Note: This Q&A previews two shows featuring Arrah and the Ferns. The Philly band plays a Hear Nebraska/KRNU show Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln with Talking Mountain and Pharmacy Spirits. (more info) And they play Friday, Nov. 11 at the Sydney Bar in Benson with Down with the Ship and Bazooka Shootout. (more info)

by Steven Ashford

The roots of a bushel of testosterone, Arrah Fisher is a charming, energetic, powerful woman who fronts indie fun-rock group Arrah and the Ferns. In six years with the group — which melds elements of folk, country, blues, indie-rock and pop — Fisher has moved the band from Muncie, Ind. to Philadelphia and taken on the title of chief songwriter.

Despite cast changes and, perhaps because of their ever-evolving sound, Arrah and her Ferns have solidified themselves as a true, free-living organism in indie music culture by expanding their vascular leaves further and further to outstretched musical territories … like Nebraska.

Arrah and the Ferns (who were part of Love Drunk's 2011 tour) play two shows this week in the state, kicking things off on Thursday in Lincoln at the Bourbon Theater alongside Talking Mountain and Pharmacy Spirits as part of a Hear Nebraska/KRNU-sponsored show. They play Friday at Omaha's Sydney Bar with Bazooka Shootout for Down with the Ship's CD release.

Arrah spoke with Hear Nebraska via email about touring comfortably, free booze and what is a "fern."

Hear Nebraska: Can you describe the path the band has taken since it formed in Muncie, Ind. in 2005?
Arrah Fisher: It started when I met Carl Stovner. We started playing together and hit it off right away. We then asked our friend Dave Segedy to play along and formed "a band." It started as something fun; definitely not serious. After it took off and a year after our first album's, (Evan is a Vegan) release, we decided to add an actual bass player. Kind of backwards, I know! We added Joey Patrick in the summer of 2007, a year-and-a-half into our existence. We wrote and recorded most of our sophomore album, All the Bad in One Place, as the four-piece. We broke up towards the end of recording (Feb 2008), and Carl and I decided to move out to Philly to pursue a new music scene. I don't think we ever foresaw resurrecting "Arrah and the Ferns," and we started playing as "Woodlands" for awhile. We played with various people in Philly before setting on Ryan Belski (guitar), Buddy Szczesniak (bass) and Mike Harkness (drums). We officially started playing in this lineup in August 2010, just before releasing All the Bad in One Place (after sitting for years). Just recently, Carl left the band and now we're down the the four of us. Lots of comings and goings over the years, for sure.

HN: It seems as if "The" bands always have a story behind them. What's the story behind "the Ferns?"
AF: I am named after my great-grandmother, Arrah Fern. Ferns comes from that! I am not Arrah Fern though. I am Arrah Rachele. Fern is way cooler.

HN: Your latest EP, Soldier Ghost, was released last month. What were the influences or the ideas behind the process of creating the EP?
AF: For this EP we wanted to capture the sound of the band in its current formation as close to a live performance as possible. We wanted to make the recording process quick and easy and with low stress. We opted to go to Brooklyn to record with a friend for two days. We recorded much of it live to really achieve a pure, raw sound.  

 

#32 Arrah and the Ferns: All the Bad In One Place from Love Drunk.

HN: How does this relate or differ to the albums that you have released previously?
AF: It was a nice departure from everyone's previous recording experience, which had tended to be long and drawn out … and stressful. Evan is a Vegan was recorded in about two weeks, which isn't incredibly long. But we had to make several trips to and from two different recording locations. The post-production was also long and drawn out and involved trips to and from the other side of the state. For All the Bad in One Place, it was recorded several years before it was finally released. The meaning of the songs had changed in that time, and most importantly, our band had changed entirely by the time it was finally released. We were a whole new band playing songs from a different incarnation of the Ferns.

The album is different from previous ones not only because of the difference in members; it is also a different sound and direction. I played guitar — and only guitar — on this album, which is very different from the ever-changing instrumentation of the previous two albums. I did not play the Wurlitzer, and Carl did not play the banjolin — both of which had been cornerstones of Arrah and the Ferns' previous sound. We embraced more of an alt-country and indie rock vibe on this one rather that the cutesy folk-pop sound.

HN: The sound in your music is definitely full. Each member does their part in creating the sound of Arrah and the Ferns. Please describe the writing process. Do members have a specific part? Is it always changing?
AF: I write all the songs and bring a skeleton of words and a chord structure to the guys. Then we play through it and everyone throws out ideas for the arrangement of a song. From there it becomes a fairly democratic process until we all settle on a finished sound. Sometimes it takes months to morph into the final thing. Sometimes it takes one take.

HN: Last May, the Hear Nebraska and Love Drunk crew recorded a live performance of you guys in Philly. Is this the first time you're returning the favor and coming to Nebraska?  

AF: First time playing in Nebraska! I don't know how this has happened. We are long overdue to visit.
 
HN: Based on your videos and songs, it looks like Arrah and the Ferns have a lot of fun. Describe what would be the ideal show that would maximize the most fun for Arrah and the Ferns.
AF: In this order: 1. an attentive, excitable audience. 2. good sound in a good room. 3. free booze.

HN: Your Facebook page says you guys bought a new van. What is the van like and what were you guys using before for touring? What happened to the old transportation device?
AF: The van is a Ford Econoline E150 Conversion — your standard touring vehicle. We have four captains chairs and a big bench in the back. Magically, all of our gear fits behind the back bench so the five of us (my boyfriend Scotty is traveling with us, too, this tour) fit luxuriously in the van. We were amazed that we didn't have to take any seats out! It is for sure the most comfortable way any of us have toured.

In the past we have toured in various vehicles. In the beginning when we were three, we toured in Carl's Subaru Outback. Then we upgraded to a mini-van when we up-sized to a four-piece. That was a van I bought in '07, but totaled seven months later. In the last few years and for the last four tours or so, we have borrowed friends' vans. Most recently in March we did a joint tour with some friends. Two bands in one van — so rough and never again! It feels amazing to have a van of our own again, and especially a van that is so comfortably perfect.

* Main image by Daniel Muller

Steven is an editorial intern at Hear Nebraska. He is excited about a pretty great musical lineup ahead this week, including this show. You can reach him at stevena@hearnebraska.org.