Arrows

This band has been around a little while with a ep a split an a album out.  They come from brisvegas and are defiantly one to check out! I was gonna try and describe how they sound and mention bands they’re like. But thats arse anyhow i think they play really nice music!

Can you tell me who makes up arrows and how you guys started?

Arrows consists of Scott, Anders, Carl and I.  We formed mainly because we were already good friends who shared a love of similar music and it seemed logical to start a band together.  Anders, Carl and I started up as a three-piece in late 2006 and played a couple of shows, then recorded a demo EP. Scott joined the band not long after that and we’ve been the same line-up since.

How and why the name arrows?

I have absolutely no idea…  I think someone suggested it and we all thought it sounded okay.  I was really happy that it was a single word and couldn’t get turned into an acronym, basically.

Who would you say is/are your biggest inspirations?

All sorts of bands and far too many to name individually, but I would say my biggest inspirations are bands that are passionate about what they do and don’t go along with any bullshit or really great fashion crap.  I feel truly inspired, musically, meeting bands that make honest music and are also really nice people and don’t have tickets on themselves.

Lyrically what are some of the main themes and focuses?

Lyrically I suppose it’s just about me and people I/Arrows know and circumstances that have happened to us, really. Some aspects of stuff are embellished and exaggerated, others are understated and a lot of it is really one-sided and self-indulgent, as I suppose it’s bound to be.  I just write about whatever’s on my mind at the time, and can sometimes regret that later.

Can you tell me a little about the writing process of Arrows?

Generally, Scott or I will have an idea on guitar or piano and we’ll play it as a band and work it into a song with each adding his own parts.  Sometimes one of us will have a definite direction and structure for the song that we’ll work on, and other times it might just be one or two ideas that need to be written into a song by the whole band.  We always try to demo the guitars for new songs so we don’t forget how they go, the tunings, or how to play the parts, and I’ll usually write the vocal in my apartment whilst listening along to the demo.

Have any of you guys been in or are in other bands?

We’ve been around the traps for a bit but nothing noteworthy – none of us currently play in anything else.

Do you have any tours planned or coming up?

We’ve been busy this year with some touring and because we’re generally pretty time-poor we haven’t been able to write for all the rehearsing.  So, we’re taking a break at the moment to do some writing and get some new material up and running with a view to tour again later in the year/early next year.  I’m especially excited about trying to get to Sydney and Adelaide, as we’ve neglected those cities lately.

What’s your view on the Brisbane music scene, and how has it shaped your music?

I think the Brisbane music scene is awesome.  There are currently so many really great bands that are making exceptional music, and there are more and more places to play in recent years.  Going to shows in Brisbane is really like going to hang out with your best friends, just on a larger scale.

If you could do a tour of Australia with 3 bands (from anywhere) who would they be any why?

Such a difficult question… how about a Blueline Medic reunion tour with one of Tim Kasher’s bands (for the drinking) and David Bazan (for the back of the van sing-a-longs).

Any words of advice for bands starting out?

I don’t know I’m really qualified to answer… I guess I’d say make sure you mean what you’re playing and don’t play too long at shows.

Any bands we should check out?

Do a Youtube search: “Malibu hit”

Check out there sites:

www.youcangodancing.wordpress.com

http://www.redcross.org.ph/

Tags: Arrows, Arrows Interview, Brisbane, Music