ARMS (band)
Encyclopedia
ARMS is an American
indie rock
band, formed in New York
in 2004. Originally a solo project created by ex-Harlem Shakes'
guitarist Todd Goldstein, ARMS has since evolved into a four-piece band, with the inclusion of drummer Tlacael Esparza, bassist Matty Fasano, and keyboardist Dave Harrington. Goldstein handles guitar and vocal duties.
. When he joined Harlem Shakes in 2006, ARMS became his side-project, put on the back burner so he could focus on guitar and songwriting duties for his new band. However, he continued to write and record ARMS music in his bedroom during the band's downtime, handling all instrumentation duties himself. Over the course of three years, these single microphone and laptop recording sessions ultimately became ARMS' full-length debut, Kids Aflame. After its release, with Goldstein going into the studio with his bandmates to work on what would become Harlem Shakes'
full-length debut and the promotional tour that followed the release of that record, there was little opportunity to promote Kids Aflame. But, despite the lack of promotion, the record still garnered a fair amount of positive attention from critics. It was featured on Paste's
list of Eight Criminally Underrated Albums From 2009 and praised for "perfectly encapsulating the daunting search for identity and authenticity."
When Harlem Shakes broke up in the summer of 2009, Goldstein shifted his focus back to his side-project, recruited a band of musicians and, for the first time, ARMS became a collaborative endeavor. This new incarnation of ARMS began writing music together immediately and, in March 2010, released their first EP (aptly titled 'EP') free in digital format online. One of the tracks from the EP, Heat & Hot Water, was remixed by Electropop group, Passion Pit
.
ARMS has also opened for Passion Pit
in addition to The Walkmen
, Japandroids
, and White Rabbits
. Members of the band performed with LCD Soundsystem
at their final concert at Madison Square Garden on April 2, 2011.
The band's full-length studio album, 'Summer Skills', is scheduled for release in November 2011.
Goldstein was also one-half of the now seemingly defunct folk duo, The Sea & The Gulls, which he formed with his friend, Leah Beeferman. Together, they released one album, Things That Fly.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band, formed in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2004. Originally a solo project created by ex-Harlem Shakes'
Harlem Shakes
Harlem Shakes were an American indie rock band from New York, formed in 2006 and signed to Gigantic Music. The band disbanded in September 2009 after a hiatus following the release of their first full length album, Technicolor Health, which received very positive reviews from critics.The group's...
guitarist Todd Goldstein, ARMS has since evolved into a four-piece band, with the inclusion of drummer Tlacael Esparza, bassist Matty Fasano, and keyboardist Dave Harrington. Goldstein handles guitar and vocal duties.
History
Goldstein originally started ARMS as a musical outlet for himself when he first moved to BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. When he joined Harlem Shakes in 2006, ARMS became his side-project, put on the back burner so he could focus on guitar and songwriting duties for his new band. However, he continued to write and record ARMS music in his bedroom during the band's downtime, handling all instrumentation duties himself. Over the course of three years, these single microphone and laptop recording sessions ultimately became ARMS' full-length debut, Kids Aflame. After its release, with Goldstein going into the studio with his bandmates to work on what would become Harlem Shakes'
Harlem Shakes
Harlem Shakes were an American indie rock band from New York, formed in 2006 and signed to Gigantic Music. The band disbanded in September 2009 after a hiatus following the release of their first full length album, Technicolor Health, which received very positive reviews from critics.The group's...
full-length debut and the promotional tour that followed the release of that record, there was little opportunity to promote Kids Aflame. But, despite the lack of promotion, the record still garnered a fair amount of positive attention from critics. It was featured on Paste's
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
list of Eight Criminally Underrated Albums From 2009 and praised for "perfectly encapsulating the daunting search for identity and authenticity."
When Harlem Shakes broke up in the summer of 2009, Goldstein shifted his focus back to his side-project, recruited a band of musicians and, for the first time, ARMS became a collaborative endeavor. This new incarnation of ARMS began writing music together immediately and, in March 2010, released their first EP (aptly titled 'EP') free in digital format online. One of the tracks from the EP, Heat & Hot Water, was remixed by Electropop group, Passion Pit
Passion Pit
Passion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...
.
ARMS has also opened for Passion Pit
Passion Pit
Passion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...
in addition to The Walkmen
The Walkmen
The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon , Walter Martin , and Matt Barrick —and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer and Hamilton Leithauser . All but Bauer...
, Japandroids
Japandroids
Japandroids is a Canadian rock duo from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group consists of Brian King and David Prowse . Formed in 2006, Japandroids rose to prominence in 2009 following the release of their debut album Post-Nothing...
, and White Rabbits
White Rabbits (band)
White Rabbits is an American six-piece indie rock band based in Brooklyn, NY, originally from Columbia, Missouri. The band released its debut studio album, Fort Nightly, on May 22, 2007. They currently record for TBD Records.-History:...
. Members of the band performed with LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
at their final concert at Madison Square Garden on April 2, 2011.
The band's full-length studio album, 'Summer Skills', is scheduled for release in November 2011.
Goldstein was also one-half of the now seemingly defunct folk duo, The Sea & The Gulls, which he formed with his friend, Leah Beeferman. Together, they released one album, Things That Fly.
Albums
- Kids Aflame (MelodicMelodic RecordsMelodic Records is a British independent record label founded in 1999. Based in Manchester, England, the label has recently released their seventy first record, Standard Fare's single "Philadelphia"....
UK, 2008; later re-released on GiganticGigantic MusicGigantic Music is an independent record label, founded by Brian Devine in 2000. Gigantic Music is based out of New York City.Moving beyond the somewhat flimsy "indie rock" categorization, Gigantic Music focuses on the promotion of innovative and talented musicians, regardless of whether or not they...
, 2009) - Summer Skills (released November 8, 2011)
Singles & EPs
- Shitty Little Disco EP (self-released, 2006)
- Whirring 7-inch (MelodicMelodic RecordsMelodic Records is a British independent record label founded in 1999. Based in Manchester, England, the label has recently released their seventy first record, Standard Fare's single "Philadelphia"....
, 2007) - EP (self-released, 2010)
External links
- ARMS (official site)
- ARMS on MySpace