Interview: The Arrival

The Arrival are quickly becoming one of the biggest unsigned bands in America. They blend rock guitars with pop lyrics and electronic elements. In the last year they have toured with some of the most popular and up and coming bands, including VersaEmerge, A Day To Remember and Cinematic Sunrise. In addition to this, they released their EP; 'Believe The Hype' last April.

The Arrival's drummer Hondu about recently spoke to Sean, about the bands history, the importance of myspace, getting into fights with hardcore kids and world domination.

ATP: I understand you started in 2005, tell how us how The Arrival formed?
The Arrival: I'm actually not the original drummer. When The Arrival first started out, it was a four piece band with a completely different sound than we have now. They were young kids just having fun playing music. They hadn't really found the style that they were going for until we released ‘Believe The Hype’.

ATP: You released your EP ‘Believe The Hype’ last April. How did the EP come together?
The Arrival: The Arrival kind of went out on hiatus after the drummer before me left. I grew up with our guitarist Chris, and we had talked about wanting to make a pop band because we've always been into pop. Somehow, Jeff ended up writing "Locked and Loaded" and showed it to Chris. We knew we had something, so we decided to push really really hard, and it's honestly paid off.

ATP: For people who aren’t familiar with your music, how would you describe The Arrival?
The Arrival: A lot of times people tend to compare us to like a boy band with guitars or if you were to put a live band behind Justin Timberlake.

ATP: Is there any particular bands or artists that have influenced The Arrival’s sound?
The Arrival: We honestly listen to a lot of different kinds of music. Anything from pop to hip hop, to older stuff and to heavy stuff. I think you can really tell when you listen to us that we do have a bunch of different influences in our music.

ATP: Since the release of your EP, you’ve been on a few tours across America. First of all who have you toured with?
The Arrival: Since February of last year we've toured with Versa Emerge, Eye Alaska, Racing Kites, Cinematic Sunrise, A Day To Remember, Millionaires, Let's Get It, Hypercrush, and brokenCYDE. There's a couple like I feel like I'm forgetting, but I think I got most of them.

ATP: What can fans expect when they come to see The Arrival live?
The Arrival: An amazing live show. We're full of energy and honestly we love to hang out with everyone. A lot of bands say stuf like that, but we're always walking around the shows and stuff, so feel free to come say hello to us. A lot of people also think we're stuck up pricks, but we aren't. So if we come off like, all apologies.

ATP: What is the best tour you’ve been on?
The Arrival: Hands down, by far the best tour that we have ever been on and honestly probably ever will be is Eye Alaska and Versa Emerge. I could go on and on and on about those bands.

ATP: Have you got any funny or memorable stories to share?
The Arrival: Of course, tour for us is a new adventure everyday. We've been to Kanye West after parties, to almost getting in fights with hardcore kids. We've had fans buy us hotels in casinos to have people drive 6 hours to see us play. So we definitely have a handful of awesome stories that make amazing memories.

ATP: You were finalist in the Myspace/Verizon Wireless “Calling All Bands Contest”. How did you become involved in that?
The Arrival: I actually wasn't in the band when all that was happening, but I know it helped them out a lot back then. I was sitting at home hearing rumors on the street and being jealous.

ATP: Do you think being part of the contest and helped you?
The Arrival: Of course, any contest that has any kind of major company pushing it is going to help. It's all promotion.

ATP: Like a lot of bands, you heavily use the internet to connect with fans and promote your bands. Do you think the internet has become more important then touring, when it comes to promoting your music?
The Arrival: I think it has, but you can't really compare touring and being on myspace. Kids hear the music and then they want to see the band live. I know plenty of bands that have recordings that make them sound amazing and then they're awful live. But the internet is definitely a good way to meet tons of people and get your name out there.

ATP: Is there anywhere outside the United States you would like to visit?
The Arrival: I'd go all over the place if I could. I want to tour Europe and Australia for sure though.

ATP: What can we expect in the future from The Arrival?
The Arrival: Pop greatness. We want to be a band that everyone likes, and if you don't like us then at least respect what we are doing because it's something we love. We want to be on the road as much as possible and hang out with anyone and everyone that we can. We bust our ass for this and want to make it our life, so I guess we'll do anything to get there.

ATP: Anything else you have left to say?
The Arrival: I'd just like to personally say thanks to anyone and everyone that has ever listened to The Arrival before. Even if you didn't like it and it wasn't for you, thanks for at least giving it a chance. Also, I'd like to thank you for hooking this up and interviewing us! The Arrival is taking over in 2009, so watch out!

More information about The Arrival can be found on their myspace.

Sean Reid