Noble Son; The Joy of a Multidisciplinary Storyteller

Photo by Brian Van Wyk

Noble Son Masturbates to the Dichotomy of Comedy and Tragedy, in an Era of Uncertainty

By Jamila Pomeroy

One of the first things a business strategist will tell you in this modern climate is to diversify your business. And whether that be in the form of products, or where and how you invest in your company, this diversified business strategy is used by everyone from small-scale entrepreneurs to large media conglomerates. But where do creatives fit into this trending model? Adam Kirschner, is part of the growing number of artists applying this model to their practice. While artists of yesteryears may have stuck to a single bracket of creativity, modern artists are finding security and value in having their hand in multiple pots.

The singer-songwriter who goes by the name, Noble Son, is also a working actor and voice actor for networks like Disney. The multidisciplinary nature of his creative practice allows him to be a full-time creative in one of North America’s most expensive cities, Vancouver, Canada. “The best part of it is, all of my eggs aren’t in one basket. I don’t get too bogged down in one thing. Being multidisciplinary gives me the ability to take a hat off and go into something new feeling refreshed,” says Kirschner, while in the studio about to record V/O for an animated series.

For Kirschner, It’s about more than just surviving though, it’s about living a harmonious life of balance-- which is something that most creatives only dream of. Regardless of the world being full of many successful creatives, the artist trope so often exists synonymously with struggle, and the adjacent notion that artists are always simply stuck-- Kirschner, however, believes otherwise. “I think people need to look into why they aren't happy. It’s about [...] figuring out why.. if I don’t like my job, why am I doing my job?” Alike, his personal life manifesto is very grounded in existing outside of archetypal boxes and taking life by the reins.

Kirschner explores this and many other timely narratives through music, in depth, inspiring and reminding us that we are the architects of our own lives. While his last album tackled interpersonal issues and the trials and tribulations of relationships, his upcoming album dives into the product of those situations; exploring why we make choices in relationships that are contrary to who we really are. With sonic inspirations like Tom Petty, Kirschner’s brand of folk is stripping down to classic sounds that stand the test of time, claiming to have “made a lot of effort to not appear too trendy.” With this take on his new work, we can expect brighter sounds with more piano, and a generally classic-sounding record with twists. 

When we think of folk music at a glance, visions of somber men and women standing emotionally with their guitars often comes to mind-- Noble Son is quite the opposite. Kirschner confronts and criticizes his genre for being too serious, which is pretty obvious for anyone who’s seen him live. Accompanied by a few sparked lighters, and a group of swaying fans, Kirschner had concert-goers at his most recent show participate in a sing-along with the lyrics “all I want to do is masturbate and cry.” The show at Vancouver’s Imperial, contained interludes of hilarity, as Kirschner shared stories with fans: one of which included a story where he shared how he almost ran over Vancouver musician Dan Mangan (and family). 

Though out of context these incidents may seem wildly outrageous for the genre, Kirschner stresses the importance of pulling away from general concert formats. “I see a lot of musicians speaking at the crowd [...] I want to take in the feedback I am getting from fans as the show goes on. I want their experience to be unique” he says. That uniqueness is undeniably present; from his theatrical performance in his music video Joy In Violence, to the faces and expressions he makes on stage that resemble an early Jim Carrey. The takeaway: perhaps life is a bit more of a playground than we give it credit, and it’s time for the sad boy musician trope to be a thing of the past. Through storytelling, Kirschner reminds us that we are allowed to have fun, even in times of uncertainty and political unrest. 

Kirschner has managed to take a genre that held space for the sad and the serious, and reconstruct it into a full-bodied story experience: this, of course is the charm of a multidisciplinary storyteller. “The things that work about storytelling apply to all mediums,” he says, smiling in the vocal booth. For Kirschner, that something is the dichotomy of comedy and tragedy married in harmony. Whether it be riffing off of introspective thought or life’s unsavoury moments, Kirschner, finds joy in it all: even if just a moment of happiness through tears.

Noble Son plays tonight at the Vogue Theatre as part of the ELEVATE Music Project. You can listen to his most-recent single, Love Love Love, here though, if you are just in the mood to masturbate and cry. 

About the author:

Jamila Pomeroy is an internationally-published journalist, Author, and Screenwriter who hones in on global and social issues, situated in music, arts, culture, and fashion. She doesn’t do the Twitter thing, but you can follow her on Instagram HERE.