WITH
THE FAUX PAWS
STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY THE FAUX PAWS
LOUISE BICHAN
The Faux Paws are an innovative and virtuosic folk and roots dance music trio comprised of GRAMMY ® -nominated saxophonist Chris Miller , Noah VanNorstrand and Andrew VanNorstrand , who is based in Brattleboro , Vermont . After perfecting their musical chemistry over a decade of touring and collaboration , their efforts have culminated in the release of their first full-length project . Released on August 27th , 2021 , their self-titled debut LP The Faux Paws combines multiple genres to create an immersive and captivating musical experience . We , at VERMONT Magazine , had the chance to speak with Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand at Old Mill Road Recording in the days leading up to the release of their new project . Over the course of the interview , they spoke openly about their music , their creative process , and the impact that the Green Mountain State has had on their artistic trajectory .
Benjamin : Thanks so much for joining us , Andrew and Noah ! Let ’ s start off with the basics . I understand that you two are
34 VERMONT MAGAZINE brothers . Where were you born , and how did you first get started playing music ?
Andrew : We ’ re from upstate New York originally . We were both born and raised in the Syracuse area . We ’ ve been playing music together for many years . I started playing fiddle when I was eight years old , and Noah ended up picking it up several years later . I took lessons , and Noah learned to play by ear - by playing with me .
Noah : That ’ s exactly right . I don ’ t know if this is bragging or if it ’ s the opposite of bragging , but I still can ’ t read music . I don ’ t know how music theory works at all . Andrew and I approach music in two very different ways given his understanding of music theory , but we ’ ve always enjoyed playing together .
Benjamin : Was there ever any kind of sibling rivalry when you were growing up ?
Andrew : We ’ ve always played very collaboratively . If I was working on a chord progression , Noah would be working on the melody . If I was working on lyrics , Noah would be working on the groove . We would go back and forth like that . Occasionally , we would have different ideas about how it should go . We weren ’ t too competitive , because we both specialized in different areas as musicians .
Noah : We would very rarely fight when we were growing up . On the rare occasions when we would argue , it was always about music . It didn ’ t happen very often . I wrote a lot of tunes when I was younger , and some of the tunes didn ’ t have chords , because they were just based in fiddle melodies . Andrew would say things like , “ Well , if you just changed the melody a little bit , it could have a chord progression underneath it ,” and I would say “ No ! You don ’ t understand what I ’ m doing !” We always ended up working it out eventually , but there were a few funny moments like that .
Benjamin : Were there any musicians or groups that really influenced your sound