Alex Arpino: Staring At The Moon
Alex Arpino is a stalwart of the WA indie scene, penning tunes and fronting all-class indie pop act The Autumn Isles for the better part of ten years and more recently moonlighting as a member of yacht rock tribute act Some Like It Yacht. Now he's embarking on a solo career and with a killer debut album under his belt, things are looking up. Mia Hyde caught up with Alex ahead of his 'Falling Away From The Moonlight' Single Launch at The Aardvark on Friday 29 March.
So, the first thing i noticed about you when checking out your pages was the definitive graphic design/artwork you have, you certainly have a style with it. What’s the inspiration behind the ongoing artwork for your music?
I see the visual aesthetic of a band/solo artist as an important element to the overall creative output, equally as important as the musical content, it’s also a really fun way of expanding on the creative vision or story. I’m a visual artist so I try and make use of those skills, but overall I just really enjoy doing it. There were a few 80’s inspired moments on the record so I was drawn to that period for visual inspiration, I also grew up in that era so it lends well to my personal story, which was important to me for my debut solo album.
You’ve played some killer gigs by the look of it in your career, including playing at Rollerdrome skating rink! What’s your favourite gig you’ve ever played?
It is still early days for me as a solo artist, I actually released the album before I had a band together to perform it live! The video launch at the Aardvark on the 29th will actually be our 4th gig together as a band! I’m very blessed to have such a great list of well respected perth musicians in my band. Saying that though, I have been lucky to have played some great shows over my music career, particularly with my previous band The Autumn Isles, it would probably be Southbound Festival if I had to choose. Or playing to a few thousand people on NYE on the piazza stage in Northbridge with my Yacht Rock tribute band ‘Some Like It Yacht’.
What are some of your favourite local bands you’ve played with?
Honestly I’ve enjoyed all the bands we’ve played with over the 3 shows. I do have a soft spot for 6’s and 7’s, they played at my album launch. Historically, I came up during a great period of indie pop in Perth, bands like The Bank Holidays, Institut Polaire, The Preytells, Burton Cool Suit, The Stickfigures, Burgers of Beef, New Rules for Boats etc, these bands will always have a special place in my heart because it’s where it all began for me.
You released your debut, self titled album last year, how was the response to that?
All the feedback has been very positive, I’m grateful to have such supportive friends in the local industry. But like the majority of us in the local music scene, I am hoping to reach out to more people and get this record out to as many people as possible.
The music video for “Falling Away to the Moonlight” was released in the past few weeks and it’s sweet as! All your music videos are all so aesthetically pleasing, fun and exciting. What's the process behind making your videos?
I was lucky enough to meet up with Yaegar Mora-Strauks (YS Productions) early last year, just in time for the release of the record. He has been making music videos locally for a while, I reached out to him to shoot the first video for ‘Space Ghost (In a Puppet)’ and we just clicked. I come up with ideas and locations and he tells me if it’s doable, based on budget, tech, logistics etc and we go from there and brainstorm. So far he’s risen to every challenge I’ve thrown at him! It’s been a really rewarding partnership so far and I look forward to shooting many more with him. I feel like with each video we top the last, we couldn’t be happier with “Falling Away to the Moonlight”, the visual effects alone were a huge undertaking for Yaegar, it’s going to be hard for us to top it!
CATCH ALEX & HIS BAND ON FRIDAY 29 MARCH AT THE AARDVARK W/ MYTHS, THE PSYCHOTIC REACTIONS & BEKK CROMBIE FROM THE BANK HOLIDAYS. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
