Genre-Jumping Indie Rockers Arts Fishing Club Ready New EP 'The Show'

An alternative rock band with pop hooks, indie sensibilities, and indie-folk roots, Arts Fishing Club built its audience the old-school way; by piling its members into a van and hitting the road. As Arts Fishing Club's touring schedule grew, so did the band's sound. It was a natural evolution of a band whose members had begun to turn up their guitar amps, dig into their 90s' rock influences, and create new songs that were every bit as electrifying as their shows.

That live energy found a permanent home in the band's music, turning their upcoming EP-appropriately titled The Show-into the band's most representative work to date. "We live in a world where everyone wants to be famous, whether you're onstage, Tik Tok, or Instagram," says Arts Fishing Club songwriting frontman, Christopher Kessenich. "I can't even imagine what middle school must be like these days with social media. I don't envy that kind of pressure. The Show is an album about fame culture, modern society, and self-reflection." The group brings these themes to life across five songs with raucous rock and roll, mid-tempo grooves, and folk balladeering all making an appearance.

Today, Live for Live Music gave fans a glimpse into The Show with the video premiere for album-closer "With Us All," a tune in which the band gives a nod to Bob Dylan with their modern twist on a classic protest song-with a decidedly non-holier-than-thou attitude. "It's with that not-so-thinly veiled reference to Bob Dylan that "With Us All" gets its raw, understated power," the article says. "A much-needed 21st-century update to the landmark 1964 folk song about the changing nature of society, Arts Fishing Club is now reminding their parents-who were the very children that Dylan sang about-that "your sons and your daughters are beyond your command," as Dylan originally sang. Watch the video for "With Us All" right now right here and pre-order or pre-save The Show ahead of its April 30th release at this link.

Produced by Wilco co-founder Ken Coomer and mixed by Grammy-winning icon Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Avett Brothers, and blink-182), The Show is an alt-rock record with a message, filled with songs that sandwich Kessenich's social commentary between singalong choruses, cinematic melodies, and bursts of Stratocaster guitar. The fact that it was recorded in two days speaks loudly to the band's strength as a hard-touring, well-oiled machine. It's an anthemic sound that targets the head, heart, and dancing shoes, designed not only to get a crowd moving, but to get them thinking, as well. "If someone is enjoying our music, then they notice something on their third or fourth listen that makes them think, 'Huh, I never thought of it that way,' then we've done our job," says Kessenich.

While releasing EPs like 2018's Human - I and 2019's Human - II, Arts Fishing Club steadily morphed from a rootsy band into something far more electric, thanks to contributions from keyboardist Peter Eddins, drummer Brian Kempson, and bassist Rhees Williams. For Kessenich, that sonic transformation nods to the music that soundtracked his childhood years. Raised in the Midwest, he gravitated toward the '90s records that his older brother owned. Decades later, during a return trip to Appleton, he discovered a forgotten Fender electric guitar in his brother's closet. Kessenich took the instrument home and began writing new songs with it, having composed much of the band's earlier work on the acoustic guitar. Naturally, the results were heavier, harder-hitting, and more anthemic, saluting the '90s bands who had captivated his attention years before.

Every show has its moment where the band truly hits its stride. For Arts Fishing Club, that moment is now. That moment is The Show.

Watch the video for "With Us All" here: