Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Friday, June 19, 2009

The guys in Arizona are clearly talented.  Their most recent album Glowing Bird shifts from sunlit melodies to ghost like harmonies and punctuated jams flawlessly.  At times you feel as if you’re soaking in the North Carolina afternoon sun with the boys and their infectious good nature when a tide of maze like instrumentation cuts in only to be interrupted by a dark journey down a haunted hallway.

We met Arizona on their first trip North of the border in downtown Toronto, Canada.  Because of parking constraints we hopped in their tour van for a drive-along video shoot and interview.  The van was comfortably padded to suit the demands of an international tour.  It was furnished with the odd junk food wrapper, posters, books, cushions and a little kitchenette.  We were welcomed into the van by a surprisingly warm greeting, especially for a band that had just got into the country and hadn’t even stepped out for a smoke yet; never mind the hold up at the border.  If I remember correctly their was a brief discussion about the fragility of our civil liberties and a new found appreciation for them after being forced to wait helplessly at the whim of a border patrol officer.

Within minutes of entering the van Arizona struck up a song.  The strength of Ben Wigler’s voice and the harmonies his band mate’s provided became immediately compelling when suddenly we hear loud scrape and, “that’s a full accident”.  Yes, while driving we ran into a minor fender bender.  We pulled back in to the parking lot and continued to shoot at the band’s request while bass player Alex Hornbake exchanged insurance information.  One thing that can really distinguish Arizona is that, despite the circumstances, the band had a remarkable ability to instantly withdraw back into their musical world and once again fill the van with vulnerable yet confident harmony.

Thursday, June 18, 2009