Aaron North

Last updated
Aaron North
Aaron North Edinburgh 2007-08-21 (cropped).jpg
North performing with Nine Inch Nails in August 2007
Background information
Birth nameAaron Wright North
Also known asAaron Icarus
Born (1979-03-22) March 22, 1979 (age 45)
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Rock, punk rock, industrial rock
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1998–2008
Labels Buddyhead Records, V2 Records, Interscope Records
Website www.buddyhead.com

Aaron Wright North (born March 22, 1979) [1] is an American musician. He was the co-founder and guitarist of punk band The Icarus Line, a touring lead guitarist of industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, and vocalist/guitarist for Jubilee. North is noted for his chaotic and unconventional guitar approach, his use and command of feedback, and the flailing of his guitar wildly while on stage.

Contents

His reputation for being outspoken both on and off the stage resulted in equal criticism and praise from fans and music journalists, mainly due to his role as co-founder and owner of Buddyhead. More infamously, it also landed him in substantial legal trouble numerous times. The Buddyhead music website was an outlet for his ruthlessly opinionated writing, as well as the many notable interviews he conducted with the likes of Kevin Shields and Greg Ginn.

North's creation of Buddyhead Records later extended to his recording and producing many of their bands. Among the groups he signed or issued releases from were At the Drive-In, Ink & Dagger, and The Dillinger Escape Plan.

In 2008, North found himself frustrated and disappointed about the creative direction of Jubilee and felt a growing discomfort with his business partner in Buddyhead. As a result, by 2009 Aaron had ceased involvement with both groups. [2]

Recording career

1998–2004: The Icarus Line

North was one of the original members of The Icarus Line, and toured and recorded with the group as a guitarist between 1998 and 2004. During his time with the band they released two critically acclaimed studio albums ( Mono in 2001 and Penance Soiree in 2004) and three EPs (Highlypuncturingnoisetestingyourabilitytohate and Red And Black Attack in 1998 and Three Jesus Songs in 2003). The band was known for its chaotic live performances, including a notorious incident in 2002 when, during a performance at the Hard Rock Cafe in Austin, Texas, North "liberated" a guitar that had belonged to Stevie Ray Vaughan by breaking its protective case with the base of a microphone stand. He tried plugging it into his amplifier, but was then quickly set upon by security. The incident resulted in North receiving numerous death threats from outraged Texans, and legal troubles. [3] North quit the band abruptly in 2004, [4] citing a desire to move into a new direction musically.

2005–2007: Nine Inch Nails

North smashing his guitar during a Nine Inch Nails performance in Philadelphia NIN PHILLY 00031.JPG
North smashing his guitar during a Nine Inch Nails performance in Philadelphia

North joined Nine Inch Nails in 2005 as the lead guitarist in a lineup that featured drummer Jerome Dillon, former A Perfect Circle and Marilyn Manson bass player Jeordie White and keyboard player Alessandro Cortini. He has stated that the invitation resulted from a recommendation to band leader Trent Reznor by producer Alan Moulder, who had worked with both The Icarus Line and Nine Inch Nails. In The New Zealand Herald, Reznor described the first time North jammed with Nine Inch Nails:

He shows up, he looks shitty, he's got junk equipment, he looks like he's just got up and I want to punch him. And then Aaron starts playing and on the first note it's like, "You're the guy." He wasn't trying to be me, and play like I play. He played and chaos came out. It immediately made the band turn into something else.

North was with the band for the "Live: With_Teeth" tour (in support of the 2005 release With Teeth ) and the "Performance: 2007" tour (the latter stages of which were in support of the 2007 release Year Zero ). While touring with NIN in 2005 North performed as a guest guitarist with the band Queens of the Stone Age at various acoustic "in-store" performances, and two "regular" shows in Los Angeles. In July 2006, North was named (along with Nine Inch Nails) in a lawsuit brought on by Wisconsin security guard Mark LaVoie. This suit alleged that he "intentionally, and violently" inflicted injury upon the guard while performing at Alliant Energy Center on Oct. 13, 2005. The lawsuit reportedly settled out of court with LaVoie receiving a substantial amount of money. [5]

North is included on the live DVD Beside You in Time and appeared in the music videos for "The Hand That Feeds" and "Survivalism". He left the group at the conclusion of the 2007 run.

2007–2008: Jubilee

North formed Jubilee in late 2007 with former Icarus Line band-mate, Troy Petrey, on drums, and bassist Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age, Wires On Fire). The band embarked on a brief UK tour in January 2008 with members of Wires On Fire temporarily rounding out the lineup. The band returned to the UK in late 2008 to complete a more extensive tour. Upon their return, they played one show in Los Angeles. This is still the only performance the band has ever played in their native country. Jubilee released two singles in 2008, 'Rebel Hiss' and 'In With The Out Crowd', which were intended to be immediately followed by their debut album.

In late 2008, North attempted to form a new lineup of the band and finish the album, but eventually abandoned both due to frustrations around the creative direction of the band. The still unreleased album includes performances from a vast array of drummers and collaborators including Dave Grohl, Julian Gross, Nick Jago, Joey Castillo, Carla Azar, Josh Freese, Loren Humphrey, Kevin Haskins, Taylor Hawkins, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor and Maynard James Keenan.

Buddyhead

Aaron North co-founded Buddyhead with Travis Keller in 1998. The independent record label and music "webzine" was infamous for its gossip section that frequently featured phone numbers of celebrities such as Fred Durst and Courtney Love. The gossip section also frequently slammed Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses. Buddyhead was also known for their infamous antics such as spray-painting "$uckin' Dick$" on the tour bus of The Strokes, as well as breaking into the Interscope Records building to steal three of Durst's baseball caps. North ended his association with Buddyhead in 2008 due to discomfort with his business partner.

Musical equipment

Many other guitars, effects and amplifiers have been used by North in his various projects, these are only a few of the confirmed pedals that he is currently or has used in the past.

Guitars [6]
Effects [9]
Amplifiers [10]

Discography

With The Icarus Line
With Nine Inch Nails
With Jubilee

Related Research Articles

<i>The Downward Spiral</i> 1994 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on March 8, 1994, by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-destruction of a man from the beginning of his misanthropic "downward spiral" to his suicidal breaking point. The album was a commercial success and established Nine Inch Nails as a reputable force in the 1990s music scene, with its sound being widely imitated, and the band receiving media attention and multiple honors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Inch Nails</span> American industrial rock band

Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN, stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band until his frequent collaborator, Atticus Ross, joined in 2016. The band's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was released via TVT Records. After disagreeing with TVT about how to promote the album, the band signed with Interscope Records and released the EP Broken (1992). The following albums, The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999), were released to critical acclaim and commercial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Reznor</span> Musical artist

Michael Trent Reznor is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which he founded in 1988 and of which he was the sole official member until 2016. The first Nine Inch Nails album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was a commercial and critical success. Reznor has since released 11 more Nine Inch Nails studio albums.

<i>And All That Could Have Been</i> 2002 live album by Nine Inch Nails

And All That Could Have Been is a double album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on January 22, 2002, by Nothing and Interscope Records. The live album contains music recorded during the Fragility v2.0 US tour in 2000. Disc one is a live album of most of the band's normal set list of the time, while disc two contains a studio album titled Still, containing "deconstructed" versions of previous Nine Inch Nails songs and some new material. The double DVD set, sold separately, includes video recordings of the songs performed on the CD, as well as additional song performances and footage from the tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Avery</span> American musician

Eric Adam Avery is an American musician. He is best known as the founding bass guitarist and co-songwriter of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he has recorded two studio albums. From 2005 to 2022, Avery was the touring and recording bassist for Garbage, which he joined as sideman and with whom he recorded three studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head Like a Hole</span> 1990 song by Nine Inch Nails

"Head Like a Hole" is a song by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single from the group's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. It enjoyed heavy rotation on the radio at the time of its release, eventually reaching number 9 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Finck</span> Musical artist

Robert John "Robin" Finck is an American guitarist. Finck is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. With Nine Inch Nails, Finck contributed studio performances on The Slip (2008).

<i>With Teeth</i> 2005 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

With Teeth is the fourth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by Nothing Records and Interscope Records on May 3, 2005. The album was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and long-time collaborator Alan Moulder. It also features contributions from musician Dave Grohl and future band member Atticus Ross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Patrick</span> American singer (born 1968)

Richard Michael Patrick is an American singer, musician and songwriter. He is the frontman for the rock band Filter and a founding member of the supergroups Army of Anyone and The Damning Well, and has served as a touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Icarus Line</span> American post-hardcore band

The Icarus Line was an American post-hardcore band from Los Angeles, California, active from 1998 until 2015.

Daniel Patrick Lohner, frequently known as Renholdër, is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle. In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Nine Inch Nails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessandro Cortini</span> Italian musician

Alessandro Cortini is an Italian musician best known for his work with modular synthesizers, and being the keyboard, guitar, and bass player in the American industrial band Nine Inch Nails. As a member of Nine Inch Nails, Cortini is the first Italian inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Inch Nails live performances</span> Live performances by the band Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails, an American industrial rock band fronted by Trent Reznor, has toured all over the world since its creation in 1988. While Reznor—the only official member until adding Atticus Ross in 2016—controls its creative and musical direction in the studio, the touring band performs different arrangements of the songs. In addition to regular concerts, the band has performed in both supporting and headlining roles at festivals such as Woodstock '94, Lollapalooza 1991 and 2008, and many other one-off performances including the MTV Video Music Awards. Prior to their 2013 tour, the band had played 938 gigs.

<i>Year Zero</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

Year Zero is the fifth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by Interscope Records on April 17, 2007. Conceived while touring in support of the band's previous album, With Teeth (2005), the album was recorded in late 2006. It was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and was the band's first studio album since 1994's The Downward Spiral that was not co-produced by long-time collaborator Alan Moulder. It was the band's last album for Interscope, following Reznor's departure the same year due to a dispute regarding overseas pricing.

Modwheelmood is an American Electronic-Alternative band from Los Angeles, California formed by Alessandro Cortini and former Abandoned Pools guitarist Pelle Hillström in 1998.

Jubilee was an Indie rock band from Hollywood, California. The band was formed in 2007 by Aaron North and consisted of Tony Bevilacqua (guitar), Jenni Tarma (bass), and Troy "Boy" Petrey (drums).

<i>The Slip</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Nine Inch Nails

The Slip is the seventh studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on May 5, 2008, digitally on the Nine Inch Nails website, and on CD on July 22 by The Null Corporation. It was their second release in 2008, following their sixth album Ghosts I–IV, released two months prior. The album was produced by frontman Trent Reznor with collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Performance 2007 Tour</span> 2007 concert tour by Nine Inch Nails

Two months before the release of their fifth full-length album, Year Zero, industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails began a new tour, officially called Performance 2007. The tour initially started off as a 'best-of' tour but later transformed into a direct Year Zero support tour.

References

  1. "The Nine Inch Nails Hotline". Theninhotline.net. 6 August 2007.
  2. Marchese, David (3 September 2013). "L.A. Blues: Aaron North's Sad Descent From Nine Inch Nails to Nowhere". Spin.com. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  3. "Clinic, Icarus Line Highlight SXSW - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  4. "Get the Door, It's Matzah (And friends): Matzah Interviews Aaron North (Of Nine Inch Nails)". Matzahsaidwhat.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  5. "Nine Inch Nails Sued Over Microphone Stand Allegedly Thrown At Fall Concert" MTV News - Accessed January 14, 2007.
  6. Aaron North answers your questions theninhotline.com Retrieved:2009-12-31
  7. First Act Aaron North Double Cutaway Archived February 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine firstact.com Retrieved: 2009-12-31
  8. Nine Inch Nails Guitarist Aaron North on the Road with Yamaha Guitars yamaha.com
  9. "Aaron North Selling NIN touring gear". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-12-31.
  10. Aaron North of Nine Inch Nails - The Gearwire Interview Archived 2008-02-19 at the Wayback Machine gearwire.com Retrieved: 2009-12-31