Noogie

The members of Noogie met while in high school in Sydney, Australia. The band includes vocalist guitarist Nick Hyde, drummer Chuck Ridler, guitarist Mike Jeffery, and bassist Alex Van Wensveen. Their name comes from a joke about a textbook (historically a treasure trove of band names). Their first four-track demo lead to an indie Australian deal. Then their songs "As Selfish As I Am" and "I'd Rather Float" were featured on local compilation CDs. The band, still unsigned to a major, performed on the same stage as Grinspoon, Fuel, the Whitlams, the Angels, Mental as Anything, and Guttermouth. Trauma Records released the pop-punk band's debut Learn to Swim in 2000 and the follow-up Remote Controller in 2001. (Learn to Swim was originally released as a five-track EP in Australia on Foghorn Records in 1998.) Noogie toured the states for the first time in support of their debut. Like Blink 182, Noogie sets out, according to singer Hyde, to "bitch about the world and say what I thought about people" especially "girls and relationships and sh*t." The band is proud that each member holds song-publishing contracts. Remote Controller may signal a shift for the punkers, as the band plans to incorporate more loops and samples. "Danger" appeared in the Kate and Ashley Olsen film Winning London. "I'd Rather Float" was heard in the film Sugar 'n Spice, starring Mena Suvari. A limited edition five-song single for 2.i.c. was available in Australia. The release of Remote Controller was delayed from October to December due to the terrorist attacks in the United States. ~ JT Griffith