Interview: Jacob Grun of Me And My Arrow
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Decider: Was it your intention to form such a big band?
Jacob Grun: Surprisingly, I always had a lot of players in mind when I was writing these songs, even though I was alone while writing. They were definitely written for a big sound. I knew I wanted a string section, and multiple keyboards. At the time, it was a few winters ago, and I was living at The Sound Gallery, which is sort of this big barren warehouse and recording studio. There would be long stretches of time where no one was around and all I could hear were muffled city noises. It was just this big empty space meant to be used for music creation, so I really wanted to fill it up as much as possible.
D: How did you track down all the players?
JG: Well, a number of the people I had played in groups with before. Brian [McDonough, guitarist] is someone I met in the last couple of years and knew I wanted to start a project with. He’s a key contributor who is co-writing a lot of the songs now. There were a few random folks that came into the fold because we just needed a certain player, but it was all pretty natural. It’s actually not too hard coordinating schedules. Everyone feels like they play an important role and are equally invested in the songs. They want to show up and give it their all, and I think, if anything, because there are more of us, no one wants to be the individual that lets others down.
D: Do you all manage to fit in one van? Starting a nine-piece band and going on tour, as Me And My Arrow has done twice, would appear to be a logistical nightmare for an independent band just starting out.
JG: For the trip we just did down to Austin for SXSW, it was the whole band in one van plus a sound guy and merch girl. We had an attached trailer for our gear. We spent multiple nights with 11 of us sleeping at a truck stop too. I was a little worried about how it would affect band morale, but everybody was great.
D: What’s the hardest part about leading the group if it’s not logistics?
JG: Just teaching the band the songs. Once that part is down, it’s all pretty easy. People in the band are really great about making suggestions and tweaking their parts. We’ve figured out a way to share space musically that comes naturally. It’s always changing, and that’s part of the fun. I do have to facilitate a bit, but I’m definitely not the dictator telling people what to play. Most of the time, I can sit there and have a few beers and chill while people figure out their parts.
D: You’ve set yourself apart locally by working on so many different fronts: studio owner, musician, and live sound engineer. Do you ever feel like you risk burnout by constantly tackling so many different projects?
JG: I thrive on helping people create music in whatever way I can identify. It just feels like it’s my natural place to help—whether that’s writing songs with someone or engineering their record or making sure they're comfortable performing onstage while I’m doing sound. I’m always working, so there is that burnout risk, but I don’t really have a choice because if I’m going to attempt making music for a living, I have to say "yes" to every situation. Every "no" is just a missed opportunity. Eventually if you say "yes" enough times, there are enough good opportunities coming your way that you get to pick and choose more, and I feel like I’m starting to get to that place.
D: Your MySpace page calls Me And My Arrow a “collective,” and it sounds like the long-term vision for the project extends beyond just supporting your own songs.
JG: Definitely. Ideally, Me And My arrow will become a machine that can back anybody’s songs. We have a couple of things in the works with people like Astronautalis and other songwriters. I honestly wouldn’t mind if there were moments where it existed and toured and I wasn’t even there. I think that adds a sense of mystery. We’re just kind of getting our feet wet now, but my ultimate goal is to get a lot of people involved and create a "Broken Social Scene Presents" sort of situation.
