Biography
Aaron Wright North, born March 22, 1979, is the singer and guitar player for Jubilee, and the former lead guitarist for both Nine Inch Nails and The Icarus Line. He is partial to using Hagstrom guitars, and is noted for his chaotic and unconventional guitar approach, his use and command of feedback, and flailing his guitar wildly while on stage.
Trent 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
In 2002, North made music headlines after an Icarus Line performance at the Hard Rock Cafe in Austin, Texas where he "liberated" a guitar that had belonged to Stevie Ray Vaughan. He broke its protective case with the base of a microphone stand, took it out, tried to plug it into his amplifier, but was then quickly set upon by security. The incident resulted in North receiving numerous death threats from outraged Texans.
North co-owns the Buddyhead webzine with Travis Keller. Perhaps most infamously known for its gossip section, Buddyhead is also a record label with releases for such bands as Wires On Fire, The PoPo, Modwheelmood, The Cassettes, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ink & Dagger, Moccasin and more.
In 2005, North performed shows as a guitarist with Queens of the Stone Age. North guested with the band at various acoustic "in-store" performances, and two "regular" shows in Los Angeles.
North has also received a bit of notoriety and/or criticism for his frequent legal battles. He has been sued over a dozen times for either slanderous remarks on Buddyhead, or by numerous attendees at Nine Inch Nails or Icarus Line shows from "ambulance chasers" claiming bodily injury via North's jumping into the crowd, or smashing of equipment. Most notably, in July of 2006, North was named (along with Nine Inch Nails) in a lawsuit brought on by Wisconsin security guard Mark LaVoie. This suit alleges that he "intentionally, violently" inflicted injury upon the guard while performing with Nine Inch Nails at Alliant Energy Center on Oct. 13, 2005.
North is currently preparing a full-length release for his new band Jubilee, that consists of Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age) (Wires On Fire), Evan Weiss (Wires On Fire), and a slew of guest drummers. The album is said to "not be considered a side project" despite the various different drummers performing on the album, including Carla Azar, Josh Freese, Kevin Haskins, and Josh Homme, among others yet to be revealed.
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