Ant (Ant) Graham

All vocals, guitars, synths and programming

Oh, hello.  It is here that I am supposed to type something overtly intellectual and witty or something.  But, since I am  told I tend to talk too damn much, I will instead simply thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to check out this website, marvel at it's website ness, and, in general, being a cool person for even coming here in the first place.

The story of noise626 began in 1991, when a then young guitarist named Ant Graham was asked by a more than unusual gothic rock band called Mime of Sin and Repent to join their merry lot. He did, and in the year that followed learned many things. He learned the joy of performing, and joy of writing music with a brilliant, if somewhat mad lyricist, the joy of playing with a truly astonishing band and how all of those things can go wrong. It was a great and terrible time. And in the end, it soon became apparent that he could no longer tread the boards with the Mime, but before leaving the band, he did have the opportunity to meet a wondrous keyboardist and bassist named Brent Heinze.

This would prove very, very important as time went on. For eight years, Ant stayed away from his guitar, and instead tried his hand at learning how MIDI music worked on his PC; he, in fact, began recording an all MIDI cassette under the name Noise Inc that he had designs for as an underground release. But, his personal life took a turn for the weird, and he was never able to follow up on it. Woe is him.

Cut to1999. He began writing songs again on his acoustic guitar. Not having any real ideas of releasing it, mind you. Just something to pass the time. He had always written poetry that was well received, but had never really thought of doing much with it (aside from a few spoken word shows here and there). For a year he wrote, until he had filled three notebooks full of random musings and brain droppings.

Then, in 2000, during a chance meeting with the aforementioned Mr. Heinze, he accepted a gig to lay down some acoustic guitar tracks for Brent's band, Christus Christus, who had just gotten signed and who's leader, an enigmatic fellow named S. Murray Solida, wanted to try something different. And what started as a one off job playing a little guitar ended up as a membership in one of the most aggressively creative, mind altering and downright earth wobbling bands in existence, Christus and The Cosmonaughts (notice the name change). And, not only that, but he was given a chance to record an album of his own. 

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he set to it, reworked the original name of Noise Inc to a more soothing moniker of noise626 and transformed a few scratchy acoustic recordings into something called Gothic Progressive Rock. Muscular and challenging like prog rock, but eerie and melodic like goth,The final result, the CD on sale at this very website.

And that's just the beginning....

Guitar Favorites

    1.  Jimi Hendrix  

                Picked up my first guitar after hearing him do Star Spangled Banner - Hey, who didn't?

    2.  Alex Lifeson

                The guy can do anything with a guitar.  Anything. 

    3.  Reeves Gabrels

                David Bowie's guitarist for the past decade or so and the master of getting freaky noises out  of string instruments.  Tom Morello's cool, but this guy did it first.   

    4.  Jimmy Page

                Since I've Been Loving You.  Kashmir.  That one Stairway to Heaven song you may have heard.  Need I say more?

    5.  David Gilmour

                Can get more out of his guitar with one note than most can get with thirty.  Wow.

 Albums That Got The Blood Going

    1.  Pink Floyd...The Wall

            This one is the main sleep/eat/breathe album for me...Wouldn't have done any music if it wasn't for this.

    2.  Roger Waters...The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking

            Roger Waters is my idol.  There.  I said it.  I would say it again if I had too.  Actually, I should really put all of his albums here, but that would look very pathetic. 

    3.  New Model Army...Thunder and Consolation

            The best album from the best band that not too many folks Stateside have ever heard of.   Flippin brilliant album...almost punk prog-like.

    4.  Jethro Tull...Thick As A Brick

            "And you wisemen don't know how it feels to be thick as a brick."  Now how could that NOT be cool?

      5.  Bruce Springsteen...Born To Run    

            You can stop laughing now.  It's damn good.  Damn Damn Good.

     6.  Iron Maiden...Powerslave

            Hell, Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner stopped my heart the first time I heard it.  Still does.

     7.   Public Enemy...It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back.

            Not only the best hip-hop album ever, but the most interesting use of sound textures I had ever heard up until then.

      8.    Peter Gabriel...Us    

            Damn what an album.  Lyrically where I want to be and a damn good combo of modern and ancient.  Wow. 

       9.  Velvet Underground...Velvet Underground and Nico

             My first exposure to the delights of doing all sorts of mad things to a rock and roll song.  

      10.  Rush....Signals

              Still one of the finest bands in existence.  This album has more chops than a steakhouse.