Reign the Arcade on Meet the Music on August 11th

Exclusive interview with Reign the Arcade appearing live worldwide on Gosh!Radio (www.goshradio.com) from 10am to 11am PST, August 11th, 2012

By Gabrielle Pantera

Reign the Arcade

Hollywood, CA (Gosh!Radio) 2012/8/9 “We describe our genre as Indie Surfer-Folk,” says bass player for Reign the Arcade Griffin Huber. “We blend female and male vocals influenced by traditional folk music supplemented by neo-surf sound; most apparent in the basslines under raw, timeless melodies, melodic keys and simple percussion.”

Our songs have been described as hopeful. Lyrics relate to a youthful escapism,” says musician and singer Chris Blair. “The third song on our EP, Before We Die (Cheerio), is really about liberation and finding independence in youth especially in relation to the place we find ourselves in music though our own journey as a band.”

We were originally called The Neighbor Hood Watch, but once we found out there was already a big legal dispute over the name, we decided to withdraw,” says singer and musician Kelsey Hutchins. “Just through lots of brainstorming, we eventually settled on Reign The Arcade.”

Members of the band are:

Chris Blair: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

Kelsey Hutchins: Vocals, Tambourine, Keys

Griffin Huber: Bass

Bryce Fox: Percussion

Songwriting

I’m primarily the songwriter, and Kelsey will throw in a few now and then,” says Blair. “I usually play a riff I like over and over and over, till the lyrics come which usually conveys the words with the emotion pretty well. And or writing poetry, can’t help but put a melody already and base the lines off of it.”

We’re really working toward defining our own genre, and connect with as many people as we can,” says Hutchins. “We using more synth, and auditioning some electric guitarists.”

Albums

“We just released our first official EP, Velvet,” says Blair. “We have a lot of other songs to choose from that didn’t make it on the EP. Those songs definitely still have that escapism feel, but with more of an outlook on love.”

Distribution

The new album is currently available on iTunes, Amazon, CdBaby. “We are self-produced as of right now,” says Hutchins. “Eric Johnston mixed and mastered Velvet.”

Musical Influence

Huber’s musical influences are Blind Pilot, Sondre Lerche, and The Kooks all have similar styles and he also draws inspiration from The Strokes and Blind Pilot.

Blair’s musical influences are Arctic Monkeys, Alex Turner’s unencumbered lyrics, and croon like melodies sustained by Nick O’Malley’s intricate and complementary bass lines.

Performances

Our favorite moments have been when the audience joins in; clapping, singing along, dancing, etc,” says Hutchins. “We’ve only been a band for about five months, so for us to be able to connect with the crowd like that is really exciting that we’ve come this far in so short a time.”

Venues where Reign the Arcade has performed:

Reign the Arcade has performed around Portland Oregon at Alberta Rose Theatre, Backspace, local coffee shops and doing house shows at Symposium and Coffee Cottage.

The band is based in Portland and all members were born and raised in Oregon.

Their Official CD Release in the early fall in Portland. It’ll be a forest party.

Website:

http://reignthearcade.bandcamp.com/

Tumblr: http://reignthearcade.tumblr.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ReignTheArcade