Arc Of Life Has A Way…
Long-standing progressive rock band Yes has had a career spanning more than fifty years, and featured more than a dozen members entering and exiting the band at different intersections across it’s history. What is just as exciting as the history of Yes and their music is the plethora of side-projects and offshoot bands it has produced with its various members over the years. The latest of which call themselves Arc Of Life, and they have just released their eponymous debut album.
Arc Of Life. From left to right - Dave Kerzner, Jay Schellen, Jimmy Haun, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood. Image Credit: Erik Nielsen.
Arc Of Life is made up of full-time Yes members Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood, as well as touring member Jay Schellen, with Jimmy Haun and Dave Kerzner. Vocalist Jon Davison’s previous work includes playing bass with Seattle band Sky Cries Mary, lead vocalist in largely studio-based band Glass Hammer and vocalist in Yes tribute band Roundabout before joining Yes in 2012. Davison appears on the last Yes studio album entitled ‘Heaven & Earth’, released in 2014.
Vocalist and bass guitarist Billy Sherwood joined his older brother Michael’s band Lodgic in the early 1980’s and released one album entitled ‘Nomadic Sands’ in 1985. In the late ‘80’s, Billy would form the band World Trade, who would release three albums spaced across four decades. Sherwood’s association with Yes goes back to the 1980’s where he was invited to become the band’s lead vocalist. Although this didn’t materialise, he would first play on Yes’ 1991 album ‘Union’, and would tour, record, mix and produce with the band in varying capacities in the decades since. Following the death of bassist Chris Squire, Sherwood would assume full-time responsibility of bass guitar and backing vocals per Squire’s wishes. Arc Of Life isn’t the only Yes offshoot band Billy Sherwood has been a part of. As well as a project with Chris Squire called Conspiracy, he’s also been a member of Circa, with original Yes keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Alan White. This evolved into another offshoot band called Yoso with Toto vocalist Bobby Kimball. Between this variety of bands, Sherwood has also maintained a solo career, having released ten studio albums in a twenty-year period between 1999 and 2019.
Since the 1980’s, drummer Jay Schellen has played with former Yes guitarist Peter Banks, and in Welsh band Badfinger with Tony Kaye. He joined Billy Sherwood in World Trade for their second album ‘Euphoria’, released in 1995, and would play on Sherwood’s debut solo album entitled ‘The Big Peace’. Jay Schellen joined Sherwood and Chris Squire for their Conspiracy albums, would later play in Circa when Alan White bowed out of the project and briefly played with Yoso. Schellen would also perform with Geoff Downes’ band Asia (whose latest project we wrote about here), and subsequently their offshoot bands GPS, Asia featuring John Payne and Dukes Of The Orient. Finally, Jay Schellen would join Yes in 2016 as a touring member filling in for Alan White. He has appeared on three live albums with the band: ‘Topographic Drama – Live Across America’, ‘Yes 50 Live’ and ‘The Royal Affair Tour: Live In Las Vegas’, which we reviewed in October.
Guitarist, television and film composer Jimmy Haun was a member of Lodgic with Billy Sherwood, also playing on their Nomadic Sands album. He toured with an early version of Sheryl Crow’s band and has played on records by Air Supply, Paul Rodgers and Robert Downey Jr. Along with Billy Sherwood, Haun would also contribute guitars to the Yes album ‘Union’. He would continue to work with Sherwood in The Key and with Chris Squire as part of The Chris Squire Experiment, an early version of Conspiracy, whose work he would also later contribute to. Haun would play guitar for Circa on their ‘Circa 2007’ and ‘Circa HQ’ albums, and later for Yoso too. In terms of Jimmy Haun’s soundtrack work, he would receive credits for ‘Fighting’, featuring Channing Tatum, ‘Boulevard’ starring Robin Williams and ‘Man Down’ with Shia LaBeouf.
Arc Of Life’s keyboard player Dave Kerzner founded the company Sonic Reality Inc. based on his passion for archiving and making available classic keyboard sounds. Prior to the creation of his own company in the mid-‘90’s, his samples would be licenced to keyboard manufacturers Alesis, Roland and Yamaha among others. Sonic Reality Inc. would later release drum samples played by Black Sabbath’s Vinny Appice, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, and Rush’s Neil Peart. Dave Kerzner’s career in sound design has led to working with artists such as Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett, Beyoncé and Ringo Starr. Kerzner would work with Yes members on the 50th anniversary tribute album ‘Yesterday and Today’ including Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood, Tony Kaye, Jay Schellen and Jon Davison.
Beginning with a strike and woodwind keyboards from Dave Kerzner, ‘Life Has A Way’ opens Arc Of Life’s debut album. Straight away it’s apparent that this band has two vocalists in Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood, the former sharing the distinct floating air of Yes’ Jon Anderson, whilst Sherwood’s delivery is deeper. The pair split the verses up between them, but come together for the choruses. In terms of mixing, I wish those chorus vocals were louder, as this song is a great way to open this record in a fast pace, showing the listener what Arc Of Life are capable of. Jimmy Haun’s clean guitar break with the echoing voices of both vocalists finishes with; ‘and there lies the balancing act of all our lives,’ a curious sentence that grabbed me on my first listen. Jay Schellen slowing the track down towards the end of the song makes way for a solo from Jimmy Haun, laced with delay and overlapping with his clean guitar part. Will there be a second guitarist when the band hits the road? Those bass run-ups are especially cool in the outro of Life Has A Way, augmenting Kerzner’s keyboard lines and finishing with accented cymbal strikes from Schellen.
A drum fill along a line of toms signals the beginning of ‘Talking With Siri’. Despite being a fellow slave to The Fruit Company™, I myself don’t partake in conversations with Siri. Is this the first song written about the subject? It’s certainly the first time I’ve heard one. I love the lyrics; ‘Calling me by name, as if we’re lifelong friends, my A.I. companion, engaging dialogue…’ There’s even a voice of Siri, with a little new-fashioned vocal manipulation. Schellen continues to hold the beat across the toms and Jimmy Haun flicks chords on his guitar, until we get into guitar solo territory where he firmly breaks out of this pattern. The overall style of this track, and the vocalists’ repetitive use of the song title is infectious. This could make for an interesting music video! Are we Talking With Siri? Or is Siri Talking With Us?
‘You Make It Real’ is Arc Of Life’s debut single and music video release, showing their audience what it might look like to see the band all in one place (though I think maybe Dave Kerzner might not be in the room with the rest of the band!) You Make It Real is a softer track to introduce themselves with, especially as Jon Davison adds acoustic guitar to the proceedings. Billy Sherwood is the lead vocalist on this track with Davison taking the backing vocals, apparently with Jimmy Haun if the video is to be believed! Kerzner’s synth textures are more atmospheric, and Haun still takes a guitar solo – this time using a slide. Jay Schellen’s drumming is more conventional than on Talking With Siri, holding down the beat largely with ride and snare. Bass guitar is up a notch in this mix, which I love, giving more balls to a track that is more on the sweet side.
‘Until Further Notice’ begins more as a straight rocker interchanging with a guitar riff and vocal lines in the first verse. Far from supporting the heavier guitar sound from Jimmy Haun, Kerzner’s keyboards are still atmospheric, even settling into chord stabs on occasion. The mixing separates the guitars and keyboards well, while I feel the vocals almost serve as another keyboard sound - they bounce around the stereo field in multiple layers with phaser and harmonies. The early a cappella vocal; ‘Silently slipping away, drifting along to where the rolling winds will take me,’ makes me wish for more moments like that. With much practice on the road, Billy Sherwood and Jon Davison are well rehearsed in singing together!
Initially a myriad of keyboards, guitar, drums and vocal sounds, ‘The Magic Of It All’ settles into something faster after the first few lines. Less rocky than the previous track, the vocals are more coherent and arrowed right down the middle with Sherwood and Davison singing brilliantly in harmony. In this track’s quieter moments, Dave Kerzner and Jimmy Haun’s keyboard and guitar textures are well thought out, especially as Haun’s clean guitar sound matches Kerzner’s synth lines. Jay Schellen is the unsung hero in The Magic Of It All, his playing is interesting, changing up the beat in the verses where it could’ve easily been more straight, and let’s not forget to mention those fills in the last moments of the track! This would be a superb track to see performed live.
Arc Of Life’s second single ‘Just In Sight’ begins with melodic guitar and driving drums. Billy Sherwood’s bass sound could shake all the photos off of my mantlepiece if I wasn’t reviewing this with headphones on. In a contrast to that, Sherwood’s vocal is soft and sweeping during the verses, with Jon Davison singing the heavier choruses. That rhythm section is pounding! What a great match Jay Schellen and Sherwood are. During the breakdown it’s refreshing to hear slight acoustic guitar along with Jimmy Haun’s electric lead part, like being brought down to Earth, but still floating two feet from the ground. Haun’s guitar sound during his guitar solo is unique, not your typical lead guitar tone, like it leans closer to being clean and heavy on the output of the strings, almost as if the strings themselves were mic’ed up.
Third single ‘I Want To Know You Better’ returns to the softer approach of You Make It Real with chiming guitars, soft keyboards and simpler lyrics, though don’t mistake this for a slow song. It’s perfectly upbeat, even featuring an organ solo from Dave Kerzner. The organ sound is interesting, like it’s an ‘80’s emulation of an organ sound – neither the real thing, nor a modern equivalent, but fits perfectly well in the context of the song. Following this is a smattering of programmed drums, a rarity on this record with the brilliant talent of Jay Schellen behind the kit. Amongst the more complicated aspects of this record, this is the perfect choice for a single.
The final third of this record sees back-to-back epics beginning with ‘Locked Down’. Jon Davison’s voice dominates in the track’s opening a cappella lines, ‘Locked down and under fire…’ setting the tone with a marcher of a song. Billy Sherwood appears as a voice at the other end of a radio while Jimmy Haun’s moaning guitar parts ache in pain. The sectional approach of Locked Down is exciting and keeps you guessing in different tempos, melodic guitar and harmonious vocals. Sherwood’s solo bass part (with a touch of wah) is a head-bobber, as is Jay Schellen’s beat that drops in a bar or so later. Haun’s lead guitar part is wrapped up in delay, giving an expansive feel while the band stay grounded, his switching between lead and rhythm parts is a mark of an exceptional player, knowing when to take the spotlight and when to support the song.
The second half of Locked Down has some great moments from Dave Kerzner with his atmospheric synth textures, you can almost hear the moment he flicks the vibrato switch to wobble the note at the end of a phrase. As well there is some brilliant interplaying of lead guitar, synth and bass guitar in a funky section that absolutely doesn’t last long enough. Once again the mixing perfectly balances the instruments, grounded by Schellen’s drumming, and Davison’s lead vocal intermittent.
The second of the epic tracks comes in ‘Therefore We Are’. The key, tempo, and lyrical content make this one of the most optimistic tracks on Arc Of Life’s album. Acoustic guitar makes a return, though it’s unclear if Jon Davison or Jimmy Haun plays the acoustic guitar on the record. The approach to Therefore We Are isn’t as obviously sectional as Locked Down, almost like the composition process was more straightforward, conceived as a whole rather than in pieces. The sound here is more unified, the whole band acting to achieve and present a song as they do on their first and third singles. The a cappella section with Sherwood and Davison’s vocals overlapping is a great production choice that works equally well in amongst the rest of the band. The final moments with acoustic guitar strums, melodic bass guitar and spatial vocal parts are some of my favourite on this record.
‘The End Game’ is the concluding piece on this album, and in the tumultuous world we live in, I wonder where the inspiration came from for this song. The End Game is noticeably more keyboard heavy with Kerzner’s atmospherics and even some programmed string parts. Jimmy Haun’s guitar solo hovers between the stereo channel like an animal about to strike, full of wah and an effect that makes the notes sound like they’ve been through a paper shredder – though I hasten to add, an entirely good sound. This is the most symphonic Arc Of Life gets, something I hadn’t considered they were capable of, but with Kerzner’s contribution to this track, it’s hard to miss. And what a wonderful way to finish off Arc Of Life’s debut album, even though the haunting use of the line ‘waiting for the end game’ follows me around like we aren’t on the brink of some kind of societal collap- sorry I blacked out, what was I writing?
For readers with an appetite for further reading, do scroll on for our Q&A with Arc of Life vocalist Jon Davison. As well as divulging details of the writing and recording process, we ask Jon about any leftover material from the recording sessions, performing this album live, and one or two Yes related items if you are that way inclined!
Arc Of Life. From left to right - Dave Kerzner, Jimmy Haun, Jay Schellen, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood. Image Credit: Erik Nielsen.
1. 'Arc Of Life' is the self-titled album from your new band, how did the five of you approach the songwriting across these ten tracks?
From the moment YES started touring again with Billy in 2015, he and I were already enthusiastically talking amongst ourselves about creating new music. We continued with our plan as Billy prepared musical outlines for about 5 or 6 of the songs. We began tracking vocals in the Spring of 2017, in Topanga Canyon. I had a groovy little pad there. YES then hit the road that Summer and Billy had more music for which we used every little bit of free time backstage to track vocals. At that point the members of YES weren’t ready to consider a new album, so we decided to form our own band. We knew Jay was the ideal drummer and he infused much of his passion into the material. By the time we had a full album’s worth of material, Jimmy was wonderfully involved supplying guitars with all his finesse and tasteful skill. But who would play keys? Billy eventually suggested the perfect mate, and soon Dave was adding his creativity and positive energy to our now completed band.
2. Was the album recorded prior to the pandemic? Or was it subjected to a social distancing affair with everyone in different studios?
The album was recorded purely pre pandemic, spanning across three years (2017 - 2019.) What took us even longer to bring the album to its release was finding the right management and label to back it. Fortunately, we feel we’re in excellent hands in both respects.
3. With both you and Billy Sherwood singing vocals, how did you decide who was singing lead on what song?
We felt it important to have a lot of dual vocals throughout and so I always encouraged Billy to sing more of a lead part wherever he felt confident to do so.
4. 'Talking With Siri' is certainly a song for the modern age, who's idea was it to run with this concept as a song?
Why, Siri’s idea, of course. Billy had a bit of say in it as well (lol.)
5. Were there other songs you worked on for the album, but decided not to include? Perhaps to be saved for future endeavours?
Absolutely. We have another 3 or 4 songs that were developed in tandem with the rest of the material. They’ll be appearing on the next AOL album. One of these is a 25 minute epic.
6. I know you miss performing live! What's the thing you've missed the most about going out on the road?
The thrill of performing, getting to hang more with my buds, Jay and Billy, and just the overall adventure of touring, exhausting as it might be.
7. When performing this work live, can fans expect to hear some songs outside of your debut album?
I’ll only say that there will be the occasional odd YES nuggets incorporated into our set that fans otherwise would never hear live.
8. I saw you perform live with Yes on the band's 50th anniversary tour in 2018, what was it like to perform with previous members Trevor Horn, Patrick Moraz and Tony Kaye?
It was truly magical to stand onstage and perform with each of them. The rare experience offered me a unique glimpse into the rich history of the band that I feel extremely privileged to have witnessed.
9. The 1970's and 80's was an incredible time for music. Growing up in that time, what was the music that inspired you personally?
I went through so many influential directions throughout my growing up as a musician and music lover that I would have to fill an entire page to give you a complete answer. One band however stood out for me above all the rest. That band was YES.
10. Finally, I read that there could be a new Yes album in the works, is there anything you can tell us about that?
Only that fans can look forward to its triumphant release toward the end of this year.
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To purchase or stream a copy of Arc Of Life’s debut album in your preferred choice of format, check out their Feature.FM here.
Find Arc Of Life on Facebook and Instagram @arcofliferockband and on Twitter @arcofliferb.
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