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The Noble Thiefs

Waiting on a sunny day. Despite having it in the can for months, Winnipeg rock and soul foursome The Noble Thiefs had been biding its time to release its debut album, Beyond the 11th Deck. 
   
"We recorded it in November/December of last year (with producer Neil Cameron at Private Ear Recording) and the initial mastering was done around February," says drummer Tim Jones, 26. "With so many bands, as soon as they have the album in their hands, they make 1,000 copies and have a release party where five people show up, and now they have 995 copies in their basement. We didn’t have a lot of exposure at the time of recording but, in the past year, we’ve played the Jazz Festival to 1,500 people, we’ve toured, we’ve played packed houses in cities like Montreal and our following as grown substantially, so it just makes more sense to release it now."
   
Founded in April 2009 by Jones and former guitarist Greg Arcade, The Noble Thiefs started as a ska band, with Riley Hastings on keys and former Thief Jordan Ngantian on bass. The transition to soul music began when singer Myron Dean, 26, joined the group a few months later.
   
"It was almost a waste to have Myron’s vocal talents on ska songs, not give him the freedom to do runs," Jones says. "It was a natural progression, but we still have the same energy. We still act like a ska punk band live but we make pretty music."
   
Speaking of punk rockers playing pretty music, Ian Lodewyks (Subcity, ex-Kids on Fire, ex-The Barrymores) is the newest Noble Thief.
   
"For the last six months I’ve been looking for new projects to work with," says Lodewyks, 25. "I had seen these guys before, but it was a show at The Cavern that did it. They brought a huge energy and have a great following of college kids and people who want to go out and party. It’s nice to have a hometown band that encompasses that."
   
Lodewyks takes over bass duties from Hastings, 22, who himself replaced Ngantian, transitioning to guitar when Arcade left the Thiefs in August. The band says Hastings is shining in his new axeman role.
   
"He’ll text me and say, ‘Hey, I just spent three hours working on the solo for Come on Home,’" Jones says. "That’s awesome, because everything used to be a wing-it situation when it came to solos. That’s fun, too — it brings a raw, real energy — but, at the same time, when Riley comes in with a plan, we’re like, ‘Wow. That’s impressive.’
   
"If Riley spends three hours on a guitar solo, you can only imagine how long he spends on his guitar faces," Lodewyks adds. "That guy has great guitar faces. You watch him play guitar and you know exactly what he’d look like in bed."
   
The Noble Thiefs release Beyond the 11th Deck on Dec. 10 at The Pyramid Cabaret. Indie-rock duo Mise en Scene provides support, with a DJ set by The Shake to follow the Thiefs’ performance. The night will also feature an exhibit by Lisa-Marie Hasiuk, the woman behind Beyond the 11th Deck’s art.
   
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