Exposure: Arca Felix
Combining math-rock intelligence with equal flashes of heaviness and sharp melody, Glasgow four-piece, Arca Felix are finding their feet with a new sound and bustling enthusiasm. Bruce Rintoul, the band's bass player and resident sound engineer/producer at LOFI studios, gives us the ins and outs of Arca Felix:
So, how did Arca Felix come together?
I met Sam McTrusty at a Funeral For A Friend gig at the Barrowlands. I was really drunk and started talking to him in the queue. After chatting for a bit, he asked me to play bass for his band Pressreset, and later changed the name to Arca Felix. We later parted ways with Sam who then went on to form Twin Atlantic. There's no ill feelings and we're extremely proud of the boys.
What are your main inspirations/influences on your sound?
At The Drive-in, The Mars Volta, Minus The Bear, Mutiny On The Bounty, Don Caballero... we've also taken a lot of inspiration from Glasgow bands like No Kilter, and United Fruit.
What has been your best/worst gig so far?
Supporting Soulfly at the ABC was phenomenal! We were all pretty nervous about how we'd go down but we were just so excited to play with such a legendary band. It turns out metal-heads do like math-rock! We even got Max Cavalera's T-shirt, which we're now using as a lucky charm.
Where can people hear more?
We're currently slaving away in the studio, working on a possible single. We're all producing and I'm engineering it. It the meantime, you can just check out our MySpace. The songs are pretty dated, but you can get the vibe of the band.
Does it make it any easier for the band to have a resident producer in the line-up?
Recently, yes it has been. The more i learn about my job, the more i apply it to the band. I have to admit though, i think I'm pretty harsh on the guys sometimes when trying to get the best possible sound!
What are your plans for the coming year?
Our plans are just to try and get this single finished off and maybe get a tour organized with a couple of like-minded groups. Who knows, we'll maybe get a couple more Soulfly supports!