Last fall, Arc Iris released Icon of Ego, its third groundbreaking album, as a trio that packs the heft of a far bigger band with fully realized sonic and visual intensity. Overcoming rebuffs and rejections, Arc Iris has become an unstoppable force out of necessity. On Icon of Ego, they deliver heavily and ask nothing in return.
The groups two previous albums, Arc Iris and Moon Saloon, were both released to critical acclaim and fervent fan embrace. Originally formed in Providence, R.I., by singer-songwriter Jocie Adams who was coming off a term with The Low Anthem, the group initially embodied an eight-piece rock orchestra, creating innovative dynamics of rhythm and melody with a full color palette. Four years on, Arc Iris are just three musicians: lead vocalist Adams, keyboardist and sample artist Zach Tenorio-Miller, and drummer Ray Belli. They have crafted a vividly expressionistic new album that reflects both the groups protean talents as well as its journey of survival.
Arc Iris assembled its own promotions team and booked its own shows. Notable is what Arc Iris has achieved completely by itself: tours supporting Kimbra, Gene Ween, a complete re-imagination of Joni Mitchells Blue performed at Washingtons Kennedy Center, and a growing, international fan base that has remained dedicated throughout.
Icon of Ego finds a happy middle with a smaller label, a more focused support team, and a stronger, more experienced band. Recording at Providences Columbus Theater, home to silent movies and vaudeville during the 20s, the band has evolved into a concentrated pop-prog explosion, mixing styles with disparate elements that captivate and surprise.
In Icon of Ego, the band interrogates the notions of celebrity, fame, and idol worship. What makes an icon? How do people fall under the spell of a charismatic other (or entity?)? What is it like to be that icon? Adams poetic, nuanced lyrics provide both inquiry and insight. On Dylan & Me Adams sings changing times / you could not have been / waiting to be remembered / a trophy in so many eyes / a Renoir for the great pretenders.
The group has always embraced theatricality. Displaying an array of costumes, flare, and light rigs, enhanced by choreographed dance moves, an Arc Iris live performance is a proper spectacle that matches the groups manifest musical abilities and talents. A whole new live experience accompanies the Icon of Ego performances.
With heavy synthesizer work by Tenorio and Adams, and seemingly impossible transitions executed effortlessly by Belli, the songs on Icon of Ego carry a thick, analog electronic sound that harks back to the 70s. Presiding over these are Adams powerful vocals that house the energy under pop forms.
Arc Iris is never more self-defined than when faced with difficulty. Icon of Ego is about Arc Iris overcoming adversity and ultimately coming out leaner, sharper, and more fully realized.
Dune Hunter, the most recent project from VT & NH native Hannah Hoffman, is an homage to the folk music of the 60's and 70's mixed with ethereal and dream pop elements, electro beats and layers of synthesizers. Dune Hunter is an organic, feminine-charged, primal and vulnerable journey to find self truth. Hoffman's DIY attitude is embedded in the core of her latest album project which is set to release in 2019.
More Info / Tickets: http://stonechurchvt.com/index.php/event/arc-iris-at-stone-church-w-dune-hunter/
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