Bill Noonan's 2009 CD release, "The Man That I Can't Be" marked the beginning of a new musical chapter for this veteran Carolina songwriter and roots rocker. The release garnered positive press in roots music mags, blogs, and websites, and received strong airplay on Americana stations in Noonan's backyard region.
In 2010 Noonan has maintained a busy calendar of live dates, with his current band lineup the Barbed Wires, and as a sideman on both bass and guitar with a number of other Charlotte-based groups. He has also been developing respectable fiddle and mandolin chops in pursuit of his interest in bluegrass and traditional acoustic music.
The Barbed Wires came together in late 2009, playing old fashioned C&W with a reverence for the roots, but with a dynamic creative spirit. Their approach can be compared to other bands that have explored the border of C&W and rock and roll: such as the Derailers, the Mavericks, and the Hacienda Brothers. Combine this classic roots repertoire with Noonan’s catalog of top-notch original tunes, and the Barbed Wires are positioned to break exciting new musical ground on the regional Americana scene in the months ahead.
In addition to getting the Barbed Wires off the ground, in 2010 Noonan has been busy working with several other groups of kindred musical spirits. He is the bass player in the Overmountain Men, which includes Noonan's long-time friend and collaborator David Childers and regional instrumental whiz Randy Saxon; and with the Leadville Social Club, featuring songwriter/vocalists Bob Graham and Chris Edwards. In 2010 LSC has generated strong "new band buzz" and is enjoying a solid schedule of live dates.
And if that's not enough to keep him busy, Noonan is also "just the guitar player" in the Loose Lugnuts, with brothers Mark and Brian Wilson. The Lugnuts are a popular fixture in Charlotte's growing urban C&W scene, with a ragged but right retro C&W repertoire spanning the eras of Hank Sr. thru Hank Jr., with special emphasis on Johnny Paycheck and Moe Bandy.
Given this schedule Noonan is spread a bit thin through the remainder of 2010, but looking back on a musical journey that now spans 3 decades, that seems to be the way he likes it.
So many tunes, so little time.