Music
Press
"Really reminiscent of old school Mineral meets Burning Airlines or Braid...they are band that I really love..."
-Preston Roeschlein, 91X Loudspeaker DJ, after broadcasting Arms Entwined song "Incandescent Thought Process" on 91X Loudspeaker. - 91.1 FM (XTRA, San Diego)
http://zeegig.com/live-music-venue/office-bar-the/concert-review/arms-entwined/3302.aspx
Arms Entwined is the most unassuming band of guys you’ll ever see. In fact, I think their image is…well…having no image whatsoever, which is really quite refreshing. These guys don’t spend their days shopping and playing dress up. By halfway through the first song it was clear – they spent their time playing music.
Tim Penwell on vocals/guitar, Dan Gaskill on drums and Armando Meza on bass guitar got on stage at The Office Bar donning tees and jeans with a cool, nonchalant attitude. Saying very little to lead off the first song, Penwell vocally dived right in to the piece with a soprano wail as he and Meza thrashed their strings with a furious intensity. An instantaneous flashback of Joy Division came to mind, and as Gaskill walloped the drums, my ears were berated by punk cacophonies, but my mind satiated by the sweet coos of emo-alternative. Ah-ha! – the complete package. Not too poppy, nor too rancorous, but balanced, rhythmic, and catchy.
“Suicide Bomb” is a really clever song, and by far, my favorite. Gaskill has a way with the drums – he pops, crackles and pounds them with ferocious muscle and speed. Within seconds of its start, the song’s seductive pulse required a slight boogie on my part., and I would have gone all-the-way moshy if it weren’t for the lack of intoxication. Penwell vocally hammers the audience with fetching hooks, ranging his notes from sing-song soprano to shrill ear-splitters.
Arms Entwined is fresh, current and original. The mesh of masculine Dead Kennedy percussion and saccharine Joy Division desolation is both creative and evolutionary. These dudes have a tank of talent underlying a likable image and addictive sound. I definitely want to see Arms Entwined again – only this time with a longer set and at a place with a better sound system.
-Ashlie Rodriguez
- ZeeGig.com
"...the group seems to have a perfect range of sounds in their repertoire, incorporating top-range influences such as Minus the Bear, Fugazi, Superchunk, and definitely a bit of Treepeople’s fuzzed out growl thrown in as a perfect topper."
-Charles Stepczyk, Insomnia Radio Daily Dose
Full write up:
http://insomniaradio.net/2009/01/22/arms-entwined-suicide-bomb/
- Insomnia Radio: Indie Music Network
Discography
Arms Entwined recently released a 5 song album titled "Suicide Bomb EP". It is available on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody, and many other other mp3 sites around the globe. CDs can be purchased at select San Diego independent record stores.
Recording for a full length LP is scheduled to begin in June 2009 at Black Box Studios.
Radio plays, etc.:
Accomplishments/Successes:
11/30/2008 – 91X Loudspeaker Playlist (91.1 XTRA FM Tijuana/San Diego)
Song played: Incandescent Thought Process
http://www.91x.com/loudspeaker.html
1/11/2009 - 91X Loudspeaker Playlist (91.1 XTRA FM Tijuana/San Diego)
Song played: Incandescent Thought Process
http://www.91x.com/loudspeaker.html
1/22/2009 – Insomnia Radio Daily Dose
Song Played: Suicide Bomb
http://insomniaradio.net/2009/01/22/arms-entwined-suicide-bomb/
2/11/2009 – Insomnia Radio #161 “Bursting at the Seams”
Song Played: Incandescent Thought Process
http://insomniaradio.net/2009/02/11/insomnia-radio-161-bursting-at-the-seams/
2/14/2009 – Earl Clifton Radio Podcast
Song Played: Suicide Bomb
www.earlcliftonradio.com
4/30/2009 – ZeeGig.com Show Review, 4/5 Stars
http://zeegig.com/live-music-venue/office-bar-the/concert-review/arms-entwined/3302.aspx
5/17/2009 - Indie Revolution Radio Show (100.9 WMIR FM New York)
Song Played: The Path
www.indierevolution.fm
5/23/2009 – Earl Clifton Radio Podcast
Song Played: Dissent
www.earlcliftonradio.com
6/7/2009 – The Local 94/9 (94.9 KBZT FM San Diego)
Song Played: Suicide Bomb
http://www.fm949sd.com/local/index.aspx
6/11/2009 – FM 949 Local Member of the Day (94.9 KBZT FM San Diego)
Song Played: Suicide Bomb
http://www.fm949sd.com/local/index.aspx
Photos
Bio
Arms Entwined is a 3-piece San Diego band that takes its name from a lyric in the U2 song "New Year's Day". It is a post-rock/punk/grunge/emo/indie/hardcore project with poppy melodies, fuzzy/spacey guitars, and loud drums, a proverbial wall of sound that makes your heart beat like Moon and Grohl, grooves your body like Lou Barlow, and mesmerizes your mind like Johnny Marr. And if a Cobain zombie came back from the dead to shout spurts of emotionally charged and politically aware lyrics in between soulful wails and careless whispers, it might sound like these guys.
This is the third attempt by Tim Penwell and Dan Gaskill to form a more perfect union. They are joined by Armando Meza who provides a different dimension to Tim and Dan's locked-in sound. Armando and Tim are old friends who grew up together in Chula Vista, CA. They learned how to play guitar at the same junior high school and became friends when they realized they were both products of broken homes during the Grunge era. After over 10 years of what seemed like a lost friendship, some kind of fate has reunited them to create music that eases old pains.
Tim and Dan first met in The Osophists, a project that started in 2002 with Adam Nixon (Pivit, Shea Stratton) as the front man and guitarist. They played at many venues around San Diego such as SOMA, and recorded their self-titled EP with Bill Driskill (Buckfast Superbee, JFK) which had pleasant reviews in the San Diego Reader and on BlogSanDiego.com.
After the breakup of The Osophists, they looked to Dan's old band mate from The Unbusted (see Stuck On You soundtrack) Jackson Sandland, who relocated to San Diego from their hometown Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts to be their next vocalist. Derry Van Nortwick (Wizard Wolves, Project Out of Bounds) joined them on bass and together they formed Close Talker, a short-lived, locally buzz-worthy band whose material was played on San Diego's 91X and FM949.
With Tim now at the forefront of the band, hopefully the third time is a charm. The debut EP from Arms Entwined is scheduled to be released in April 2009. In the meantime, look for them live throughout Southern California.
Influences include:
The Who
The Ramones
Joy Division
The Smiths
Pixies
Fugazi
Superchunk
Nirvana
Weezer
Sunny Day Real Estate
Radiohead
Vagrant Records
Pinback
Counterfit
Built to Spill
Modesto Moose
Bloc Party
Minus the Bear
Autolux
Links
