‘Dark and gothic’: A Rueful Noise brings gloomy indie rock ‘n’ roll to The Avenue

After cultivating a cult following across the state, Lansing-based punk-rock outfit Scary Women suddenly parted ways in July 2021. Jennifer Toms, the bassist and lead vocalist, didn’t miss a beat, however. The songwriter has kept busy with A Rueful Noise, a gloomy indie rock ‘n’ roll band featuring her husband, Nicholas Merz, on guitar and vocals and Todd Karinen on drums. City Pulse caught up with Toms before the band’s next show Saturday (May 13) at The Avenue Café. 

Looking back, what caused Scary Women to end? 

Jennifer Toms: The band broke up largely because of the different musical endeavors we wanted to pursue. We had such an exciting run and received tremendous support. It was a great joy to play in that band. Everyone in the group is still musically active. They are all exceptional musicians and songwriters.

How did A Rueful Noise form?

A Rueful Noise began to coalesce in the spring of 2019 when Nicholas and I began playing covers together while the world was shutting down due to the pandemic. After we began posting videos of our performances online, a good friend and excellent Detroit musician, Jeremy Porter, contacted us. He offered to produce some tracks if we could get a few originals together. We took up the challenge, working first on songs from Nicholas’ extensive catalog of solo music. Once we had a handful of songs ready to go, we contacted Todd. Nicholas and Todd had worked together in several bands over the years. I was — and am — a huge fan of Todd’s drumming. Very luckily for us, Todd signed on. In October 2021, we played our first show, and we began recording our first EP on GTG and Silver Maple Kill Records with Jeremy and his bandmate Gabriel Doman in December of that year. 

Did you have any goals for the band after it took shape?

With this band, I honestly had no expectations. I was too overwhelmed by playing with these incredible musicians that I had admired since I entered the scene to formulate any kind of vision. I met Todd in the early days of Scary Women when his band, The Jackpine Snag, took us under their collective wing. The Jackpine Snag is, to this day, one of my favorite bands. When I first heard Todd play, I was struck dumb — such power and control. I met Nicholas soon after when he was playing in The Hat Matter, another band that blows me away. I saw Nicholas on stage with The Hat Matter during his solo performances. I was overpowered by his talent. 

Did you have a goal of exploring new sounds with this band?

Collaboratively, we’ve somewhat stumbled upon a sound we didn’t necessarily strive for — something dark and gothic. The heavier, sometimes more aggressive atmosphere is due, in part, to the lyrical content. Nicholas and I tend toward darker themes and weightier storytelling. Our songwriting process has become increasingly more of a group venture. While we each have our own styles and influences, they’ve happily melded in such a way that it’s hard to distinguish whose songs are whose. Working also to our advantage is the fact that Nicholas and I are married and are regularly bandying around song ideas at the house, where we happen to be recording our first full-length album with Jason Roedel of The Jackpine Snag and Anvil Crawler. 

So, you have a new LP in the works?

We plan to have the album completed by the end of the year. In the meantime, we’ve got a series of really exciting local and out-of-town gigs on the docket, too. 

Listen to A Rueful Noise’s “Let the Revels Begin” EP at aruefulnoise.bandcamp.com.