Local band to release their first full length album this week with a live show at Pure Rock Studios in Rochester, Minnesota. The show will include a full play list of the new album “Atomic Sand, an acoustic set with fiddle player Teresa Walker and finish with some of their new compositions slated for their next album.
Frontman for the Midnight Hounds, Layne Noser wanted to be a musician from an early age. He grew up in Pine Island area but has lived in Wasioja for the last 20 years. Layne has always been talented artistically and attended school for graphic design. He owns his own business, Ape-X Graffix, and has submitted art displayed at the Larger Than Life exhibit in Mantorville. Ape-X Graffix is a graphic design and fine arts company. “I can design logos, posters, t-shirts, car wraps, etc and with the fine art I can paint or draw: portraits, landscapes, animals/pets, etc.” Layne explains, “I also frequently create multimedia pieces with many forms of art combined and comic book pop art.”
The group released a few songs on a cd compilation four years ago along with five other local bands in the Rochester area. Layne, Ryan and Jim started playing together five years ago and then Caleb joined as bassist. They consider their sound rock and roll, with a touch of folk, influenced by the Doors, Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. The current line up is; Ryan on lead guitar, Randy on harmonica, banjo, lead and rhythm guitar, Caleb on bass, Aaron on drums and guitar, Jeff on percussion and vocals and Layne lead vocals and rhythm guitar.
All of their material is original. They write from personal experiences, life in general, biographical and fictional themes. They describe the new album as heavy and gritty rock and roll. The songs take form as music first and then they write the lyrics. Some flesh out in one night while others may take a month depending on the style and complexity. They usually practice on a weekly basis and play up to twenty-five gigs each year in the area. They have played the Annadine, Mantorville Art Guild, Mantorville Music, the Riverside band shell in Mantorville and venues in Rochester and surrounding towns.
The new album was recorded in Layne’s home studio: Love Wolf Records, Ryan Sexton's home studio: Six Feet Under, and Jim Rumpf's home studio: Second Story Jams. The album will be released on CD and it will be on all the major streaming platforms like Spotify, Youtube, Apple, Amazon, etc. CDs will be for sale at our shows and at The Mantorville Art Guild. Stay tuned on our FB page for other possible retail stores to purchase the CD. Digital sales are through the streaming services. They are scheduled to record a live spot on KTTC television for a 4pm Tuesday broadcast. Layne states that his favorite mix on the new album is the track, “Here It Comes”.
The release party live show will be performed at Pure Rock Studios, 515 Rocky Creek Drive NE, Rochester, Minnesota. The doors open at 6:30pm with the show starting at 7pm. Cost is $5.00 at the door. It will be a two-hour show and is BYOB. There will be T-shirts for sale along with cd’s, stickers/bumper stickers, buttons, and posters.
