Marchan Noelle’s first self-produced EP, Dreaming Wide Awake, was released March 22, 2013. Earning an AA degree in Guitar Performance and Independent Artist as well as a certificate in Audio Engineering, Marchan Noelle graduated from the Musician’s Institute Hollywood in June 2014. Shortly after, she began planning The California Coast Road Trip Tour to help benefit the charity No Kid Hungry. The tour kicked off on September 27th in Ventura, raising money and awareness for the 100,000 Poets for Change Global Event day.
Her recordings have a sense of immediacy and calm assuredness, a scrappy street performance style, mixed with virtuosity and refined chordal ideas, all of which works together to keep Noelle’s songs engaging and instantly accessible. We had to opportunity to ask her more about her art and process.
MusicZeitgeist.com: Who is Marchan Noelle?
MN: My name is pronounced like the month of March with Ann on the end, Noelle and I’m a second generation Hippie Singer/Songwriter! I was born in a little town outside Dallas, Texas, but I grew up in Hermosa Beach, CA mostly.
During my childhood, we moved around and I’d never really called anywhere “home” until I realized how much I missed California during my family’s 4 year stint stranded in Mexico. After graduating high school in Hermosa I thought well, this is about the longest I’ve been in one place my whole life so might as well say it’s home! I currently live in Hollywood.
MZ: How Far Back Does Your Musical Journey Extend?
MN: I’ve always been into music, man. My mom says I’d get chills hearing Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix when I was in diapers. It wasn’t until 14 that I ever touched a guitar, though.
As a kid, I was super shy. People thought I was mute. Although I loved singing when I was by myself and had always wanted to be a Spice Girl, I wouldn’t sing in front of anyone! Chaka Kahn’s “Ain’t Nobody” was the first song I ever sang when I was 10, just because Chaka makes you want to belt it. I remember being in the car with my mom and older sister, and their reactions. It felt AMAZING to use my voice, and that’s when I knew it was what I was going to do for the rest of my life somehow.
My 14th birthday was when I got my first acoustic guitar. I made up my own tuning and began teaching myself theme songs to my favorite TV shows on one string. One day, I was watching a show where a chick was playing chords and my mom was like “You should try that!” So I did; shortly after I was writing songs and learning covers.
First ever performance was an open mic at an Irish pub in Tempe, Arizona called Rula Bula. I was 16. The stage fright was real, and my mom convinced me that I needed to get over my nerves if I had big dreams of being an artist. Everything went wrong; I dropped my pick, forgot the words to my own song, couldn’t look at anyone. For some reason though, everyone loved me. I got positive encouragement, and it made me want to be as great as I could be at performing. Being somewhere playing music as much as possible is what I’ve been doing ever since that night.
MZ: What’s Next For Your Project?
MN: This summer, I’m going to do a little tour of Europe, as a follow up to my California Coast Road Trip Tour for No Kid Hungry fall 2014.
2nd Generation Hippie LLC is officially my very own production company, and the first project will be a documentary film following the lives of the underground indie musicians I’m lucky enough to call friends through their journeys to realizing their Personal Legends. That, I am super stoked for!!
Right now, I play a weekly gig with a ton of fabulously talented friends in Burbank on Sunday nights from 7-11pm in the Crystal View Lounge, on the 18th floor of the Holiday Inn. I absolutely love being a part of the Crystal Jam and would encourage everyone to attend at LEAST once.
Just trying to keep the good vibes flowing!
VITAL LINKS:
Marchan Noelle – Official Site
Social Media:
- Marchan Noelle on Facebook
- Marchan Noelle on Twitter
- Marchan Noelle on Instagram
- Marchan Noelle on Soundcloud
Thank you so much for this awesome feature, guys! (: