This Dallas Inventor’s “Sound Toys” Appeal to Famous Musicians as Well as Kids

The motto was always “Build it, don’t buy it.” Richard Upchurch heard his dad say this constantly growing up. So when his beloved sixties-era Sony transistor radio broke, a young Upchurch didn’t purchase a new one; instead, he cracked it open and tinkered until it worked again. Decades later, the fifty-year-old Upchurch still has that radio—and it’s still functional. He’s now a professional tinkerer, the Geppetto behind Brand New Noise, a Dallas-based line of wooden musical instrument–toys—or toy-instruments, depending on the customer. He recently sold one of his pieces to a synthesizer enthusiast who planned to use it on a record. But on his way out, the customer added, “My daughter’s gonna love this thing.” She’s nine.Upchurch’s flagship product, Loopy Lou, is essentially a small recording…

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