Beautiful Progression: An Interview with Arms Akimbo
One time, Arms Akimbo vocalist/guitarist Peter Schrupp
received a $7 paycheck. It was in between tours and involved a 30-minute drive
up the Hollywood Hills, 30 minutes of dog walking and no tip. He admits spending
the $7 on food, but that paycheck soon turned into much more.
The theme of the EP, Seven Dollar Paycheck, is obvious: juggling the desire to stay creative and young
while understanding the need to keep yourself afloat. Schrupp jokes that he
balances the two poorly, but the rest of his bandmates – vocalist/guitarist
Chris Kalil, vocalist/bassist Colin Boppell and drummer Matt Sutton – and he
has committed 100% to this band and everything else just follows.
“It can be stressful and depressing once the rent check is
due at the end of the month but the reception and love we’ve received when sharing
our music/being open with each other about what we need to stay sane always has
kept us afloat,” Schrupp said.
During the process of writing and recording the EP, they had
quite a few moments where they learned more about one another and in turn used
that to their advantage.
“We learned confidence in our music and we learned how important
it is to only put forth the songs you believe in,” Schrupp said. “We also keep
learning [about] each other’s talents and strengths and that’s a beautiful
progression.”
They did have moments during the creation process that challenged
them as well. When they were writing, they had songs that they were second
guessing. Once “Cruel Lovers” and “Pitchfork” came around, they felt everything
else slowly fall into place. Everything felt really certain after that, but
they still had moments of feeling unsure about the completion of a song.
“It is always tough to determine when something’s done and
when to stop adding,” Schrupp said. “We often drill a song relentlessly doing
slight variations until we’re all on the same page. It can take 10 minutes, it
can take a month; but it’s the best way for us to work.”
Arms Akimbo’s latest EP is a narration of living the dream
while struggling to make ends meet. The
four-piece from Los Angeles has just scratched the surface of what they’re
capable of, but here’s hoping another $7 paycheck is not in their future.
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