by Matt Horowitz (@SharpCheddar856)
“What is even happening right now?” Good Lord! How many times have you said that to yourself in the last 2… 3… 4… 10 years? Bat-sh*t Presidents, natural disasters, a Global Pandemic, murder hornets, you name it—something fucked up is always happening," laments a recent press release from Detroit power-pop band, Extra Arms.
Following their 2019 album, Up from Here, Extra Arms have returned with the aptly-titled follow-up, What Is Even Happening Right Now? Ryan Allen and company (once referred to as His Extra Arms) pulled out all the stops on this one: socially-distant remote recording, all the bells and whistles, and even guest features from Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Bob Nanna (Braid, Hey Mercedes), Gregory Macdonald (Sloan), Lily Paul (The Plastic Beach), Scott Allen (Thunderbirds Are Now!), Chris Hatfield (Love Axe), and saxophonist Matt Jones.
What Is Even Happening Right Now? was later mixed and mastered by veteran engineer Paul Miner (Agnostic Front, Trapped Under Ice) with production from Ryan Allen, Michael Gallacher, and Miner. We went ahead and conducted a massive double-interview with Extra Arms' own Ryan Allen and Daniel "Dan" Stover! Check that out below and go pick up your very own copy of What Is Even Happening Right Now? directly from Forge Again Records.
photo credit: Tim Meeks
Matt Horowitz: Who's part of Extra Arms and what was each member's role within the creation of What Is Even Happening Right Now?
Ryan Allen: Ryan Allen - Vocals/Guitar. I guess I'm the main "songwriter" in the band, in that I come up with the core of the tunes, [and] write all the lyrics, melodies, and such. The other boys come up with parts to layer on top and add their personal flavor/style to everything and it goes from an idea cooked up alone to a full-fledged Extra Arms song.
Michael Gallacher - Guitar. Michael adds ripping leads and a constructive ear to everything. He helped produce the new album, alongside Ryan (me) & Paul Miner. He really helped shape the vocal takes on this new one and pushed me to be critical of my performances. It really helped and, I think, this is the best singing I've ever done on an album.
Ryan Marshall - Bass. Ryan adds the low end, as well as possesses a calming presence and sick mind that makes him irreplaceable and a true freak.
Daniel Stover - Drums. Dan pounds the skins and is, generally, enthusiastic about everything which is a nice Ying to some of our "over-40-and-jaded" mindsets that we get into sometimes. Dan really pushed for this album to happen and without his undying love of music and drumming, maybe, it wouldn't have.
Dan Stover: To add to Ryan: I feel, altogether, for this record, we had one of those group dynamics that you strive for. Everyone had certain input that added to the overall completion and everyone was appropriately critical of not just their own performance, but everyone else’s. "You can do that better" or "try it again" can be much more beneficial in the long run versus "[that] was fine, moving on, fix it in [post-production], etc."
Horowitz: What is the significance or intended meaning behind the album title, What Is Even Happening Right Now?
Allen: Have you read the news lately? It seems like every day a new insane thing happens that makes the crazy thing that came before seem less crazy, in comparison—which is crazy in of itself. We are sort of living in this bubble of unreal and incomprehensible happenings that are unfolding in real time. All we can do is try and survive through it all, occasionally asking ourselves, "what is even happening right now?"
Stover: Heavier COVID times was what was mostly driving me to push for this record to get going and get done. I felt trapped in my house, working from home, [and] the monotony of everyday being exactly the same. In normal years, I'd be home, sure, but that would be interspersed with travel, shows, and rehearsals, not to mention just seeing more people on the regular. Doing nothing for so long when you want to do it can have the worst effect on your mental health. So, every day, observing the news made me internally scream the record's name.
Horowitz: Who or what would you cite as some of your greatest sources of inspiration and influence during the making-of the album?
Allen: Aside from the general wackiness of our news cycle and living through a pandemic, musically, I was listening to a lot of 80’s new wave, like The Cars, Elvis Costello, and DEVO, alongside some of my mainstays, like Superdrag, Guided By Voices, and Jets to Brazil. I borrowed some bits from The Kinks, Stereolab, and Rocket from The Crypt along the way. Another record I found a lot of inspiration in is Danger: Rock Science by the band Menthol, who were this 90’s “slacker” indie rock-type band and, then, made a bit of a pivot towards more new wave influences. So, it's not a new wave record in that it wasn't released during that genre's heyday, but a more modern take on the sound that I don't think a lot of people have really heard. It's a great (albeit slightly goofy) record, but worth checking out, if you dig The Cars/DEVO and that kind of herky-jerky pop that dominated the radio in the 80’s for a bit.
Horowitz: What did the typical writing, recording, production, creation, etc. processes entail? Were these processes affected by COVID-19 related restrictions?
Allen: Short version - songs were written and demo’ed throughout 2020 with tracking starting in early 2021 done, basically, virtually or in small “pods” of one or two band members (usually, wearing sweatpants) with our engineer friend, Chuck Huber, along for the ride. To be honest, the whole thing was a combination of being a pain in the ass, but, also, super-fun and creative. We never got in the same room as a band the entire time until after the record was all done, which was kind of a mindfuck trying to learn how to play everything once we could practice again post-vaccination. I'm not sure we would do it this way ever again, but given the obstacles in our way, I think the album turned out fucking amazing. Kudos to the other band members for going with it even when it was really tough and to Chuck and Paul [Miner] for helping us realize the vision.
Horowtiz: In addition to yourselves (the members of the band,) who else was involved in the making-of What Is Even Happening Right Now? on the production, engineers, mixing, mastering, etc. end of things?
Allen: Yeah, as previously stated, Chuck Huber engineered the album, Paul Miner mixed and mastered it, and we had a bunch of guests play on it: Matthew Caws from Nada Surf, Bob Nana from Braid, Gregory Macdonald from Sloan, Scott Allen from Thunderbirds Are Now!, Chris Hatifield from Love Axe, Lilly Paul from The Plastic Beach, and Matt Jones, who ripped some amazing sax. I don't think it would have had so many folks jumping on, if it weren't for the pandemic; so, despite all the terrible death and depression that resulted from it, getting awesome friends and people we respect to contribute was a bright spot, for sure.
Horowitz: How would you say the various behind-the-scenes process during the making-of the record differ from the last proper Extra Arms album, Up from Here?
Allen: The same, but, also, different. I typically demo everything at home—which is what I did for Up from Here and this one. I mostly do it like this to make it easier to wrap my head around the song and decide if it's even any good or not. I write a lot, so this is just a normal part of my process. That said, this time around, the demos were really the template for learning the song, instead of it being just a jumping-off point for working it out in the same room. This time, since we couldn't be around each other, the songs were recorded, basically, as they were demo’ed and, then, built upon from there. So, in a way, there was less room to chop things up and get super into the arrangements, but it, also, forced me/us to really hone in on the tightness of the songs themselves. I love coming up with shit in the room and making tons of changes/revisions to something—that's true collaboration. But having this obstacle of more or less having to stick to the demo template allowed us to add more interesting ear candy on top and not really care about if we could pull it off live or not. Now, we have the challenge of going backwards and figuring out how to do things live— which has been really fun and has kept the vibe fresh. So, it's kind of like this weird upside-down version of making a record, but, again, the end result is pretty bangin', so I think it all worked out.
Stover: Everything was different, for me, at least. This was the first time in my seventeen or so years of recording drums and making records that I haven't 1.) been in the same room for writing, 2.) been in the same room for rehearsing, 3.) been in the same studio with the rest of the band for recording. Thankfully, Ryan was there when I recorded my tracks, at least. We had [exchanged] demo videos and demo tracks prior to that point, while giving notes for everything, but that typically happens in real time. With the last record, Ryan, of course, demo’ed everything, then, we learned the structures, wrote all the parts, added all of our own flavors to everything, and when we were, actually, in-studio, we were all there—literally lived there for a week. When we took the trip out to LA to do Up from Here, it was very much an all-hands-on-deck collaborative effort both beforehand and during the recording process.
Horowitz: What can you tell us about the concept or storyline(s) behind Extra Arms' latest "Big Dogs" music video?
Allen: Pretty simple - make fun of social media influencers while wearing a dog mask.
Stover: Oh, now I get it. Thanks, Ryan.
Horowitz: How and why did you guys decide to join forces with Chicago, Illinois-based Forge Again Records (Old Gods, Child Bite, Destroy This Place) for the release?
Allen: I've known Justin Wexler, who runs [Forge Again Records] since I was nineteen or something. Our high school bands met on a message board called Tickle Me Emo and the rest is history. We have kept in touch, he's booked shows for other bands of mine, released records by other [bands] I was in, and is just, generally, a fucking awesome dude. He loves music and has a good job and just likes to release records. The fact that he's willing to put time, money, and energy into our band isn't lost on me and we truly, truly appreciate it.
Horowitz: For first-time Extra Arms fans, how would you attempt to best describe the sound(s) heard across What Is Even Happening Right Now?
Allen: Pop melodies swashbuckling with loud as fuck guitars/bass/drums with lyrics that attempt to balance a feeling of impending doom with the desire to hold on to some kind of idealistic optimism. Best listened to while trying to karate chop a wood block, drive fast, but not too fast, so you don't get pulled over, or dancing alone, so your friends don't make fun of how hard you are rocking out.
Horowitz: What's the meaning behind the band name, Extra Arms, formerly Ryan Allen & His Extra Arms?
Allen: The initial idea for the band was that it was me playing all the core instruments and, then, having friends play stuff on it that I couldn't—piano, sax, violin, etc. (AKA my "Extra Arms.") It evolved over time and once the line-up was more or less locked in, it made sense to drop the “Ryan Allen” part. There is kind of a full-circle thing happening on the new one, as it basically takes the guest concept of the first LP and combines it with the band element of our last two.
Horowitz: In addition to or aside from Extra Arms, do either of you have any currently in-the-works or soon forthcoming projects you might like to mention within this space?
Allen: I'm sure Dan has a lot to say here, since he's in 500 bands. I'm currently working on a new solo record that will probably come out early next year.
Stover: I currently play in 750 bands and I go crazy if I'm not working on something. Newer project I'm working with has an EP coming out real soon (recorded by our bud, Chuck Huber, and mixed/mastered by Paul Miner again), still playing in Break Anchor, and still open to potentially do more work, if it interests me. I feel like I need to make up for lost time; Extra Arms certainly does scratch that itch.
Horowitz: What's planned next for Extra Arms?
Allen: Play as many shows as we can and, hopefully, start to work on some new songs—this time, all together in the same room. Sweatpants are “optional” but “encouraged.”
Stover: What Ryan said, just get back on the pony and push it. I feel that this new record is very strong, has solid bangers, and has potential to be our catchiest work thus far.