White Arrows
WHITE ARROWS
when I went to NYU, of studying that. The shamanistic ritual just stuck with me. It was a big part of my concentration, the way ritual influenced art and how they have been intertwined over history. It’s such an old art form, that ritual element.” After wrapping up his studies, Church returned to LA and put together a band with his brother, half brother and two family friends. Church speaks cryptically about the origin of the name White Arrows, preferring to leave it open to interpretation. “People have suggested that it’s a reference to the last In the hype-drenched world of indie line of the Shel Silverstein book, Where the Sidewalk which goes; ‘We shall walk with a walk that is music, where a good origin story Ends, measured and slow, /And watch where the chalk-white is often on par with musicality in arrows go / To the place where the sidewalk ends’. Some people think it’s a reference to Native Americans. terms of catching public attention, There are just so many interpretations.” It’s an interesting thing about Church’s Mickey Church, frontman of LA fivehistory – it sounds like a PR masterstroke, some piece White Arrows, has a back-story purpose built back-story with every element painting picture of a shamanic, metaphysical band. No doubt about as good as it gets. He chats aChurch is well aware of how ‘media friendly’ his story with HENRY ANDERSEN ahead of is (how could he not be?) but there is no pretension his recollections. He is friendly and open in the group’s appearance at the Astor in conversation. The band too, is far less shamanic than Theatre on Wednesday, August 8, one might expect. Though there some trippy synths interesting tropical rhythms bubbling about in about shamanism, sensory overload and the music, the band belong far more to the tradition and learning to see. of tight, indie pop than they do to any ritualised experience. “When I was three,” recalls Mickey Church, “I just Where Church’s history is most evident is in assumed that because I couldn’t see people they the band’s live persona.“Live, we have a total visceral, couldn’t see me, so I just kind of let my imagination surreal, sensory overload with a lot of visuals, a lot run wild.” of haze and a lot of strobes” says Church, “We want Church was born legally blind but gained it to be a fully encompassing experience.” I suggest the ability to see at age 11. “It’s not as uncommon as that perhaps this idea of sensory overload ties in people think,” he claims. “I used to see the world in with Church’s interest in shamanic ritual. “I can see this impressionistic blur, like a Monet painting - with the parallels but that definitely wasn’t the intention. smudged colours. My eyes progressed year to year I think it was more a kind of cloak to help me feel until the point where I could finally see with glasses.” uninhibited. I like offering up that visceral experience At 18, Church left his home in LA to attend but it’s also maybe even subconsciously trying to New York University where his eclectic tastes led him recreate the time when I was three and thought no to major in ritualistic shamanism. “I had no intention, one could see me.”
Line Of Sight
BAND OF FREQUENCIES Coastal Awareness Band Of Frequencies are finally heading to WA for a seven date stopover at Prince Of Wales on Friday August, 3; Quindanning Tavern on Saturday, August 4; Mojos on Sunday, August 5; Indi Bar on Wednesday, August 8; Settlers Tavern on Friday, August 10; White Star Hotel on Saturday, August 11; and Clancy’s Dunsborough on Sunday, August 12. CORAL HUCKSTEP chats with lead singer and guitarist Shannon Sol Carroll ahead of the tour. Shark attacks and the Kimberley gas hub: two topical issues in WA right now. Coincidentally, these two concerns are at the forefront of Shannon Sol Carroll’s mind as he prepares for Band Of Frequencies’ long-awaited debut WA tour. “We’ve been intending to come over for the last four or five years but it’s the first time all the stars have aligned and it’s fallen into place. We finally made it,” Carroll tells X-Press from his Queensland home. Band Of Frequencies recently returned from the Californian coast, where they toured with Transparent Sea Voyage - a cetacean awareness campaign headed by Dave Rastovich and Howie Cooke. The band composed a song a day for 23 days with musicians Angus Stone, Tristan Prettyman, Will Conner, Catherine Clark and Angela Limura. This life-changing trip saw Carroll further spurred into an action phase of mind. Occupying Carroll’s thoughts now is the proposed gas hub for James Price Point. “It seems like people are just burning to get things out of the ground and overseas and money in pockets before everyone realises it’s the wrong thing to do,” he says. “The Kimberley is so far up north that it’s really down to a media and propaganda battle rather than information and awareness.” As for the media hype surrounding recent shark attacks: “I’m a bit upset at the logic of when they www.xpressmag.com.au
Empra Band Of Frequencies try and cull a shark after an attack,” Carroll says.“It must just be people’s subconscious fear of being eaten from thousands of years ago. I’m more scared about driving than shark attacks!” An avid surfer, Carroll admits he’s looking forward to getting into the water while he’s over here, particularly at Margaret River. Their gig in WA’s wine country will see the band playing along to previously unseen footage which was gifted to them by filmmakers Cyrus Sutton and George Greenough. “I’m looking forward to that gig, it’s going to be really fun,” Carroll says. However, the gigs won’t be too planned out. “We plan to improvise, if that makes sense! We’ve played together for about 12 or 13 years so you end up developing a sixth sense and you can read each others’ musical signals... we leave a lot open to the magic of the moment.” Included in the set-lists will be new material from their forthcoming album Rise Like The Sun, due for release on August 8. Carroll says it’s been five years in the making: “We’ve had lots going on... I guess independent artists have to flow with their life events and music is a part of that. The whole album reflects that and it’s an interesting journey to listen to.” Carroll says it features everything from psychedelic, punk, reggae and atmospheric sounds. “Music is such an interesting medium to work with as an artist and it is directly linked to how someone feels spiritually,” Carroll says.“I think music in general is pretty otherworldly - creating sound that is infinitely pleasing for other creatures to listen to is a pretty deep concept. I think as a person who likes to create sound, there is just no end to the depth of that experience.” 11