Jeremy Markel is the founder and leader of Curtail The Noise and has been playing guitar since 2002. His most influential guitar teacher, Dave Anderson, introduced him to Megadeth, who became his favorite band for more than a decade. Other Metal bands from that era, such as Skid Row, Ozzy Osbourne, Death, Jason Becker, Savatage and Iced Earth also shaped him as a musician but influence from Classic Rock bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix can also be heard in his music.

When he was 19, he tried to form a band with his former teacher but not everyone shared his enthusiasm for the project. While at the University of Georgia, he wrote the first drafts for what ultimately became CTN’s first album and played bass guitar in Wicked King, with whom he played a couple live performances, but quit after he graduated.

Over the years, the Metal genre became increasingly dissimilar to his influences, but he never gravitated toward Modern Metal and would never fit into any one of its many sub-genres. He has always believed that writing evocative melodies and catchy, yet complex rhythms and offering a diverse catalog of songs would be superior to the excesses of modern metal.

A major resource he used to develop his style is the Guitar Grimoire, Scales & Modes by Carl Fischer. He found many, interesting and unique tone patterns that became the origins for some of his favorite compositions, such as Sally’s Ride and On The Run. Sally’s Ride, which is written in F Composite II, fuses Blues Rock and Thrash Metal with a piano playing some of the lead melodies. On The Run, which is written in B Locrian Natural 7, similarly fuses Blues Rock and Metal but also includes elements of Bluegrass and climaxes with a Rock ‘N’ Roll harmonica solo that was written and recorded by British musician, Will Wilde.

Coming from an older generation of Metal, being influenced by Classic Rock and wanting to experiment with often ignored scales, he needed to find musicians who could connect with the nuances and depth of his songwriting. He initially searched for bandmembers online and on bulletin boards at music stores and college campuses, but eventually realized he would have to hire professionals. He was too dedicated to waste time with casual players, but being from GA, he did not have the name recognition to attract serious talent.

While offering paid positions meant more attention from the musician community, finding players whose expertise spans acoustic playing, Rock ‘N’ Roll and old school Metal, remained challenging. Many of the musicians he found were unprepared for the creative breadth of his vision, but in 2019, CTN finally started writing music for its first album, Pirate Radio, which they finished recording in the summer of 2024.

Finally having a finished product shows proof of concept, but the name, branding and diverse compositions make the band hard to define, which is exactly what he wanted. He believes the entertainment industry relies too heavily on tropes instead of telling original stories. The band name, in his words, is a directive: “Make better music by doing something different and authentic.” It is a riskier marketing ploy, but he prioritizes his artistic vision above all else and believes, that ultimately, an audience will gravitate toward the band’s individuality and creative palate.