“Music always makes me feel better when I play it. When something bad happens, or gets me down, playing is my way of letting go,” Henry told me.
Henry, a bass player, is one of six members in the New York based rock band, Pan Arcadia. His mates include Eamon (vocals), Gabe (guitar), Brian (drums), Dylan (guitar) and Jimmy (trumpet).
For this month’s edition of Audio Alchemy, I sat down with the group to discuss their progression into a formalized band and how their collective musical journey has impacted their mental health.
Pan Arcadia officially began in 2021. Since then, the group has been building a gritty, rhythmic sound–perfect for head-banging and rocking out–in their DIY Brooklyn studio. However, music has always played a big role in each of the members’ lives. Beginning with listening to their parents’ favorite tracks they explained how later learning to play instruments helped them develop a personal taste. These tastes came together as the band slowly formed throughout their high school and college years.
“Dylan and I met in middle school, so the band technically began then,” Eamon explained. “Then, we met Henry in high school, and Gabe later in college. Brian we first met through hiring him online. Jimmy is a bit of a different story. We were looking for a trumpet to feature on one song, but we liked the sound so much that we wanted him to stick along.”
Eamon went on to explain how, after three years officially together, finding cohesion in dynamic and sound was not easy at first for Pan Arcadia.
“The hardest part is the logistics of having six people in the band. But, it has helped to hear from other bands that that’s the hardest part for them too. At the stage we are in, you have to give up a lot of your time and money. Now we practice three to four days a week for about three hours a day.”
Despite these sacrifices, the band agrees that it is worth it. Whatsmore, they each work to support and motivate each other to reach goals and uphold a passion for their shared love of music.
“We all have our moments of anxiety, but my favorite thing about this band, and what makes me feel luckiest to be in it, is that I have never had to second question that all of us are on the same page. Even when we face those negative moments, I don’t see it as a moment of questioning who we are or what we are doing. It is just a passing moment of stress.”
Jimmy quickly added “That’s the beauty of being in a six-piece band, we will always support each other.”
The band’s support for each other was especially valuable in defining the direction for content they wanted to release.One of the more prominent moments in which the band has worked to support each other is when deciding the direction they want the group to go in. Just a few years ago, Pan Arcadia was focusing primarily on posting to social media–covers, TikTok videos and the like. Brian shared how this pursuit felt empty and the group worked together to redirect.
“We weren’t spending a lot of time working on our own music and the stuff we were doing felt like something was missing. I feel that morale improved once we really began to focus on writing our own stuff.”
Moments like these are what have helped Pan Arcadia translate their passionate energy to their audience. They enjoy live sets, their favorite of which are hosted in Washington Square Park, with fast paced tracks where audience members dance along to the beat. Gabe conveyed that observing the crowd’s spirited reaction to their music is exhilarating: “It feels like skydiving.”
Aside from the thrill Pan Arcadia shares when making music for others, each member has their own reasons as to why music is important to them. Jimmy told me that he uses music as a way to journal about his daily life.
“If I have a good or bad experience, the music helps me to capture it. It can be so hard to capture those feelings. But, Henry and Eamon both say the songs are in the air, like a song can be passing you through the air and it’s up to you to grab it when it comes.”
Brian’s connection with music is based in a sense of identity and purpose. As a former contract hire musician, he had been playing for dozens of bands at a time, all over the world.
“It wasn’t fulfilling. I wanted to be a part of a band,” he explained.
Brian played with Pan Arcadia a few times in 2020, but the group had an issue with his hire rate. Despite the conflict, Brian decided to join the band officially.
“I had some time to think during the pandemic. I had this epiphany and realized I wasn’t happy being a hire-musician. I just decided to go for it, and that’s when I joined the team.”
For members Gabe and Dylan, music has a therapeutic quality. Whether it is playing together at practice, performing at shows, or messing around with instruments in their free time, the music grounds them.
“It’s cathartic,” Dylan said. “I like to close my eyes and really listen to the whole of it. Sometimes we are playing and I feel like I am wrangling a snake in my hand as I play a rift. It’s like the music is transporting me and I am experiencing a catharsis.”
Gabe added: “My approach to music comes from an emotional side. I only pick up my instrument when I feel really happy or really sad or really anything. It’s like therapy for me. I don’t sit down and set out to try to make the perfect song. I just put out what I feel.”
The group has worked to employ their differing mental-health-related connections with music into their band’s sound and projects. This has especially been a priority for their upcoming EP, American Altar, to be released this November 8, 2023.
“One of our new songs on the EP is called Don’t Mean Much,” Eamon said. “The lyrics on the track are basically based on a ‘live and let live,’ sentiment. I wanted to convey the message that you don’t have to be held up on the small things. The lyrics don’t specifically say that, but our music is meant to be fun and help people let go. Some of the things that happen to me, at the time, feel like the worst things but then it all works out. It made me want to remind people to not get too hung up on the negative and think that with every door closed a window opens.”
Sharing uplifting messages like this are what the band, as Jimmy says, “want to do with music.” He explained how songs like “Don’t Mean Much” accomplish their goal of making “people feel okay with being sad and alive, okay with embracing the uncomfortable parts of living.”
While the band recognizes and responsibly wields the emotional impact of their music, they also prioritize simply having a good time. After shows, they often host after-parties with friends at their shared home and studio. Here, in their backyard, Pan Arcadia expressed how seeing everyone come together, have fun, and celebrate a good show is one of their favorite traditions as a group.
“I love bringing people together and creating that sense of community,” Brian shared. “At our afterparties I love to stand on our steps and just look at everybody having a great time. I stand there and reflect on it. I think, wow, this is something we’ve done and all these people are just sharing a great experience.”
“It’s the best night of the month,” Jimmy added.
The members’ bond as musicians, bandmates, and friends has driven them in the beginning stages of their band’s formation. Working to maintain this momentum, Pan Arcadia looks forward to the release of their November EP as well as more music in the works for the future.
Gabe laid out the band’s game plan moving forward: “At the point we are at you’re guaranteed to have a lot of ups and downs, but then you look back a year and are like wow we have actually grown a lot. The best two assets we can have on our side right now are perseverance and focus. We know sometimes things are not going to go the way we want, but then we will find a different route to hit that same target.”
Pan Arcadia is more than a few guys in a band, they are a family. The nature of their relationship is integral to the creation of their music and how this music connects with listeners. As we spoke it was clear that each member’s attitude was to remain calm, carefree, and disciplined throughout their journey.
But, most importantly, their authenticity comes from Pan Arcadia’s deep admiration for the power of music in bringing people together. When asked why music was important to them, Eamon spoke for the band and simply said, “It’s all we can do.”