song live, and it was my favorite track from them, but for some reason, the band chose not to release it until now. The song has a catchy hook and chorus, and has clever lyrics about finding love and losing love during one summer, with a girl named Summer.

Track two is called "Precious Cargo", and was originally released on the limited edition and out of print "QuickerDrunkenLouderHarder" EP. The song has powerful lyrics, and is another song about love, a subject that is fairly common with NON. It's followed up by "Damaged Goods", which I thought was a good move following "Precious Cargo" with "Damaged Goods". "Damaged Goods" is not a love song, but rather more of a hate song I guess, as it's about a painful break-up. Chase Stain's lyrics paint the picture of bitterness and rage - "She spits out insults with a razor tongue enough to piss you off so bad you might just kill someone. A cancer eating at her every word with the decibel raised so that she can be heard".

The next track was a live recording of NON’s very popular song, “Runaway”. “Runaway” is hands down NON’s most successful track that they have ever released. The original version of the song was released on the bands debut album, “Waiting for Tomorrow”, and helped launch the band when it was put into regular rotation on several college and online radio stations. When the track was picked up by 103.9 The Edge in Phoenix, NON quickly saw their fanbase increase, and promoters and music venues started to seek out the band to perform live. The Edge was the only station in the Phoenix metro area that focused on alternative, ska, punk, indie rock, emo, and various other genres that other stations refused to play. There were tons of stations that played pop, hip hop, rap, country, oldies, and metal, but The Edge was the only station that would play a band like NON. “Runaway” being played on a national station would end up benefiting the band in many ways, and album sales drastically increased. The Edge ended up taking “Runaway” out of rotation about five or six months after first playing the song, but would still include “Runaway” in rotation on the stations weekly “Ska-Punk Show”, and would occasionally play “Runaway” at some point on the station every couple months until the station ended up going off the air in 2010. The live recording of the song is not amazing, but it sounds decent enough and everything is mixed well and is balanced so that you can actually hear all of the instruments in the song. NON performs the song very well live, with Tad Gurthman playing tight drums and Moe Money singing crisp lead vocals, while Chase Stain helps to create solid harmonies while singing along with the Chorus.

Track five was another love song with a poppy melody called, “I’m Wanting Heather Lesser More”. One thing that I have learned about NON’s bassist and co-frontman, Chase Stain, is that he really enjoys using girls names in his lyrics. Stain claims that nearly all of the lyrics that he writes are based on real events that he has gone through, but has also said that he will sometimes write through the eyes of a close friend and try to write from their perspective. He has stated that it is rare for him to write a song with subject matter that is basically made up, and is all a fantasy. Maybe that’s why he uses so many female names. Stain’s full length solo album, “The First Quarter”, contains tracks like, “The Jen Gornick Infatuation”, “I Think I’m Falling for Shannah McClure”, and the song “January”, which is about the mother of his daughter, January. “I’m wanting Heather Lesser more” starts off with an almost analog sound that is slightly muffled. It sounds almost like a vinyl record is being played for the first 15 or 20 seconds until the drums come in and then the instruments suddenly explode into a crisp and bright sound! The root guitar track has a crunchy, but bright distortion, and the second guitar track produces a radiant tone with harmonic chords that bring the whole song together. The pop punk track has an upbeat progression, while Stain sings about his first love, a girl named Heather Lesser that has managed to take hold of Stain’s heart. In the chorus, he sings about how he can’t help but be drawn to her every few years, despite knowing that she will always hurt him in the end.......”It’s happening again, like it’s happened so many times before, I’m wanting Heather Lesser more.”

The album was producing really good songs back to back, and I was especially excited to hear track six, “Ode to the Drink”. NON released the song on their last album, “Borrachos, Chingasos Y Rucas”, and I was really impressed with how the band was able to create an Irish folk song that sounded so perfect. The version of the song from “Borrachos” was an acoustic track, featuring Tad Gurthman playing a traditional Irish drum made of sheepskin called a bodrhan. Chase Stain and Tad Gurthman collaborated on the lyrics for the song, and managed to produce what I feel should become a new classic Irish drinking song. The first verse starts off, “I ask the bartender to pour me a shot, ten bucks in my pocket is all that I’ve got. I’m not looking for trouble, but make it a double, time to drink all my worries away....” The next verse starts with, “Spending my cash, nothing to show for it. Five bucks in my pocket is all I got left.....” The lyrics continue on, painting a vivid picture of a man with his friends drinking in the bar, taking shots and hoping for better days. The third verse starts of with, “Lost in the shadows of a bottle of Gin, a buck in my pocket, and nothing to spend...” So the story continues on as the man in the bar spends every dime he has to drown his troubles. The last verse of the song wraps things up in true perfection. “I hear the bartender, he shouts out, LAST CALL! I’m all out of cash, I’ve got nothing at all. Sorry there sir, I don’t know what to do, but tonight I’ve got no tip for you.”

The acoustic Irish folk version of the song that NON released on “Borrachos” was so majestic and , I was eager to hear the new version of the song that NON had talked about in various posts several months before “From Buckeye To Beardsley” was released. NON told their fans that the newly recorded track was a Punk Rock version of the song, following in the same vein as bands like “Flogging Molly” and “Dropkick Murphy’s”. The new version also included guest vocals from Cris MoSkill, the guitarist and lead vocalist of the band ATM. ATM had released their debut full length album on Bad Stain Records, and it was an incredible album! The new version of “Ode to the Drink” is done so well, and NON really nailed it with the punk rock version of the track. ATM’s frontman, Cris MoSkill, sang the third verse of the song, and also provided backing vocals during the chorus! His voice was perfect for the track, and MoSkill helped bring an explosive energy to the song. NON also enlisted the help of Ryan Butler (Guitarist for the grindcore/metal band, Landmine Marathon) for the track, having him play viola near the end of the song. The viola helped give the new version of “Ode to the Drink” that dynamic sound that was missing. After listening to the track 3 or 4 times, I was still unable to choose which version of the song I liked better.

Track seven is a live version of “Another Song MRR Won’t Like”. The studio version of the song was originally released on the out of print “QuickerDrunkenLouderHarder” EP CD, and is one of NON’s most raw and angry punk rock tracks. Immediately following “Another Song...” is NON’s comically unique cover of the Sir-Mix-A-Lot hit, “Baby Got Back”. The band manages to put their own personal spin on the song, turning the track into a pop punk tune with melodic vocals that almost transforms the fan favorite into a poetic love song. The track comes across to me as a song that I think could be commercially successful, and I actually think that NON should seriously consider selecting the track as the bands next single.

Track nine is another song that was originally released on the bands out of print “QuickerDrunkenLouderHarder” EP, titled “The Poor Misfortune of a Dimwitted Lemming”. I really enjoy the song, and love the way that both Chase Stain and Moe Money sing the song together, alternating lines in the verses. The next track is a live version of another song that was originally on the “Quicker.....” EP called “Knockin’ on my Door”, and is followed up with the hilariously funny song, “My Girlfriend Bit My Dick Off”, which is yet another track that is from the “Quicker...” EP.

The twelfth track reminded me of an intermission, although it took place a couple tracks past the halfway mark of the CD. I actually think that NON should have used the song as track 10 or 11. The song is called “Mario Gurth Dub”, and is a fusion mix of the well known Super Mario theme performed on keyboards, with upbeat drums.

Next up was the original version of NON’s song “Broken”. I was actually really surprised at how drastically different the song sounds compared to the upbeat pop punk version from “Waiting for Tomorrow”, and this version made me realize how depressing the lyrics are. When I heard the pop punk version, I knew all of the lyrics, but because the music is so upbeat and poppy, I just never really noticed the sadness behind the words. This version of the song is much slower, and Stain sings the song with a hopeless angst in his voice that helps provide a sense of loneliness to the song. In addition, this version also has a keyboard track that plays along with the root guitar and bass riffs, and a piano track that manages to define the song and gives it a dark tone that catches your attention.
NON was clever enough to follow up the sad and heartbreaking track with an upbeat and happy sounding acoustic track that contains lyrics about the amazing adventures, as well as the frustration and headaches that arise when you are in a small underground punk band and living life on tour. “Burpin’ Our Way To New Mexico” is a great track, and I really enjoyed the subject matter, and think that Chase Stain wrote some very clever and hilarious lyrics for the tune. The song starts off with, “I got a call from my boy Tom who says he has a show lined up for us to play down at The Old Gold Mine. I asked for $3,000 and he laughed, then he offered $300 with an open bar, and I said Hell Tom that sounds fine.” Stain then sings about loading the tour bus with equipment and snacks, as well as “...two ounces of my lady Mary Jane......and pills to help us deal with the pain”. Stain goes on with the story, and the band eventually gets lost, and he gets frustrated because everyone is too wasted to help him figure out where to go. I also thought that it was pretty funny that the solo during the bridge is actually the theme song from Top Gun!

Track 15, “Stop, Calm” has a heavier bass and guitar sound compared to most of the other tracks on the album, although the vocals are very straight forward, and very raw. The song features guest screams from “The One Man Gang”, Adam “Otis” Senter, the frontman for the grindcore band E.T.T.S., as well as the metal band, Sorrower.

“Stop, Calm” is followed up with a live recording of NON performing the fan favorite, “True Love”, which was originally released on “Waiting for Tomorrow”. I think that NON was smart to include a live version of this song, considering that it tends to be a huge part of their live show, and for the most part, everyone in the crowd has a memorable experience when they watch NON perform “True Love”. The band members ask for a female volunteer to join them on stage, and basically make it seem as though they plan on serenading the volunteer with a song that is just for them. They ask the girl for her name, and then start playing the song. In this live version, the girl tells the band that her name is Destiny, and the band promptly starts playing. Chase Stain then sings the first line of the song, “Destiny....Destiny.....Destiny.....She sucks a mean dick!” It’s always classic to see the reaction of whoever is on stage, and this live version of “True Love” really manages to fully capture the essence of actually being at the show.

The next two tracks are probably the weakest songs on the album, although both songs are still decent. Track 17 is the song, “Waiting for Tomorrow”, and is followed by a song about a child predator that has very dark and uncomfortable lyrics about molesting children, as well as strangling them until their eyes start to bleed.” NON follows up their song with such dark subject matter with another cover song. The song is actually a live recording of NON covering the song, “Like a Rat”, originally performed by Schleprock. NON executes the song perfectly in my opinion, and they bring a certain amount of energy to the song, which was needed to grab the listeners attention near the end of the night.

The last song on the CD is “The Last Song”, which is another track that was originally released on NON’s “Quicker.....” EP CD. I personally love this song, and I find it very unique for NON, with its intense keyboards and synthesizers, and Stains cocky lyrics. “My tongue, it moves so strong in conjunction with these lips to spit out every single word that make all the ladies scream. And when the show is done, and when you’re with him tonight, you’ll bite your lip, close your eyes, and you'll be thinking of me!”

Overall, I was very happy with NON’s new album, and I think that they did a great job showcasing the range of styles and portraying the history of the band. “From Buckeye To Beardsley” was not as well polished as “Waiting for Tomorrow”, but that was fine with me. I honestly feel like it would have hurt the album if the recording was as flawless and crisp as “Waiting for Tomorrow”, because it would not be truly representing the overall style of the Band over the past fifteen years. “From Buckeye To Beardsley” is diverse, although I do wish that the band would have had featured lead vocals from Tad Gurthman and Matt Martini on at least one track each. I really enjoyed the fact the everyone in the band took a turn as lead singer on the album, “Borrachos, Chingasos Y Rucas”, and I had hoped that when I listened to this album that I would get the chance to hear more songs with everyone taking turns on lead vocals. I deducted a 1/4 star for not having the variety of lead vocals that I had anticipated, and I deducted another 1/4 star for the weakness I felt that Track 17 - “Waiting for Tomorrow” and Track 18 - “A Modern Day Andrei Chikatilo” displayed. Overall, the new album was worth the wait, and I’m glad that NON has returned to the scene, and I can’t wait to see what the band has planned for the future!