"Like the Legend of Zelda, but heavier" - Boulder's Progressive Alt-Rock Trio, Noctogon

By: Hannah Oreskovich

Come check out our masked madness this week. 

As some of you may have seen last week, we’re pumped to be sponsoring a show this Saturday with Studio 700! The night will be masquerade-themed and you can find the deets in the FB event here . Local alt-power trio Villain Baritone put together the all-Boulder lineup for this event, and this week, we’ll be bringing you info on all three bands involved: Noctogon, Villain Baritone, and Whiskey Autumn. Join us for #MusicMasquerade this Saturday, and in the meantime, check out our chat with the opening three-piece, Noctogon below:

Composed of Wilson McNeary (guitar/vocals), Jeremiah Traeger (keyboard/vocals/drums), and Brooke Holman (bass/vocals), Noctogon are a once four-piece, now three-piece “subtly intense atmospheric rock” group formed in good ‘ol Boulder. Here’s how they got started:

Jeremiah: Wilson and I lived together and loved jamming, and he was friends with our bassist, Brooke.

Brooke: Yeah Wilson and I went to the same college and started playing covers for fun. We both moved to Boulder and started creating our own tunes during our musical hangouts. Since Jeremiah and Wilson also jammed together at their place, [the three of us] decided to fuse together like sediments in sandstone. We actually found our former drummer through Craigslist, who ended up being a perfect fit.

Jeremiah: Yeah but unfortunately he wasn’t able to continue playing with us, so now I’m drumming. We started playing at The Outback Saloon, and we've had a few [other] gigs.

Jeremiah, Wilson, Brooke.

Jeremiah, Wilson, Brooke.

Whoa! The Outback Saloon was sort of the starting ground for Villain Baritone as well- interesting. Speaking of those boys, they told us that your “War Pigs” cover is legendary. Hoping to hear that at the show Saturday- any other plans for your set you want to tell us about?

Wilson: We will be debuting three new original songs since the last time we played at Studio 700, one of which has never been played live before. We are also planning to pay tribute to David Bowie, as he was (and will continue to be) a huge influence on all of us.

Another good one gone. Well that sounds righteous! Talk to us a little more about your sound.

Jeremiah: We’ve been told we sound like Black Sabbath and Alice in Chains, but I think my favorite description was when we were told that we sound like “Legend of Zelda but heavier”. We definitely have those influences; we all love 90s alternative and classic rock and metal, so we tend to sound like bands in those genres. We all have our other influences like progressive metal, post-rock, and 80s music, and we bring all of them to the table. If I had to pick a genre overall, it would be progressive alternative rock.

Haha “Legend of Zelda but heaver”? Hell yeah. We’re so stoked for your set. What are you three most excited about for the Music Masquerade show?

Brooke: Brooke: I’m excited that it’s masquerade-themed. I’m sure it will remind me of that tidbit in Labyrinth with David Bowie as the Goblin King. I’m just hoping to see someone or someones dressed up like that. Also the hosts at Studio 700 are so wonderful and I'm looking forward to being part of such a unique place.

Wilson: Yeah- shows at Studio 700 are always a great time, and I enjoy the sense of community that’s always there between the musicians and the audience.

Definitely. So what else is Noctogon up to this year?

Wilson: Recording new material, and gigging wherever and whenever we get the chance. We’d really like to get our name out there, so we’ll take any opportunity to play in front of an audience.

Sweet. Well- last question- where’d you get your name?

Brooke: When we first started playing together, I dreamt of a wolf howling at a geometrical moon. “Noctogon” came to mind after that.

Prophetic. We can dig. Come and see Noctogon play Studio 700 this Saturday! Join the FB event righhhht here. And give Noctogon’s EP Nocturne a listen below:

-Hannah

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All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.