Jocelyn and Chris Arndt - Sound In The Signals Interview

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt are a soulful duo who mix classic rock with a indie-blues edge. Their album, Edges featuring Gov't Mule's Danny Louis and G Love was released in March. They've been quite busy building their following and attending Harvard University, at the same time. Music has always been important to the sibling duo so they were kind enough to share their playlist with us and answer some questions about creating their album, what a whirlwind of a year they have had, and what's coming next for the duo.

First, thanks for the interview! 

No problem, thanks for having us!

I'd describe your sound as classic rock meets indie with a touch of a soulful, blues edge. There's a lot for fans to like with your newest album, Edges, and also with your EP, Strangers in Fairyland. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your music for those who may be unfamiliar?

Sure! First, I think that's a pretty spot-on description of our music. We have a lot of very different influences, so sometimes we have trouble summing up our sound, but I think blues-rock with a touch of indie is about as close as it gets. As for our background, Chris and I are a brother-sister duo from Upstate New York. Think VERY upstate - more cows than people. We grew up in a small town called Fort Plain. I sing and play a little keys, and Chris plays the guitar. We write all of our music together. Music has been in the cards for us since elementary school, when we started taking lessons and playing local talent shows. We caught the bug early, and I guess it kind of snowballed from there.

Edges was released in March. Gov't Mule's Danny Louis and G Love were featured on the album. It's receiving a lot of praise. You took your time when you were recording so you could create the most cohesive, organic songs possible. I understand that you recorded most of the vocals in a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains. How did that atmosphere and that attitude inspire your performances?

The chill factor is a key component to any recording environment, and there's nothing chiller than hanging out in an Adirondack cabin, singing takes in between cups of tea and petting dogs and campfires. Don't get me wrong... I love regular recording studios. They're amazing, and they make me feel like I'm in a spaceship. But there's something a little restricting about having to stand in a vocal booth by yourself and press a button just to talk to someone in the control room. The potential for a really good performance in that situation is still there, but I feel like it's just a little harder to reach. Not to mention, you're usually on the clock, so there's more pressure to rush or settle. Luckily, our producer David Bourgeois agrees with me. It was actually his idea to do a little vocal recording retreat at his lake camp in the first place. That approach let us take as much time as we needed to get the most emotional, powerful vocal performances we could. No pressure, no deadlines, no stress... Just chill. It really let us focus on the music and what we wanted it to be.

You've been quite busy in the last year with appearances on TV, with recording and releasing your album, and performing more than 100 shows, including at The Sundance Film Festival and most recently at the Healthcorps Gala. This is all while you both are attending Harvard University as well!?! Can you describe the whirlwind year you've been having?

Whirlwind is a pretty good word for it. It's definitely been crazy! It's weird... I try to take it one day at a time so I'm not so terrified of my schedule, but when I look back at all we've done in the past year, I'm really happy with what we've been able to accomplish. It gets tough to fit everything in sometimes, but there's always a way to make time for what you love, so in the moment it never feels like we're working ourselves too hard. And Edges has been worth every minute of that effort, trust me. Chris and I are both insanely proud of this album. It sounds cheesy, but it really does feel like a part of us. I'll play as many shows as possible if it means we can share our music with people.



Speaking of all of this, we know you have some upcoming shows and that you've been working on a video for your song, "Shame". Where can we expect to see it? How can fans keep up with this and your other ventures?

Yes! I'm stoked about this video! I'm not sure how much I'm supposed to say about it yet, but it's sort of a cross between a traditional music video and a lyric video. We're currently working really hard to get it all done and ready to share, so you can expect that really soon, within the next few weeks. I can't wait for you guys to see it! You can keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and our website, jocelynandchrismusic.com. Cat pictures, backstage nonsense, early lunches at Subway, to late-night Waffle House dinners... You name it, it's on there. We post every day, so hit us up and say hey! We love to chat. We've also got a full show list (with more dates added regularly) on our website and Facebook, so you can find out where we're playing next there, too. Coming soon to a venue near you.

I've read that music has always been important to your family and that you have a rule that you cannot start dinner until you have something playing in the background. Did your parents introduce you to music when you were young or is it something you started discovering on your own? Second, what's a perfect dinner song?

Our parents definitely played a huge part in our love for music. Growing up, we had a room in the house that my Mom and Dad made into a library. Half the shelves were full of books, and the other half were CDs. I remember going in there and just picking one from the wall and popping it in to the CD player almost every day when I was younger. We were introduced to a lot of very different genres of music that way - my parents have pretty eclectic taste, and they always made sure to share that with us. Rock, blues, pop, jazz... You name it, we've probably eaten dinner with it playing in the background in the Arndt household. Although as far as dinnertime is concerned, I think some albums have more of an evening vibe than others. We keep going back to Miles Davis. That's some perfect dinner music. If you're in the mood for vocals, though, Sara Bareille's first album "Little Voice" is a good call. Stevie Nicks' "Bella Donna" is also great. Oh, and KT Tunstall's first album, "Eye to the Telescope". I learned to sing to that album. That's another cool think about always listening to music during dinner: you can put on an album and listen to it from beginning to end. Nowadays we're mostly used to hearing lone singles, but the music-with-dinner thing provides a rare opportunity to really soak up a record the way the artist wanted you to hear it, from track one to the end.

You have put together a Spotify playlist for us. We're excited to pick through it. Can you explain a bit behind your decisions?

Sure! You'll find a little bit of everything on there (including a few songs that qualify as dinner music, like the Sara Bareilles pick). Our musical influences are pretty varied, and I think this playlist gives you an idea of that. We threw in everything from Nirvana to Christina Aguilera to The Doobie Brothers. Oddly, though, even though the genres vary widely here, all of these songs are connected through their amazing songwriting, emotion, and musical skill. We love all music, but we REALLY love music like this, music that inspires us to become better musicians and songwriters. Happy listening!

 Playlist:
Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee
Led Zeppelin- Black Dog
Sara Bareilles - Love on the Rocks
Tears for Fears - Shout
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Hate Myself for Loving You
Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box
Kenny Wayne Shepard - Blue on Black
Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man
The Doobie Brothers - China Grove
Aretha Franklin - Son of a Preacher Man
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole
Jimi Hendrix - Wind Cries Mary
David Bowie - Space Oddity
Pat Benatar - Fire and Ice

Thanks for the interview and for sharing your playlist. Do you have anything else you want to add?

Thank you again for having us! It's always nice to discuss our tunes... We love talking about music almost as much as we love playing it. And hey, if you'd ever like to say hi, don't hesitate to check out a show! We'd love to have you. (:

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