Music
Press
...But there’s more to this record than brilliant lyrics and sonic experiments. Arant has crafted a fantastic mixture of alt country and drama. I'm not sure if Gothic-Americana is a genre yet, but as soon as it is, Arant will be its king. - Performing Songwriter Magazine
... ‘To Whom it May Behoove’ is one of the most beautifully crafted, uncontrived, genuinely affecting collections of songs I have ever heard. Jokily undersold as ‘a harrowing declaration of post-divorce independence in the great Glam Folktradition’, this is so much more. Imagine bruised vocals straining occasionally into falsetto. Imagine REM in their sleepier moments with lyrics torn from your own journal. Imagine rediscovering Matthew Ryan or Peter Bruntnell or Richard Buckner.... The lyrics are riveting in their simplicity. If there’s a better song about the inevitability of a doomed relationship than ‘I Had to Go’ I’ve never heard it.... - Robin Cracknell - americana-UK
...Any time you find someone with a decent sense of humor putting together an album you're bound to get a few diamonds in the rough. “Bigsville”, “Breather”, “As Soon As I’m Broken” and “Go-Between” are just the diamonds that old cliché speaks of. - Ear Candy
Discography
To Whom it May Behoove (2005)
Get Lucky, The Proxies (2000)
Pretty as a Picture, The Sojourners (1995)
Bite the Dirt, Hootch Hounds (1990)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
I like to think that the beginning of my guitar playing, butt wiggling musical career (and don't worry, I'm using the term loosely - and I don't mean 'butt wiggling') was when I moved to Iowa City in the mid eighties. I actually played some acoustic gigs when I first arrived but quickly hooked up with a nasty little outfit called the 'Hootch Hounds'. We played rock and roll covers, mostly in small towns around Iowa City, probably averaging close to 100 nights a year. By the end of that time we were a three piece with Bo Hanson on guitar, Andy English on drums and me on bass. That was the most fun I've ever had in my life. I'm still proud to have worked with every one of those guys (that includes you too, Mikey, '10 Shot Willy' and 'Hootch' Halverson).
All good things have to end. As I flailed on for a couple more years in the little bars trying to hone my skills on the electric guitar it became clear that that scene would never be what it once was. We had actually picked a good time to quit. I was tired of the personality conflicts and all of the work necessary to keep a band together. I also knew how hard it was to start all over again with something new. So I had a brilliant idea - I'll play in a band with my (at the time) wife, Jan!
To be real honest, it may have been her idea as well. It actually did go pretty well for a while considering what we were trying to do. We did manage to record two CDs with my sister (not sure she wants to be named) on cordovox and vocals and our good friend Jeff Farber on drums and vocals. First we were 'The Sojourners' and then when we realized that that name had been used, 'The Proxies'.
Anyway, to make a long story maybe not quite as long as it could be, yada, yada, yada - it was time for me to learn how to play the acoustic guitar! Oh yeah, I had to make a CD too!
Links
