“The Noon Hour” by National Diet is Breaking New Ground
National Diet is a prog rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band is composed of Jake Rose (Rainbow Face) and Connor Reilly (Mercury Tree, Rainbow Face, Nick Prol, LiquidLight). National Diet’s music style can be described as a combination of experimental, progressive, and math rock, with some structured parts and some experimental parts. I’m excited to announce their upcoming album The Noon Hour by National Diet!
The Noon Hour by National Diet
The Noon Hour is the National Diet’s upcoming album. The album went on presale last Friday, accompanied by a second single, titled “I Am Food”.
Pre-order of The Noon Hour gets you 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released on April 26th, 2022.
The album’s artwork has been revealed and it looks amazing!
The album is full of complex and melodic prog rock songs that will leave you wanting more. I had a preview of the song “I Am Food”.
I Am Food
In this new song “I Am Food”. Jake’s vocals are spot on, and the instrumentation is interesting and catchy. Jake is the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for the band, and Connor plays drums. Oliver Campbell (of Mercury Tree) plays bass, and Estafina Tapia and Nicole McCabe play alto saxophone. The saxophone parts on this are really quite incredible, and add a lot of texture to the song. I like how their prog rock has a metal tinge to it, and yet it is also accessible. It is interesting, creative and well executed. National Diet is definitely breaking new ground with their music. You can hear the passion and commitment in Jake’s voice, and I think people will really enjoy their sound. If you get a chance, be sure to check them out!
I’m excited to share my interview with Connor Reilly, the drummer from National Diet!
Q&A with Connor Reilly
Q: Tell me a bit more about your upcoming album The Noon Hour.
A: It was sort of a “pandemic project”. Like many bands, Rainbow Face (my main project with Jake) took a bit of an unexpected hiatus during the year 2020 and much of 2021. National Diet was a way for both of us to stay musically active during a time when live performances were not an option. Jake asked me if I would be interested in starting a side project using songs he had written as solo work, and my answer was an easy yes. Stylistically, the sound is similar to the psychedelic indie prog aesthetic of Rainbow Face, but is darker in tone and has an increased focus on dynamics. Also, because we (at the time) didn’t plan to play the material live, we were able to take more liberties in production and arrangement, utilizing more orchestral instrumentation and overdubs. The result is a kind of swirling collage of sounds, built on top of the heavy prog foundation that Jake and I share.
Q: How did you and Jake collaborate on the songwriting?
A: He would send me demos and I would compose the drum parts at home. Then we would meet in the studio to go over the songs together, and record the following week. We went through three rounds of this between late 2020 and early 2021. The process was pretty fast and mostly remote.
Q: What drums and cymbals did you use on the recording?
A: I used my Ludwig Black Magic snare (with coated Remo powerstroke head) and Zildjian cymbals. The rest of the kit was a Yamaha stage custom with coated Evans heads.
Q: Any highlights of the recording process?
A: The percussion section at the end of “Preserve the Past” was particularly fun to record; it consists of a tambourine, wood block, and cowbell all playing different polyrhythms against a 13/8 drum beat.
Q: Do you have a favorite song on The Noon Hour?
A: I love all of the songs on the album and think they each make a unique contribution. However, I think the closing epic “Addled Dreams of Youth” is a proper climax.
National Diet Discography
- The Map is the Territory (July 27, 2021)
- The Noon Hour (April 26, 2022)
National Diet’s first release was The Map is the Territory, was released July 27, 2021. Jake Rose is on Vocals, Guitar, Synth, Connor Reilly is on Drums. JD Davis is on Bass, Geoffrey McManus is on Trumpet, and Estefania Tapia is on Alto Saxophone.
On The Noon hour, Jake Rose composed the songs, sang, and played multiple instruments, including guitar, keyboards, theremin, melodica, and mandolin. Connor Reilly played the drums. Bassists include:
- JD Davis (of Gorgon Stare)
- Oliver Campbell (of Mercury Tree)
- Damon Flick
- Ben Spees (of Mercury Tree, Ventifacts)
- Justin Stimson (of Nasalrod)
- Anthony Medici (of Liquid Light)
Additional instrumentalists include:
- Geoffrey McManus: Trumpet
- Estafina Tapia: Alto saxophone
- Nicole McCabe: Alto saxophone
- Tricia Bogdan: Viola
Conclusion
The Noon Hour is the National Diet’s upcoming album. The album went on presale last Friday, accompanied by a second single, titled “I Am Food”. Pre-order of The Noon Hour by National Diet gets you 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released on April 26th, 2022. The artwork has been revealed for this prog rock masterpiece with complex melodies that will leave you wanting more! Be sure to check out the National Diet web site at https://nationaldiet.bandcamp.com/
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