| Aaron North | |
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North performing with Nine Inch Nails in Edinburgh at the 2007 T On The Fringe. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aaron Wright North |
| Also known as | Aaron Icarus |
| Born | March 22, 1979 |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Rock, punk rock, industrial rock |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Buddyhead Records |
| Associated acts | Jubilee, The Icarus Line, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Buddyhead |
| Website | http://jubilee.la, http://nin.com, http://www.buddyhead.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Hagstrom Guitars Fender Jazzmaster First Act Double Cutaway Custom |
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Aaron Wright North, born March 22, 1979[1] is the co-founder and former guitarist of punk band The Icarus Line, the former lead guitarist of the industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails and currently the vocalist and guitarist of the band Jubilee. North is noted for his chaotic and unconventional guitar approach, his use and command of feedback, flailing his guitar wildly while performing, as well as being very outspoken on and off the stage. His playing style has caused him to receive much criticism (and praise) from both fans and music journalists.
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North was one of the original members of The Icarus Line, and toured and recorded with the group as a guitarist between 1998 and 2004. During his time with the band they released two critically acclaimed studio albums (Mono in 2001 and Penance Soiree in 2004) and three EPs (Highlypuncturingnoisetestingyourabilitytohate and Red And Black Attack in 1998 and Three Jesus Songs in 2003). The band was known for its chaotic live performances, including a notorious incident in 2002 when, during a performance at the Hard Rock Cafe in Austin, Texas, North "liberated" a guitar that had belonged to Stevie Ray Vaughan by breaking its protective case with the base of a microphone stand. He tried plugging it into his amplifier, but was then quickly set upon by security. The incident resulted in North receiving numerous death threats from outraged Texans, and legal troubles.[2] North quit the band abruptly in 2004,[3] citing a desire to move into a new direction musically.
Following a successful audition North joined Nine Inch Nails in 2005 as a touring guitarist, in a lineup that featured drummer Jerome Dillon, former A Perfect Circle and Marilyn Manson bass player Jeordie White and keyboard player Alessandro Cortini. He has stated that the invitation to audition for the band resulted from a recommendation to band leader Trent Reznor by producer Alan Moulder, who has worked with both The Icarus Line and Nine Inch Nails. Reznor described the first time North "jammed" with Nine Inch Nails by saying:
He shows up, he looks shitty, he's got junk equipment, he looks like he's just got up and I want to punch him. And then Aaron starts playing and on the first note it's like, 'You're the guy'. He wasn't trying to be me, and play like I play. He played and chaos came out. It immediately made the band turn into something else.—Trent Reznor, New Zealand Herald
North was with the band for the "Live: With_Teeth" tour (in support of the 2005 release With Teeth) and the "Performance: 2007" tour (the latter stages of which were in support of the 2007 release Year Zero). While touring with NIN in 2005 North performed as a guest guitarist with the band Queens of the Stone Age at various acoustic "in-store" performances, and two "regular" shows in Los Angeles. In July 2006, North was named (along with Nine Inch Nails) in a lawsuit brought on by Wisconsin security guard Mark LaVoie. This suit alleged that he "intentionally, and violently" inflicted injury upon the guard while performing at Alliant Energy Center on Oct. 13, 2005. The lawsuit reportedly settled out of court with LaVoie receiving a substantial amount of money.[4]
During his tenure in the band he was well known for wearing a red bandana in his right back pocket (receptive partner side) during concerts. This was also a reference to "Wish" where the phrase “fist fuck” was part of the lyrics.
North is included on the live DVD Beside You in Time, and appeared in the music videos for The Hand That Feeds and Survivalism. He left the group at the conclusion of the "Performance: 2007" tour.
North formed Jubilee in late 2007 with former Icarus Line band-mate, Troy Petrey, on drums, and bassist Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age, Wires On Fire). The band embarked on a brief UK tour in January 2008 with members of Wires On Fire temporarily rounding out the lineup. The band returned to the UK in late 2008 to complete a more extensive tour. Jubilee have released two singles so far, "Rebel Hiss" and "In With The Out Crowd". The unreleased debut album, singles, B-sides, and bonus tracks include performances from a vast array of drummers, including Dave Grohl, Julian Gross, Nick Jago, Joey Castillo, Carla Azar, Josh Freese, Loren Humphrey, Kevin Haskins, Taylor Hawkins and Josh Homme. Other collaborators on the album include Trent Reznor and Maynard James Keenan. In late 2008, the band underwent yet another lineup change, including the departure of Shuman. Their debut album is rumored to have been finished since 2008, but supposedly has been delayed until a new lineup is assembled to tour in support of it. In July 2009, it was revealed that Tony Bevilacqua (Spinnerette, The Distillers, The Drips, Darker My Love) is the band's new guitar player, and Jenni Tarma (Eskimohunter, Har Mar Superstar, Kylie Minogue) their new bass player. The band announced they will send out an EP called "After the Crash" (which was thought to be the name of the yet to be released debut album) to those who had subscribed to their Topspin service, as the exclusive vinyl that had been promised at that time. The EP is said to be almost exclusively played on acoustic guitar.
A "project of sheer boredom" of North and Travis Keller, Buddyhead is an independent record label and music "webzine" that is infamous for its gossip section that frequently featured phone numbers of celebrities such as Fred Durst and Courtney Love. The gossip section also frequently slammed Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses. The members of Nine Inch Nails also receive a lot of attention, but not in a negative fashion. Buddyhead is also known for their infamous antics such as spray-painting "$uckin' Dick$" on the tour bus of another band, The Strokes, as well as breaking into the Interscope Records building to steal three of Durst's baseball caps. The caps were eventually auctioned off on eBay for $1700 each, with all the proceeds donated to a rape victim charity.
Many other guitars, effects and amplifers have been used by North in his various projects, these are only a few of the confirmed pedals that he is currently or has used in the past.
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