Interview: The Arkanes


Hey guys,
the long time readers of you are probably already familar with The Arkanes.
The rock band from Liverpool, England has been featured a few times now because I really think they're good.

I got to know them when they supported Jim Kroft on tour and so I actually discovered their strongest side first - the live performance. 
But a live performance would not work without good (and handmade) songs, so I would definitely recommend listening to 2014's newcomer band.

They might be an insider tip now but let 2014 pass and see what happens.


The Arkanes are:
Chris Pate (lead vocals, guitar)

Andy Long (drums)
Dylan Cassin (guitar, backing vocals)
Lee Dummett (bass, backing vocals)

In the interview The Arkanes talk about their upcoming album, being in the Beatles, their favourite blog and form a new concept for house in the sand.
And a whole lot more. 


house in the sand: Alright Arkanes, your upcoming album is called "W.A.R", is that correct? 
Chris: Yes, that is correct. Before we begin, merry Christmas or Frohe Weihnachten. (Was that right?)

house in the sand: Yes, that was right!
There is also a song named like that, what's the main inspiration of that track? It sounds a bit critical, am I right?

Chris: Yes, it's track 9 on the album I think. The story is I read a book a few months ago called 1984 by George Orwell. It was such an inspiring book and Orwell seemed to have the ability to see into the future and describe what life is like today. Not in a drastic sense, but the whole idea of Big Brother watching you and the propaganda theories that can never be proven, etc.
It reminded me a lot of England's current situation, so I decided to get all political and write about it. I don't consider myself to be some kind of De La Rocha or Bellamy though so don't get used to me focussing on that topic!
Good tune though, I think it's the band's unanimous favourite.


house in the sand: Let's see if that's true. What's your favourite song on the album?
Andy: I love every song on the album, but if I had to pick one it would be "W.A.R". Because  when I started playing drums I was really into heavy metal and that song is definitely one of our heavier sounds.
It reminds we of where I came from and how far I've come as a drummer. Great song!




house in the sand: Can you share any funny stories from being in the studio recording the album? What is working with The Arkanes like?
Lee: When we're together as a band we have a lot of fun, and during the recording of the album this was no different, there was also occasions during the recording of the album when things got pretty heated between the four of us. I remember that we had a full on argument about which songs should actually be on the album, this disagreement I think was largely fuelled by one too many Weissbiers!!! ;)
That's probably the funniest stroy from the making of the album, at the time it probably wasn't that funny but looking back we can have a laugh about it.

 We really knuckled down 90% of the time in the studio, we wanted to be completely happy with the album when it was finished and I think we got the result we wanted, afterwards we reverted back to our usual selves - Beers, nakedness, etc etc. 
That's a tale for another time though. Unless this is an x-rated blog? If not, can we do an x-rated blog? "House in the sand-after dark" we should call it.... Let's make that happen!


house in the sand: How are The Arkanes going to take over the world? What are your plans?
Chris: Two words: BY FORCE! No, I kid you.

We have a very sensible none violent plan to take over the world. We have never rehearsed so hard or been so ready to tour. Plans are now being made to have us touring towards the end of Winter so now it's up to our team to get us out there.
We have done our part well as a band. We have written an awesome album, recorded the videos, signed the deals (Ahem... wasn't supposed to say that) and now we are ready to go!
The future is always uncertain and that's just how I like it. Nobody likes concrete, it's grey and boring and too hard to move.



house in the sand: Ok, so your fans have enough reason to look forward to next year: you are going to release the album and you're going to go on tour. What can everyone expect?
Dylan: Next year is going to be a big one for us. We're all proud of the album and worked like hell to get it done, and I think that shows through the recordings. For me though, our biggest strength as a band is our live show. We all love playing live and the energy and chemistry we have on stage together always makes every gig unique. So Germany, you are in for a treat!

house in the sand: Out of all gigs you've played so far - is there one you still remember very well?

Andy: There have been so many memorable gigs, one that stands out is playing in Boston, USA in front of a crowd of 3000, it was an experience.
But above that it has to be Frannz Club in Berlin. It was the last gig of the Jim Kroft tour and of our first real tour, the atmosphere was electric, the crowd was immense and the city is fantastic.

We invaded the stage at the end of Jim's set and Chris grabbed the mic and tried to sing "My world... your world... our world is waiting for a healing" ... But he didn't know the words so he just sang gibberish to the melody. One gig that I won't forget about any time soon.


house in the sand: The Arkanes - a name which stands for quality rock music. But what is the most rock'n'roll-ish thing you've ever done?
Dylan: Well, once me and Lee went on a night out near where we live and woke up in Amsterdam, but that memory still haunts me.
Then there was the time me and Chris were lost in Amsterdam for a day after a night out and we managed to talk ourselves into some posh hotel. The stories all involve Amsterdam in some way.



 house in the sand: If you had to re-name the band - what would you call it?
Lee:
If we could rename the band I think it would definitely have to be "the helmets" or "Kinell, it's the helmets". I have no explanation as to why, it's the first thing that came to mind.



house in the sand: Your earliest memory of playing music is?
Dylan: My earliest memory is probably my mum buying me one of those crap ten pound guitars when I was about 6. I couldn't do anything though, I just used to pretend to play it in front of the mirror and imagine I was in the Beatles, haha.



house in the sand: What headline would you like to read about the band?
Lee: Let's be serious now then. The headline I would love to see is "The Arkanes rock Glastonbury 2014". It doesn't necessarily have to be 2014 or Glastonbury but I think as a band we aim high, so if we do get to play huge festivals like Glastonbury, it would be truly amazing.
Rock am Ring would be decent too.



house in the sand: Do you read blogs? If so, which is your favourite? (No pressure!) (Kidding, lots of pressure!!!)
Chris: I am actually very technology illiterate, so I don't use computers all that much. I use Logic a lot on my mac to record demos and make music, but other than that I rarely use my computer. I refuse to play on a playstation 3 or 4 or whichever one has just come out.
I saw an advert for assassins creed on tele a few weeks ago and I KNOW I would get addicted to it. That and GTA5.
I would become a sorry Gollum like creature that never leaves his game cave. This would subsequently stop picking up my guitar, and I just won't allow that to happen :) ... I think I might start a rehab clinic for those addicted to the playstation and the Xbox...

Anyways, I am rambling. To answer your question: "house in the sand" is my favourite because it's the best and it's nice and it's the only one I have read :)




Now that was the most important thing to know, wasn't it? 
I hope you enjoyed the insight the guys have given you and I guess the only thing left to say is - listen to their tunes! (And enjoy!)



The Arkanes online:
Twitter
Soundcloud

Facebook


Thanks for reading! 







_______________
photographs taken from The Arkanes Facebook page.

4 comments:

  1. House in the sand-after dark - oh my - I will remember it for a long time ;)

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    Replies
    1. Haha, Sarah, I'm not exactly sure what to think about it either. But I hope you enjoyed house in the sand at day time. :) x

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  2. Vielleicht sollte ich mich mit meiner Gitarre auch mal vor den Spiegel setzen und mich in irgendeine Band träumen, vielleicht klappts ja dann mit dem Gitarre spielen. :D
    Die Jungs sind auf jeden Fall sehr symphatisch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bei den Jungs scheints geklappt zu haben! Also ab vor den Spiegel und losgeträumt! :)
      Sie sind super und sehr kooperativ. :)

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Let me know what you think! :)