Q: I love the soundscape you created in “Shine.” Can you tell us more about what this song is about?
ARCADIAN RHYTHM: Shine is a song about perseverance as much as it is about the electricity of playing a live show. It tells our story over the past two years and depicts many of the curveballs life threw at us. When COVID first came around in March 2020, our band was just starting to get off the ground and we were getting noticed around Boston. Moreover, it was just a few months after COVID hit that Greg and his wife Alex had to move from Boston to Milwaukee for Greg’s work. It felt like everything we had been working toward was getting taken away from us, though of course, this was nothing compared to people losing their lives or their loved ones.
But when one door closes, another one opens (either that or you try knocking down every last door until one opens for you). Greg and Alex got pregnant and welcomed their newborn son, Thomas, into the world. Greg and I got a game plan going for a Spotify release. We picked up the pieces and put them back together better than ever. And to us, this is what life is all about. You WILL get tested. You WILL get knocked down. But you are a human being, and being human means being resilient. We are all so much stronger and more capable than we could ever know, and our goal is to empower people to realize this and encourage people to push past their comfort zone.
Q: There are a lot of interesting sounds! How did you create/find them? Can you elaborate on your creative process?
G: We dedicate an extreme amount of time towards developing our music. Living 17 hours apart, we primarily develop concepts for songs independently. Once we have a solid concept recorded, we share it with the other via email, discuss our vision, and begin building. It can take weeks to months before we settle on a structure. Terry is the sound engineer and visionary behind the mixing and production process.
T: As the producer, my job is to find cool sounds that fit the track’s vibe and string them together in an evocative way. Sometimes, I’ll just be scrolling through sound presets until I hear a timbre that really strikes me. Other times, I’ll have a specific vision in mind of what I want to bring to life (don’t ask me why I thought a motorcycle zooming by in the bridge would sound good, I just had a hunch)
Q: I love how refreshing and immersive the song is with the nature theme evolving in rock instrumentation. Can you tell us more about the nature theme in your music/art in general?
ARCADIAN RHYTHM: We’re big on nature. Mother Nature, human nature, nature nature – you name it. We find immense solace during our time in nature and believe that all humans would benefit greatly from more time near trees, mountains, and oceans and less time around screens, negativity, and judgment.
I included the sound of ocean waves in the first verse, as it felt like a natural fit given the lyrical metaphor of “breaking on the rocks to wash ashore.” Nature brings us so much peace and happiness, hence the name “Arcadian Rhythm.” Any time I can deliberately weave nature sounds into the soundscape, I usually go for it.
Q: Where do you find the most inspiration?
ARCADIAN RHYTHM: We find the most inspiration in the darkest and brightest parts of life. Much of what we write pulls from our personal struggles and the negative shadows we’ve cast across our lives while growing up and finding ourselves. As human beings, we are constantly searching for connection, belonging, and a strong sense of identity. When we lose sight of what’s truly important and succumb to distractions and insecurities, we lose our way – and we hurt who we love. However, we mostly find meaning in the good we see in the world: our families, the natural beauty of the untouched earth, and spending as much time as we can enjoying both together.
Sonically, we are heavily inspired by our musical roots; 90’s punk/grunge rock like Blink 182, Nirvana, RHCP, and Rancid, as well as newer musical inspirations like Dominic Fike and Joshua Burnside. Terry is also a massive fan of hip hop and EDM. These artists and genres don’t share a similar musical likeness yet all drive our unique sound.
Q: How did you guys meet?
T: Greg and I began creating music together when we met in high school in 2006. We had instant chemistry both on and off stage, and it was immediately clear to me that we could take things as far as we were willing. Unfortunately, life happens and once we both went to separate colleges in 2010, we started to lose touch. Greg moved to Florida for a few years after college but eventually moved back to the Boston area around 2017.
G: When my job brought me back to Boston, Terry and I picked up right where we left off. We wrote songs, started a band, and quickly gained a foothold in the Boston music scene. During the summer of 2020, I was forced to leave the Boston area and relocate to Milwaukee, WI. It was the height of COVID, but despite the global climate of fear and isolation, Terry and I promised to keep writing and sharing songs. “Shine” is about our journey together, our journey with our former bandmates and continuous collaborators – Caleb, Jess, and Brandon – and the feeling of sharing our music with the world.
Q: Anything you’re currently working on?
ARCADIAN RHYTHM: Right now we are sitting on some really exciting stuff. We will be releasing several new songs over the coming months, including a new release tomorrow! By the time this interview gets published, “Words We Remember” will be out on all major streaming platforms.
Now that live music is back, we’ve been playing at least a few live shows every month around the Greater Boston area. Make sure to follow us on IG (@arcadianrhythmmusic) or on Spotify to stay up to date on our latest releases and upcoming shows!
Interviewed by Katrina Yang
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