Arizona is a band from Brooklyn that live in the bohemian town of Asheville, North Carolina. No one in the band is from Arizona, nor do they have any beloved friends or family living in Arizona. The band is comprised of childhood friends Ben Wigler (vocals/guitar) and Alex Hornbake (bass/vocals), along with Nick Campbell (vocals/guitar) and James DeDakis (drums/vocals).
They emerged onto the music scene in 2005 and have established themselves among the blogosphere with rave reviews describing Arizona as “for those who enjoy musical twists and turns, texture [and] sweet harmonies” says My Old Kentucky Blog and and I Guess I’m Floating says Arizona has “a sound that recalls some pretty fine Beatles-esq instrumentation and Modest Mouse style freakouts, paired with great vocals and a light dusting of a Decemberists-like alt/folk/country twitterpation.”
After only existing for one week, Arizona ambitiously set out to record their first EP The Sun and The Room. Soon after, Arizona was introduced to producer and mentor Danny Kadar (My Morning Jacket, Iggy Pop, The Avett Brothers) who became influential in helping the band record and mix their first full-length album Welcome Back Dear Children (2006). After deciding to release the album independently Arizona received praise from radio stations like WXPN in Philadelphia, and found themselves touring extensively with Band of Horses, The Slip and Indigo Girls.
In late 2006, Arizona traveled to Asheville, NC to mix their second EP Fameseeker and the Mono with Kadar, once again, who had taken a position as the chief engineer at Echo Mountain Recording. After spending some time in Asheville, Arizona wrote and performed music for the Asheville-based film, “Anywhere USA”, which went on to win Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. With success on their side the band was invited to release their next album on the newly launched Echo Mountain Records label. Once the band had become smitten with Asheville’s eccentric arts community and the breathtaking mountainous landscape, they decided in the summer of 2007 to leave the Big Apple for the Blue Ridge Parkway and record their second full length album, Glowing Bird.
For Glowing Bird, Arizona once again chose to work with Kadar. “We've always called Danny a facilitator” says Ben, “he basically makes us feel comfortable to utilize our natural talents as performers, writers and producers. He reins us in, inspires us to get crazy, and in general just challenges us to put out the best shit we can.” Radiating layers of instrumentation and harmonies, Glowing Bird is the band’s most honest and cohesive release to date. For the creation of the album, the four musicians moved into a rural farmhouse to sculpt and record their new songs. The eclectic mountain town and its surrounding natural beauty proved the perfect setting for the sonic quality of the album. The band experimented for months in their makeshift studio, in some cases allowing the songs weeks to build and evolve. Inspired by their natural surroundings, the album opens with, “Heath” a song reflecting on passion and death. Set in a ghostly shuffle the song was written down by a lake in a group setting, while the song “Colors” takes its cue from a particular poignant sunrise. Ben explains, “Each [song] is aligned to make something that suits our listening tastes. We’ve managed to combine these influences by channeling them in a carefree but cared-after way.” As a result the Glowing Bird is smart and playful, yet upon each listen new intricacies are discovered.
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