FUNK GUMBO RADIO - http://www.live365.

com/stations/sirhobson

Funk Gumbo Radio is greatly honored that Noah Sow is first artist to do our Funk Gumbo 5 Questions. Noah is the highly talented and socially conscious lead singer of Noiseaux, one of Germanys best and new indie rock groups.

Noah Sow
Noah Sow, born and raised in Bavaria, has been working in radio since she turned eighteen. She became known mainly as a radio host in personality shows on WDR Einslive, HR3, Radio Fritz, and YouFm, as well as through numerous TV activities. Noah was named one of the 100 most powerful Black women in Europe. Noah Sow will be the keynote speaker at The Black German Cultural Society, Inc.s First Annual Convention held from August 19 to 21, 2011 at the German Historical Institute (GHI) in Washington, DC. With the theme Strengthening Transatlantic Coonections, the convention will host guests and presenters from Germany and the United States. Noah Sow has been living in Hamburg since 1998. This multi-talented musician, voice artist, radio playwright, author, and producer has made a name for herself as a composer and singer. She is internationally active on rock music stages with her band NOISEAUX (www.noiseaux.com), with many of her songs dealing with political issues. It was never a question for Noah Sow to look away and ignore grievances. In 2001 she initiated the founding of the association der braune mob e.V., the first antiracist German mediawatch organization (www.derbraunemob.de), whose goals she is actively committed to as chairperson. Her Book Deutschland Black & White is based on her extensive experiences as an anti-racism activist. Noah Sow's Website: www.noahsow.de Noiseaux's Website: www.noiseaux.com

Funk Gumbo Radio Los Angeles, CA 90019 Live 365.com Internet Network funkgumbo@gmail.com http://www.funkgumbo.com

FUNK GUMBO 5
5-31-2011 - Written By: David L. $Money Train$ Watts & Howard Hobson Funk Gumbo Radio

Funk Gumbo 1: What is the best thing from your perspective of

being an Afro-German artist in Germany and what is the hardest thing from your perspective of being an Afro-German rock singer?

Noah Sow: The best thing about being a black German female rock singer is that I'll
never have to wonder what I want to write or sing about because the experience is so rich, I have so many perspectives. That's a plus for any artist. And I never have to worry that I won't stand out or have nothing unique to offer. That's not exactly my concern but apparently can be tricky from what I heard :) I'm not limited to rock, but the indie rock scene is especially interesting. It has preconceptions of what a band, an artist has to look and be like. The Black German rock acts-there are a few-seem to weird people out the more 'indie' and non-blues-rock they get, the more they move away from the field assigned to 'black music'. So if you wanna call that hard, fighting pigeonholes and preconceptions of where your place as a black female singer supposedly is, there you are. Imagine Black punk/indie in the U.S. without support from the Black Rock Coalition or afro-punk scene and without role models like Living Colour. It can feel frustrating at times but I can drive strength from it. I'm like, I know who I'm doing this for - the kids who are like me, who have to fight stereotypes every day. Funk Gumbo 2: You recorded your album in German and English. Talk about that process and if there are any challenges lyrically or musically.

Noah Sow: To me, each language is a whole universe, a whole culture in itself. So it felt
almost like writing and recording two separate albums. When I write in English, I am more connected to what I want to say. In German it's more about how I say it. Like, heart vs head. The new language sometimes called for a slightly different melody and harmonies. For example the chorus in "dark star" isn't the same as its German equivalent "ganz allein". In English, it's a song about depression, in German it's about being black and autistic. The whole feel of the song changes with the different language although only the vocals change.

Funk Gumbo Radio Los Angeles, CA 90019 Live 365.com Internet Network funkgumbo@gmail.com http://www.funkgumbo.com

Noah Sow: I'm really glad I recorded it in both languages. I like a challenge :) but
actually limiting myself would have been more challenging. German is my native language, I master it and love to play around with it. But I spend a lot of time abroad and my audience isn't necessarily German, it's diasporic. I do want to reach people. Therefore it wouldn't make sense to record only in German. Funk Gumbo 3: How important is it to you for Noiseaux to become popular or successful in America? Or maybe its not that important. And if you could open or tour with any U.S. artist or groups who would they be?

Noah Sow: When I get fan-mail, reviews, positive feedback or invitations from the U.S.,
that means a lot to me. I feel so much more connected then. I spent three years in Brooklyn and made incredibly inspiring and wonderful friends, like, Honeychild, Maya from Mama Goddess, Kelsey from Pillow Theory and some more. My family lives in Paris. Whenever I visit there, I see a lot of Black punk and rock fans in the streets and at shows. These are the things that keep me going. Feeling connected can get pretty hard in Germany. That's why it's important to me that I don't only call out but actually also hear back, kind of like "E.T. phone home", lol. I would love to play a consecutive tour in the U.S. and to see kids who relate to the music and lyrics coming to the gigs. If NOISEAUX could open for a 'big act' from the US, I would chose Living Colour or Prince. Just to be able to say 'hi', but it would have to be in a festival situation where the audience doesn't expect the opening band to sound similar to the main band.

Funk Gumbo Radio Los Angeles, CA 90019 Live 365.com Internet Network funkgumbo@gmail.com http://www.funkgumbo.com

FUNK GUMBO 4: If you could sing a duet with anyone famous, dead or alive, who would it be? And what song would you choose?

Noah Sow: I'd do something crazy like Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" with Kele
Okereke or "Weak" (by Skunk Anansie) with Aretha Franklin. Or "I'll Stand By You" from The Pretenders with the original 24-7 Spyz!

Funk Gumbo 5: If Xavier Naidoo is the R-Kelly of Germany (minus the sex scandals), Curse is the Eminem of Germany, Joy Denalane is the Jill Scott of Germany, Samy Deluxe and Afrob of ASD are the Method Man and Redman of Germany and Nneka is the Erykah-Badu of Germany, then what would you say Noah Sow and Noiseaux are the American artist and group equivalent of Germany?

Xavier Naidoo/R-Kelly

Curse/Eminem

Joy Denalane/Jill Scott

ASD/Method Man & Redman Nneka/Erykah-Badu

Noah Sow: You tell me! This one's really hard. I'm also not sure that it's a good idea to
compare artists to other artists and assign them 'their big equivalent', especially in a structurally marginalized situation. I don't like being compared really.

Funk Gumbo Radio Los Angeles, CA 90019 Live 365.com Internet Network funkgumbo@gmail.com http://www.funkgumbo.com

www.noiseaux.com
Funk Gumbo Radio Los Angeles, CA 90019 Live 365.com Internet Network funkgumbo@gmail.com http://www.funkgumbo.com