Although tuneful and easy on the ear with a conversational vocal style, make no mistake: Making Noise by SoCal folk singer Kaz Murphy is a song with anger at its heart. Murphy is apologetic, but silence is no longer an option and resistance to politicians through making some noise is necessary because of “All these liars telling stories.” The song has the sound and feel of a timeless classic, well-crafted and performed by a talented group of musicians. The instrumentation is rich with that perfect americana combination of Murphy’s acoustic guitar, lilting lap steel from Ben Shaw and flourishes of mandolin and accordion from Jacque Grad. Susan Kearns’ warm tones of upright bass underpin the song and provide depth. Murphy’s vocal performance captures a range of emotions: weary, resigned anger, humour and cynicism. Shaw and Grad provide backing vocals, reinforcing the message on lines like: “More noise, please.”
The video was filmed by Cole Coonce and Paul Buck in the recording studio, giving us an insight into the musicians at work.
Murphy shared his thoughts on the song exclusively with AUK: “It was shortly after Trump got ‘elected’ the second time, and the word on the street was to stay silent is to surrender. I also heard people saying we’ve got to get out and make some noise. So, the idea and the lyrics just jumped off the paper I wrote it on. The opening line, ‘I’m sorry to disturb you, my voice can be quite loud,’ is cynical, almost in a Phil Ochs kind of way. This song, to me, is an angry, disheartened man, declaring that he will make as much noise as possible until things improve. It’s a pretty song, which only adds to the cynicism. I think this song is the most pointed and topical track on the album. It encapsulates all of the other songs and gets right to the point of rebellion and redemption.
“One of my favorite lyrics is, ‘We’ll be skippin’ down the road, sippin’ whisky with Tom Joad, on the day that the saints come marchin’ in.’ This line recognizes that a good future is in our cards. That we shall win in the end. I like to bring in Tom Joad whenever I can. A convict who becomes a community activist is always a winner in my book. And the name alone, at least for me, conjures so many other activists like Sean Penn, Jane Fonda, and Harvey Milk; the ones who really dedicate their lives to the cause.
“I knew Steven Jesse Bernstein in Seattle, and to say he was a total wild man doesn’t come close to describing how erratic and emotional he could be. His book More Noise Please was so true to Steven Jesse’s being that when reading it, there was no doubt it was the real thing, coming from somewhere deep inside of him.
“My compadres, Cole Coonce (Time Trials: A Dragstrip Requiem) and Paul Buck, a veteran photojournalist, made the video for MAKING NOISE. They captured Jacque, Ben, and me, just doing what we do, recording it live, which is how most of the album was recorded. We only did two takes of the song before we had it. It’s the real thing, no AI.
“What I would like people to get out of this song is to think about and consider making some noise of your own. And if we all do it, it might become a movement, like Alice’s Restaurant. LOL.”
In troubled times, messages such as Murphy’s and, more generally, this sort of protest folk music take on a greater importance. This is what Murphy’s next album is all about. Making Noise: Songs of Rebellion and Redemption, Murphy’s fifth album, tackles themes of social injustice, the need for change and resistance. Look out for the album on 18th September 2026. There’s something of Woody Guthrie in these songs; this is music with meaning and purpose.
