Interview With Gary Noon of Walking With Giants About Worlds Unknown

October 19, 2020

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Walking With Giants is about to drop their 1st full length titled Worlds Unknown on Jan 15th 2016. See our initial reaction here.

Today we have an interview with band founder Gary Noon which he goes into more details on his influences and the tone of the album overall.

Reviewster: This sounds like a very uplifting album, from the music to the lyrics. Can you expand on the inspiration behind Worlds Unknown?

Gary Noon:Worlds Unknown is inspired by things I think about. Sometimes good, sometimes not so. It seems that a lot of today’s music deals with the not-so-good parts of life – it’s real, authentic – but I don’t like being stuck there. Give me an idea or a solution. That’s what I look for. Plus, I dig songs that make me feel something strong – it could be a happy, confident, or angry feeling – anything, but it has to be strong. If you’ve ever been to a Sevendust or Alter Bridge show – you can feel the emotional power coming from the stage. That’s what I hope to write; music that makes you feel. I’ve tried to write aggressive stuff, but somehow it always ends up being ‘happy.’

Reviewster: Do you have any spiritual influences that you put into your work? (authors, actors, bands, artists, books, religions, etc…)

Gary Noon: Lyrics I write tend to be influenced by whatever is going on in my life – they’re written for me. It’s a way to work my feelings out. Fans tell me how they relate to the songs and often, the meaning they get will be different from my intention, but that’s cool – everyone is different. I read all the time – especially older books – anything about becoming more creative, more effective or just a better person. I have about 500 books in my library. Earl Nightingale and Jim Rohn are my favorite authors. Alter Bridge and Sevendust are my two favorite bands, so I listen to their stuff frequently, and I tend to listen to bands that are related to them in some way.

Reviewster: Are the are songs on Worlds Unknowns that are taken directly from any particular piece of these influences.

Gary Noon: There are two ideas I think about constantly: Earl Nightingale’s maxim – ‘We become what we think about’ and Jim Rohn’s motto: ‘If You will change, Everything will change for You.’ But I’m not consciously trying to invoke my influences. They’re a part of me – I’m sure that affects what I write or play.

Reviewster: What bands first influenced you?

Gary Noon: I grew up with 2 brothers, three sisters and every one of them – even my parents – listened to different kinds of music. My first major influence was Joe Satriani – if it wasn’t for Surfing With The Alien, I’m not sure we’d be having this conversation today. Another huge influence on me was Stryper, Metallica, and Queensryche; harmonies, thoughtful lyrics and clockwork rhythms. To me, it was hard for other bands to measure up. ‘To Hell With The Devil’, ‘Operation: Mindcrime’, and ‘And Justice For All’ are burnt into my brain.

Reviewster: How did you get into the music business? Have you always been determined to make music?

Gary Noon: I started by playing cover tunes on YouTube in 2008. I’d have subscribers encourage me to do my own music, but for the longest time, I was just happy to play. When I first met Clint and he told me he liked some of the tunes I shared with him – I was encouraged, but it took me a long time to get up the guts to try. I always figured anybody could play a song written by someone else but writing original stuff is another thing altogether. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.

Any other quick comments you would like to make about your stance in the world today? The instant message I get from this album is that things can really be okay if you don’t succumb to the negative messages and stories that come at you from almost every angle today.

Gary Noon: I think that’s definitely a running theme through many of the songs – I’m trying to convince myself to act on it. =)

I wonder what life would be like – especially in America – if we focused on encouraging each other instead of attacking, thought about what’s good instead of the doom and gloom, the world would change because we’d see it differently. Give the world a different voice.

Thanks Gary well said and it’s always a good thing to see optimism in general and as well in the music biz, and great work on this album.