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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 Germany’s 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 Internet • funkgumbo@gmail.com • http://www.live365.com/stations/sirhobson

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 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 Internet • funkgumbo@gmail.com • http://www.live365.com/stations/sirhobson

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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 it’s 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 Internet • funkgumbo@gmail.com • http://www.live365.com/stations/sirhobson

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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 Internet • funkgumbo@gmail.com • http://www.live365.com/stations/sirhobson

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 www.noiseaux.com
Funk Gumbo Radio • Los Angeles, CA 90019 • Live 365 Internet • funkgumbo@gmail.com • http://www.live365.com/stations/sirhobson