Philly Venues:  First of all, welcome home. You’ve been on tour for the last month or so, right? How’d that go? I enjoyed watching your tour video about locking your keys in the van.

Arrah Fisher: Thanks! We certainly were on the road. We were out with our pals, The Armchairs (R.I.P), for most of March. We ventured to SXSW and back, along with every other band in the world! With that being said, it was a bit more difficult than our usual tours. We've never been out for the SXSW pilgrimage, and I don't know if I would personally do it again. Though it was fun to see friends playing in the same city the same night almost EVERY night of tour, it was also hard on our draw. It was hard to book too, seeing as every band was booking the same route. And a lot of our shows had a packed bill with ALL touring bands. It wasn't the most lucrative of tours. We still had a blast, though (MOST IMPORTANT: FUN)! Having the Armchairs around was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we love them and they are the funnest, nicest guys. But a curse because we all we're packed in one 15-passenger van (8 of us), with all of our gear, luggage, and body odor. You can imagine. Do you know how hard it is to get 8 people to decide where to eat? Or get 8 people to use the restroom at the same time? We were late to everything.
 
PV: One of the things that makes Arrah and The Ferns stick out in Philadelphia is the positive, if sometimes wistful, attitude and upbeat pop. It’s a refreshing change of pace when the most pop/rock bands coming from Philly (Man Man, Dr. Dog) are really quite dark. Is there any undercurrent of light-hearted twee pop bands you’re privy to? Or do you feel like you’re on your own?
 
AF: Oh dear! See I would disagree with you. I would say that our debut album, "Evan is a Vegan," is extremely wistful, upbeat, and pop-filled. But I wrote that album nearly 6 years ago when I was a 20-year-old. I was really influenced then (and somewhat still) by bands such as Architecture in Helsinki, Mates of State, The Magnetic Fields, Arcade Fire, Stars, Broken Social Scene, Mirah, Fiery Furnaces...bands with ether a front-woman or a good amount of female vocals. I liked to keep things short, catchy, happy. I liked to have fun by singing fun songs. I also was just beginning to develop my voice (literally and figuratively) and my songwriting. I would say that there's a strong difference between the infectious, light-hearted undertone of the first album and the darker, more-feminine direction our sophomore album, "All the Bad in One Place," took. Beyond that, I would say that I am on a completely new field of writing and performing these days with my new line-up of Ferns here in Philly. We hardly play any tunes from "Evan" at our shows, and I am finding it increasingly harder to play songs even from "All the Bad." I only want to play new material that we as a current formation have created together. It's a completely different vibe, a completely different performance. It's a creative dilemma I am experiencing.
 
PV: The story goes that Arrah and guitarist Carl Stovner met at an open mic. What open mic(s) specifically? Did you start playing at open mics for the purpose of meeting other musicians to start a bandi

AF: We didn't actually meet at an open mic. We met at this beloved record store in my hometown, Muncie, IN. Carl was passing through and staying at the store, and there was a show there that night. I showed up and we met. Side story: my old boss also sold Mary Kay products, and I had just come from a make-up party coated in purple eyeliner, a gallon of mascara, and hot pink lipstick (if you know me at all, this is an unimaginable sight). We hung out after the show and talked music. He was going to play an open mic later that week and I said I would accompany him on keys and back-up vocals. We met up a day or two later and we wrote a song together! I also showed him my stuff I was working on...the rest was history.
 
PV: So you left Indiana, home to your record label Standard Recordings, for Philly. As much as I love Philly, I must admit most Philly bands are looking for a way out, usually migrating to Brooklyn or Austin. Why come here? Do you think you’ve found your nitché here musically and personally?

AF: I really longed to leave Indiana and the comfort of my hometown. The East Coast always stood out to me more than the West Coast or down South. A lot of my friends post-college moved to Chicago, the closest big city. I thought about relocating there, but because all of my friends were heading up yonder, it became unappealing to me. I desired to be away from all that I knew and start a new life. I didn't really have my mind set on Philly until I started touring. I guess I always thought I would want to live in Brooklyn, but after coming to Philly, I was determined to be there. I just loved the big-city yet small town feel you get from the neighborhoods here. I loved the people I met, such as the guys from the Extraordinaires. I loved the house shows, the warehouses, and the DIY spaces that I visited. The feel was just for me. So I did it. I moved here. I've been out here almost three years now and I wouldn't say it is my nitche musically or personally. Not for any specific reason, it's just that I am a restless person. I think at this moment in my life, trying to do what I want to do musically, Philly is the place for me to call home-base. I feel like the Ferns are starting to really dig our feet into the scene here, and I couldn't be more excited about that. I love so many bands in this city and feel honored to be a part of it. However, who knows what the future will hold for me. I would really love to travel as much as possible. I also would love to not live in any city one day and get back to my roots: have a huge yard, grow my own food, SLOW DOWN. But don't worry, not any time soon!
 
PV: In six years you’ve released two albums and, I presume, continue composing. How do you feel your songwriting has developed, changed, congealed over time and how do you continue to challenge yourselves?

AF: This kind of goes back to question 2 (sorry, I can give really lengthy responses!). I think that I have thoroughly developed my voice. If you compare the two albums, though only recorded less than two years apart, you can really hear a difference. It's been 3 years since any recording and I think that my voice has greatly changed since then. I didn't really know how to sing before and didn't feel comfortable with my range. I also had vocal cord nodules in spring 2008 which made me take time to evaluate how I sing though vocal therapy and voice lessons. Now I feel much more confidant, and I think it shows in my performances and also my songwriting. Through vocal confidence, I have found freedom in the direction of my melodies and my lyrics. Further, my songs seem to come from a deeper place than before. I used to keep things fairly light-hearted and seek out catchy riffs that people could move and dance to. Now I desire to move people with poignant lyrics, eloquent guitar arrangements, and passionate performances. I feel a deeper connection to the music that I write and the Ferns create these days. It's more personal, it is my heart and guts.
 
PV: In that same time period you’ve dismantled and rebuilt your band and sat on your sophomore release for nearly three years. Did “All The Bad In One Place” change dramatically from when you originally started recording it? What’s different and what do you think most affected that change?

AF: "All the Bad in One Place" was basically finished in January 2008. We did go back and record my vocals on a few songs, some trumpet, and gang vocals last spring before we finally released it. But it was essentially released as it was originally intended 3 years before. We have changed the arrangements live however, especially with the addition of a second guitarist. When Carl and I sought out new members for the reformation of Arrah and the Ferns last summer, I really wanted to add a 5th member. We were a 3-piece originally, then added a bass player in '07, and so I felt like a 5th member would only be natural in this new incarnation. I was also partial to this decision because I had been playing with my then-roommate, Ryan Belski, quite a bit. I felt like he and I really worked well together and I wanted him to be a part of the Ferns. I had to convince Carl a little, but it didn't take much once he sat in with us.:) So, Belski has really added a lot to the songs from "All the Bad" when we play them live. He's added at lot to all of our songs. We are legitimate rock nowadays with two electric guitars! It's a blast!
 
PV: I’m sure you guys are sick of talking about your crowd-pleaser ‘Emo Philips,’ but it’s just so catchy and funny. It’s at once a sick burn of teenage drama and sober advice. While you condescend in ‘Emo Philips’ it appears the same character returns in ‘All The Bad’s’ “Life Lessons.”  Did you plan to kind of check in with her four years later, still so lonely she could just die, off myspace, but now developing an alcohol dependency, finding comfort in barflies?

AF: HAHA! So perfect you put the two together. I never have, but it does make sense. I guess I am speaking to a generation (mine) with "Emo Phillips." There's no particular person I wrote that song for. However, I am the character in "Life Lessons." That song was one of the first songs I wrote for the second album. It's pretty dramatic. I think I had just turned 21...ya know, started going to bars (legally), getting wasted and dwelling on how rotten of a woman I was becoming. HAH! It's quickly becoming a song I am embarrassed by, along with "Emo Phillips." But at least that song is still so fun to play. And, there are worse songs off "Evan is a Vegan." Don't get me started on "Southern Comfort." It is probably the most requested song, and by far the one song I wish I could say I wrote when I was 13 so it wouldn't count. Sigh.
 
PV: You have such an infectious energy when you play live. Carl’s manic guitar crescendos, in particular, are more adrenaline fueled than listeners might expect from a band so centered on pop melodies. Have you thought about a live recording?

AF: It's perfect you ask such a question because that is exactly what we are planning to do this summer! We're sitting on near 20 songs that we need to do something with. For financial reasons, we cant record a full-length any time soon. But, we really want to record a 4-6 song EP...and do it all LIVE. I appreciate you taking note of our performance energy, as I also feel this way about it. I think it is possibly one of the strongest aspects of our band. We have so much fun performing together and I think it really identifies who/what we are as a band in this new formation (since we've had so many over the years). I've never had so much fun performing my songs. I love all of the guys I play with. They are the best! It just clicks with us, and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to play with them.
 
PV: Arrah and The Ferns have two shows coming up in Philly, one at the South Philly taproom on May 21st and one at West Philly’s Clark Park Fest on June 265h. What’s plans do you have after that?

AF: As I just mentioned, we plan to do some recording (though still trying to figure out dates with that...hopefully in June). We've added a few new shows in Philly that I need to put up on our website: we're now playing the Sundrop Music and Arts Festival at The Fire over Memorial Day Weekend. We are slated to play the Sunday evening show (May 29). We will not be performing as a 5 piece though. It will probably just be myself, Belski, and Mike Harkness on drums. We're also playing another festival June 11th in Cleveland (Weapons of Mass Creation Fest). We plan to play a few shows in Western PA on the way out and back. Finally, we're playing June 18th at the Tritone for Folklore's album release party. I'll have more dates to announce soon as well.

- Billy Kekevian (Philly Venues Contributor)

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Arrah and the Ferns: All the Bad In One Place from Love Drunk on Vimeo.