Interview with “Arc & Stones” band members Dan Pellarin, Lead Singer/Guitarist; Eddy Bayes, Bassist; Ben Cramer, Guitarist
Arc & Stones (Left to Right) Ben Cramer, Dan Pellarin, Eddy Bayes, Joe Doino (Photo Credit: Eric Ryan)
Interview by: Don of Don411.com
Interview coodinated by: Rebecca Kovach and Becky Sahm of Big Picture Media www.bigpicturemediaonline.com
Pellarin – Dan Pellarin, Lead Singer/Guitarist
Bayes – Eddy Bayes, Bassist
Cramer – Ben Cramer, Guitarist
How was the name “Arc & Stones” considered and what does it mean?
The name was considered strictly by the fact that we didn’t come up with anything else. We wanted a name that was synonymous with our energy, our sound, and our approach. It’s a symbolic metaphor for Rock & Roll. It represents the foundations we draw our inspiration and aspiration from, and the new energy, message, and sound we have created from those foundations. Arc & Stones is an old soul that has met a new sound.
How are songs written in your group? Is it through collaboration or does each individual have an opportunity for a signature song of their own?
Cramer: Most of the songs off the new record were really a four-way collaboration. Someone would come in with an idea and each person in the band would add their own influence to it.
Bayes: We are all very open to any idea. Like Ben said, pretty much everything we play has gone through a four way back and forth creative process
Pellarin: An atmosphere is created around an idea that has been presented. It’s our job to take individual opinions each person has presented and collect or discard them until we have come to a final decision. It’s a challenge, but a good one because everyone is so passionate, and no matter how hard it is to fish through that passion and find the right fit, passion is what ultimately leads the charge on a great song.
How did going on tour with Kansas come about? www.kansasband.com
Cramer: It was an opportunity that our manager brought to the table. We’ve been very lucky to have those guys on our team. They’ve taught us so much.
What was the initial meeting like with the Kansas’s drummer, Phil Ehart before he became the Manager of Arc & Stones?
Cramer: Going in to the meeting we didn’t really know what to expect. We all hit it off great and the rest is history.
Bayes: I think we ate Sushi.
Pellarin: We ate sushi.
What are some future plans after touring with Kansas?
Cramer: Keep touring, keep making records, world domination.
Bayes: Keep touring, keep creating, keep Ben’s plan for world domination in check.
Pellarin: First the world, then the galaxy, then the universe.
What were some of the challenges encountered during Arc and Stones formation and how was it resolved?
Cramer: Initially we had a hard time finding a drummer. I posted an ad online as sort of a last ditch effort and eventually got a response from our drummer, Joe. We knew from the start of the audition he was the right guy.
Bayes: When I joined the band I didn’t own a bass, or an amp, or a cab.
Pellarin: I had never sung a song in a real show with a real band ever in my life…mainly due to stage fright.
What was the most memorable event that occurred while performing on stage?
Cramer: Our last show in NYC at Mercury Lounge, when we played “Let Me Down,” I’m pretty sure the crowd was singing louder than we were. It was a very memorable experience.
Pellarin: I second that. Unforgettable.
What are some questions you would want asked but haven’t been and what would be the answers?
Bayes: “What’s so great about Fleetwood Mac?” My answer: everything.
Arc & Stones
www.youtube.com/user/ArcandStonesMusic
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About Arc & Stones
As of 6.21.14 from http://www.arcandstones.com
Arc & Stones: When guitarists Dan Pellarin and Ben Cramer met in Miami as freshman in college in the halcyon days of 2010, the idea that the two music program students would start a globetrotting rock ‘n’ roll band was nothing more than a passing joke. But after moving to New York just a year later, writing and recording Arc & Stones’ debut EP in a sweatbox of a Brooklyn apartment, fleshing out the band with bassist Eddy Bayes and drummer Joey Doino, and moving out to Nashville in early 2014, Arc & Stones’ pursuit of the soulful alt rockers’ ultimate goal — being the greatest rock band of all time — feels completely serious. Arc & Stones’ six-song EP, As You Were, out on June 10, reflects what Pellarin describes as “moments of a special year.” Backed by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the band hit the studio on August 13 of last year to record an “explosive yet cohesive” follow-up to their debut EP, infusing classic soul with a keen ear for the sound of today’s rock music. The six tracks that compose As You Were shape the record with taut guitar riffs, blue-eyed soulful vocals, and some strutting rock ‘n’ roll swagger. The familiar themes — battling through tough times on driving opener “Control,” the obligatory song about a girl with the tenderly emotional “Walking In,” and self-discovery on “Too Late” — stay true to genre conventions, and Arc & Stones both defy and embrace tradition. The band’s tunes hearken back to rock ‘n’ roll’s heyday, but Arc & Stones infuses the EP with a panache that’s entirely crisp and new. Being the world’s greatest rock band is no easy feat, but with Arc & Stones’ trailblazing sophomore EP, it’s hard not to like their chances.
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