The Lonely Forest have created the type of record that you used to play over and over again and never got tired of. It’s a lost art these days in a world of single downloads and rampant piracy. It sometimes makes you wonder why bands even record 10 songs anymore—that is, until you hear Arrows.
These Washington state natives have made a tremendous album stylistically picking from three decades of musical references, the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. “Discovered” by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla and signed to his Atlantic Records imprint Trans, these guys have a pretty bright future and are certainly off to a great start.
Arrows opens up with the track “Be Everything,” which rivals the Avett Brothers at their finest and follows with the 90s Brit rock flavored “Turn off this Song and go Outside.” Two other standouts include “Coyotes” and “I Don’t Want to Live There,” both which should be modern rock staples on radio stations across the country. Their live show is equally as impressive as they barrel through the songs on Arrows never missing a beat as if they have been playing these songs their entire lives.
I had the chance to spend some time with the guys before a show in San Francisco where they were opening for Minus the Bear. They were making the most out of a cramped dressing room backstage at Slims and you could tell these guys were just a lot of fun to be around. It was a pre-show hang out of sorts and I had the opportunity to ask the band a few questions.
Any stand out memorable moments on the tour so far?
John Van Deusen: I had a really embarrassing moment this tour, actually one of the more embarrassing moments of my life. I got drunk and then was convinced by some people (looks around the room) to smoke weed. I took a bong toke out of a really expensive bong, I’m not a pro smoker. So then I’m sitting in the back of the van as we are driving away and I’ve got the spins. I was getting ready to tell Braydn our drummer that we need to pull over and as I saying “Braaaaayyyddn…” I puked more than I have ever puked in my life all over everything in the back of the van that we are touring in. It took about eight days for the smell to go away.
Any significance behind the title of the album Arrows?
John: Two meanings, actually. One meaning is based around arrows going out, as in new directions. I have a lot of old historic battle maps that show the troop movements, I was kind of mentally picturing that.
The second meaning, my dad was a bow hunter growing up and I thought that was really cool. There’s something really ingenious behind the basic engineering of a bow and arrow.
If there was a Lonely Forest tribute record who would you like to see perform on it?
Tony: REM, Radiohead, Carl Blau…I’d like to hear Superchunk cover one of our songs. Maybe Foo Fighters, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, and Rage Against the Machine.
John: I think it would be kind of cool to hear bands that we hate cover our songs.
Are there any pre-show rituals before you go on stage?
John: I call my dad and ask him how his day was, tell him to say hello to my mom.
Tony: Right before I get on stage I think to myself, oh I might have to go pee.
Any guilty pleasures while out on the road?
Tony: Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. I bought The Essential Kenny Loggins on the last tour, and it’s been played in the van every day since. There are some amazing songs on there, like “No Looking Back.”
John: The Alan Parsons Project.
Who do you prefer The Clash vs The Sex Pistols?
Tony Ruland: The Clash. I like them both but I think The Clash just had a lot more to offer the world. One of my first toys was a Clash record and a Fischer Price record player that my mother gave to me. I think my mother told me they were so much better than the Sex Pistols and it just made sense.
