Welcome back everyone! Real quick, for any of the new readers out there, I want to say thank you for taking an interest in this personal project I have created, “Sounds from the Valley”. This is my fifth episode, in which I select a local band from my home state of Arizona, and review their most recent release as an attempt to help everyone out there in the internet world know about the various amazing and talented bands and musicians that my state has to offer. This month, I have chosen the punk rock band, Numbers On Napkins, hailing from Phoenix.

Numbers On Napkins, or commonly referred to as NON, formed in 2003, and released their debut album titled, “Waiting for Tomorrow” in late 2004 on the Phoenix based record label, Bad Stain Records. By January of 2005, NON’s popular single, “Runaway”, was played regularly on the now extinct radio station, 103.9 The Edge, helping to give the band the much needed exposure that it so desperately needed in its infancy. NON’s popularity increased quickly within the local underground punk scene, and the band started performing with various successful independent acts from across the country, including Yellowcard, Flogging Molly, Plain White T’s, The Donna’s, Guttermouth, and more. NON eventually developed a friendship with Joe Queer, the frontman of the legendary Ramones-Core Pop Punk group, The Queers, after opening up for the band on several different occasions. NON asked Joe Queer to produce the bands next full length album, and he kindly accepted the offer. NON released their second full length, “Borrachos, Chingasos Y Rucas” in 2010, after the album was delayed several times due to NON frequently changing record labels. In the end, Bad Stain Records once again released NON’s material, and the band played dozens of live shows throughout the state to promote the album, as well as performing a seven week tour across the Western United States.

In late 2012, NON announced that they would be taking a break for an undisclosed amount of time. It was an announcement that the scene hadn’t expected, and was a shock to their fans and peers. NON had ben doing very well for themselves at the time, and had been in negotiations with several independent record labels, as well as a few national labels as well. The members claimed that due to the fact that 2/3 of the band had just become new fathers, and the other 1/3 was a single parent with an eight year old, they needed to focus on family for awhile. In March of 2013, the band performed a final show before going on a five year hiatus.
In 2018, when NON announced their return, they also announced that the band was recording and releasing a new full length album as well, titled “From Buckeye To Beardsley”. NON’s new full length was released late in the summer of 2019, and I was curious to hear the CD. “From Buckeye To Beardsley” features 20 tracks, starting off with the melodic and catchy, “Summer Daze”. From what I understand, the band and the label have pushed the track to be the first single, a decision that I one hundred percent agree with. “Summer Daze” has a great structure, with tight and solid drums, a bright sounding bass, guitar tones that harmonize very well together, and lyrics that tell a vivid love story with a clever phrased chorus that seems to become tattooed into your brain.
Ten out of the twenty tracks on “From Buckeye To Beardsley” are new recordings, although I get the impression that NON wanted to give their listeners something familiar as well, considering their extended vacation from music. I think that’s why the band chose to include four tracks from their limited edition and out of print “QuickerDrunkenLouderHarder” EP, and five live tracks, including a live recording of the bands most successful single, “Runaway”. All five live tracks are very well executed, and have been mixed superbly, allowing the listener to hear every instrument clear and crisp.

NON also included the original version of the bands song, “Broken”, which was a poppy punk song released on their debut album. When I finally heard the alternate version of the song, I didn’t even realize that it was the same song. When I finished the CD, it dawned on me that I never heard the song...or so I had thought. I quickly selected the track and started listening, and I immediately realized that I had in fact heard the different version, but it was so unlike the track released on NON’s debut, that I didn’t even notice. The original version of “Broken” is much slower, with an ominous and dark style about it, and steady keyboards in the back of the mix, and a sorrowing piano playing with the music that seemed to draw my attention to the lyrics much more than in the pop punk version. It never dawned on me how sad and and full of emptiness the lyrics are until I hard this original version, and I actually feel as though this version has so much more emotion behind it, that it is the superior version. Afterwards, I listened to the pop punk version and almost laughed at the fact that it’s so upbeat and happy, considering the lyrics are so lonely and depressing.

The majority of the songs on the album are highly energetic and upbeat with a fun and often comedic tone about them. Although the band does have a few tracks that are more angry and destructive sounding, but they always have this powerful energy about them. That is with the exception of “Broken”, and another very disturbingly dark track titled, “A Modern Day Andrei Chikatilo”. “A Modern Day Andrei Chikatilo” has a hauntingly evil sounding guitar with a blend of strange synthesizer tones popping up throughout the mix, and disturbingly stomach churning lyrics that tell the story of a child predator that is keeping the dark secret from his wife and kids. The lyrics go on to explain how he stalks children using the internet, and then molests them and chokes the children until blood comes out from their eyes. Pretty dark and scary stuff, and I commend the band for writing lyrics on a subject matter that is something that most of us don’t want to think about.

The album also features a cover of the 90’s rap song, “Baby Got Back”, although NON has put their own personal spin on the track, making it happy and bouncy sounding, which in turn forces the listener to crack a smile while they tap their foot. I found the song very comical, and it somewhat reminded me of the cover of “Boys in the Hood” by Dynamite Hack.
NON also included a different version of the band’s popular Irish drinking song, “Ode to the Drink”. NON released “Ode to the Drink” on 2010’s full length, “Borrachos, Chingasos Y Rucas”, and it quickly became a fan favorite. The song featured simple acoustic guitars, and drummer, Tad Gurthman, playing a bodrahn (a traditional Irish drum that is made from wood and sheepskin, and is struck using a small wooden mallet). The band chose to give the song a bit more attitude on the new album, recording a punk rock version with fast paced drums, and distorted guitars, making it sound like something you would hear from Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphy’s. The song also features special guest vocals on the third verse, performed by Cris MoSkill, frontperson for fellow Bad Stain Recording Artists, Against The Man (more commonly referred to as ATM). NON also enlisted the help of Ryan Butler (guitarist for the grindcore band, Landmine Marathon) on the track, having him play viola during the breakdown in the song.

“From Buckeye To Beardsley” seems to shift off in several directions throughout the album, and I found myself pleased with the changes. The album has polished, radio friendly tracks that contain melodies that stick in your head, and raw and gritty sounding songs full of angst and anger, as well as goofy and hilarious songs that are perfect for a party atmosphere, and dark and heartbreaking tracks that seem to ooze with pain and hopelessness. The band was able to show the scene that even though they have been gone for awhile, they are still fully capable of creating poetic and inspiring music. As a matter of fact, after listening to the album a few more times, I came to the conclusion that “From Buckeye To Beardsley” is now my favorite album from the band. For years, I never thought that NON would be able to release something as good as their debut release, “Waiting for Tomorrow”. This album is really a pleasant surprise, and I’m curious to hear what comes next!

SCORE: 6 BEERS

1 BEER = Terrible
2 BEERS = Bad
3 BEERS = Okay
4 BEERS = Good
5 BEERS = Great
6 BEERS = Spectacular!