Noble Dust Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Well I guess, technically, multiple visitors. This time we talked with members of the group "Noble Dust". The folk-pop group based is Massachusetts is fresh of the release of their latest album, "A Picture for a Frame". I was excited that they wanted to talk with us about all of that, and more!

So, let's see what happens when "Noble Dust" visits Section 36 Music!

How did the group, Noble Dust, come together?

A core group of us have been playing together in different bands since high school. Our current lineup was solidified when our cellist Kai Crull joined us in 2018. It’s been a lot of fun to bring folk song arrangements to life with both horns and strings these past few years. 

I’m a big fan of the group’s recent album “A Picture for a Frame”. What can you tell me about it?

The album is based loosely on World War II era letters between my [Emily Cunningham] grandmother on the home front in Roxbury, MA and my grandfather in the navy stationed in the South Pacific. I fell in love with their stories and the stories of ordinary people during the war who devoted themselves to doing what they have to do, in big ways and small, for something greater than themselves. 

The album features Lindsey Cook on trumpet and voice, Kai Crull on cello, Emily Cunningham on voice and guitar, Evan Spetrini on voice, bass, and trombone, Dave Smith on pianos and mellotron, and Ryan MacDougall on drums and percussion. 

What was the best part about the album's recording process?

It was such a joy to work with Dan Cardinal at Dimension Sound Studios - he produced the album in addition to engineering, mixing, and mastering. It was great to share the arrangements we’d been working on for the past few years with Dan and to see the production choices he made bring the songs to life in a whole new way.

What’s your favorite part about performing in front of a live audience?

There is something so magical about playing and experiencing music live - the audience becomes a participant in the experience and there is a different energy to the performance than on a studio album. Our music sort of straddles folk, pop, and rock, so we love playing listening rooms and louder venues and festivals alike. Sharing the stories behind some of the songs on this new record and connecting with the audience on a personal level has been especially rewarding.  

We love everything that comes with live performance - traveling to new cities and experiencing the strange and unique things they have to offer,  playing house concerts and meeting some of our favorite people, and collaborating with other bands and musicians. We really enjoy being a part of the music community here in Boston.   

What would you say is the group's biggest challenge?

A fun challenge is writing together - everyone in the group has pretty wildly varied musical tastes, and that can sometimes lead to different visions of what the song will become. While I often bring the initial skeleton of the song, we all work together to write parts for each other, and change the arrangement, form, and dynamics. We’ve gotten more efficient over time. During the height of the pandemic when we couldn’t practice in one place, we would send ideas via sheet music and recorded parts and compile them to make demos remotely. 

What are the group's immediate goals?

We’ve been working on A Picture for a Frame for the past several years, and we’re so excited that it’s finally out in the world! Our immediate goal is to share it with as many new listeners as we can and continue to tour it around the country. We’re excited to be working on writing and arranging new songs too!

----

New music is always exciting!

As always, I want to thank Noble Dust for visiting. It was great to hear everything they had to say. I also want to thank them for sending along the pictures that accompany the interview. They always make for a much better post!

Since I'm sure you want to follow along with Noble Dust to see what they're up to, I suggest you check out and follow their social media accounts: Instagram, and Facebook. You should also visit their website to keep up with everything they have going on.

Thanks again Noble Dust, and good luck with your upcoming activities!