Band Banter: Local Alt-Rock Group Arrows in Action, in Conversation

It’s Friday night and you’re in autopilot mode singing along to the beloved “Friends” theme song. Only this time, you aren’t sitting on your couch in your pajamas deep into a binge-watch session; you’re at Loosey’s in downtown Gainesville (hopefully not in your pajamas).

Arrows in Action, a pop punk group from none other than Gainesville, kicked off their set on April 13 with one of the most recognizable TV themes in history. This could quite possibly be my new favorite tactic for drawing in the crowd’s attention.

Built up of Victor Viramontes-Pattison, Jesse Frimmel, Adrian De Zayas and Matt Fowler, the band put on a very rowdy night of original music, well-known covers and even an unrecorded and unnamed gem.

Everything about the show lived up to the interconnectedness of the Gainesville music scene. Both members of Retrolux were out on the dance floor absolutely killing it, and a few of the guys from The Forum came out to see their friends play. A random man passing the Loosey’s window was locked in, jaw dropped when he heard the band playing its cover of “Holiday” by Green Day.

You can tell that the group gets along just as well offstage as they do onstage. The energy they bring for the crowd shows the genuine passion they have for performing. It’s a little bit like giving a few already energetic kids too much caffeine, throwing some instruments into the mix and letting the chaos wonderfully unfold. The healthy bits of self-depreciating humor woven into their banter keeps their personas humble.

A few years back, Frimmel started recruiting members to build up a band. De Zayas first heard about the group from a Facebook post. The band described the last few years as a revolving door of bandmates, but they’ve settled in with the core four that make up the current Arrows in Action. Fowler, the latest to join, has already stepped things up creatively, according to his fellow bandmates.

With a lean towards the pop punk genre, their most recent EP “Coasting” has an angsty nostalgic factor. I’m next to positive that if the band existed during my middle school years, you would open my locker to find an Arrows in Action poster with hearts doodled around the perimeter.

Viramontes-Pattison shared that he had a bit of writer’s block following his graduation from the University of Florida last year. The band has turned that struggle into the direction for their new music. They hope to release a full-length album either late this year or early next year with the overarching theme of “hell in paradise.”

“It’s kind of symbolic of being a postgrad and trying to figure out adult life I guess,” Viramontes-Pattison said. “When you graduate, the place is the same but the possibilities and the opportunities have changed, and at least for me, it’s been like the hell of adulthood with the paradise of a young perspective.”

Discussing the overall vibe of the new music, Fowler said, “Consistent themes in the music I’ve been working on would probably be nerves for the future, ideas of accomplishment and happiness and how doing what you love fits into a ‘successful’ life.”

This summer will give the band a chance to really hash out as many new song ideas as they can and work to develop their identity as artists. They said their new music will start to move in other directions than just pop punk.

The guys expressed how important it is to them to take a more hands-on approach to their new music. They want to fully involves themselves in every aspect, from the album artwork to how they’ll market the music upon release.

When you graduate, the place is the same but the possibilities and the opportunities have changed, and at least for me, it’s been like the hell of adulthood with the paradise of a young perspective.

“I feel like sometimes we do kinda get pigeonholed into pop punk and it’s really easy to kind of just stick with that genre,” Viramontes-Pattison said. “So, I’d say now in terms of writing, we’re definitely trying to take a more eclectic view toward just a rock sort of base.”

As for new shows, the group just returned from Jacksonville and Sanford this past weekend. They hope to have a few shows around Gainesville on tap for the summer and another emo and pop punk cover night.

Their crowds are known to start the occasional mosh pit, one of which even ended in a broken arm. But, hey, it’s a fairly cool story to look back on from a show.

To keep up with the band’s new music and upcoming gigs, be sure to like them on Facebook and give them a follow on Spotify.

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