Arizona at the Metro, 10/29/08, opening for Amy Ray

Arizona, you might have heard of them? You WILL definitely be hearing more of them. Their new album, Glowing Bird is beautiful, rocking, and intricately crafted indie music at it’s best. I had the unexpected pleasure of walking into the most honored music venue in Chicago last week and finding four very talented guys having the time of their lives. The sound was good, … very good, I climbed the stairs of the club to the sound of Ben Wigler’s voice rising above a cacophony of guitars and drums. As I approached the stage I noticed that even though there weren’t very many people there (it was a super early show, doors opened at 6:30! and it promised to be over by 10 p.m.) everyone was crammed up to the front. I soon saw why.

Arizona gives off an energy that simply said, shoots right off Ben’s smiling face. Now that doesn’t mean that the other band members just sit there, mind you. But Ben, he freakin glows when he sings. If that man isn’t a Leo I don’t know what star he could possibly be born under. It’s an astrological mistake otherwise. His voice is clear and sharp and high without being forced. He helps craft Arizona’s songs to play to that voice, to wind around it, to showcase it’s pure tingly sound, like the note that’s hit on a crystal glass.

Nick Campbell’s guitar work was brilliantly played, enthusiastic without hogging the spotlight. I loved that he so seriously enjoyed himself. That’s a classic trait in these talented newcomers. It’s all concentrated genius until pure, unbridled passion simply takes over in the middle of a song and they let it go completely. Watching that moment happen on stage is the great reward of a live show and seeing Nick’s hair fly that night made me dance right along with him.

You know for me, it’s always all about the bass. Alex Hornbake on bass and James Dedakis on drums were beautiful together. I wish I had been able to pay more attention, the whole experience was mind blowing, and that damn smiling Ben distracted me from my true love. My next show I’m determined to wear my Ben blinders and re-direct my gaze! James was upfront that night, as Amy’s crew had their gear on stage already. I asked Ben about it after the show, as it wasn’t a set up that I had seen much and I wondered if it changed the way they played. He reported that they had done it for the past three or four nights and they kinda liked it. It gave them an opportunity to play off the drums a bit more and they liked that a lot. As an “organic” kind of band, they appreciated the change. He went off on an explanation of how they wrote music, all of them together, each bringing into the stuido some bit or song or part of a song and then tweaking it all four together into their distinctive, harmonic sound.

I was curious if they would sound different recorded than they did live for just that reason. And to be honest, yes, they do a bit. But turn it up loud, imagine a bigger, rawer noise and drop yourself in that rolling, turning, ocean of sound that is Arizona — it’s there. Amazingly enough, when you hear them live you hear how intricate it is, how painstakingly they create layer after layer of music, and how well they know one another to be able to do all this in a way that seems so effortlessly. I hope you enjoy these two tracks, given with permission to be streamed, by the label, Echo Mountain Records.

Swimming Hole, Arizona, Glowing Bird [audio:Arizona - Glowing Bird - 03 - Swimming Hole.mp3]
Heath, Arizona, Glowing Bird [audio:Arizona - Glowing Bird - 01 - Heath.mp3]

and hey go see this band, you definitely won’t regret it!

Echo Mountain Records

MySpace buy directly from there!

arizona