Although they were always captivated by music, Arid were relatively 'late-starters' when it came to discovering the joys of musical performance for themselves. In fact, it wasn't until they were in their mid-late teens that they picked up their respective instruments and started to play.
But before diving into the music industry most of them dipped their toes briefly into the world of commerce. After completing his education, David worked in a Marketing company, while Jasper tried his hand as a layout artist at a Printers. Meanwhile Filip studied at the Film School in Brussels to become a Sound Engineer as well as serving a three-year stint in the army.
IN THE BEGINNING
In the mid-90's, David's passion for music inspired him to form his first band - an instrumental outfit called Voltashop (a name which was later changed to AridOvac, and eventually evolved into Arid).
Voltashop was primarily a rhythm-oriented band. David explains: "at that time we had no singer to make it interesting so we had to change rhythms and play a lot of riffs".
David and Filip were long-time friends, so when Voltashop's Bassist decided to move on, David immediately thought of Filip as the ideal replacement.
Meanwhile, Jasper was singing with his own band called Kaya - playing in the local pubs and developing a taste for making music. But he soon found himself restless and frustrated by the other bandmembers' lack of focus, and decided to seek out like-minded musicians who would take the music more seriously.
At the same time David was on the lookout for a singer to complete Voltashop. Acting on a tip-off he'd been given to check out "a band with a fantastic, amazing singer", he went to the pub where Kaya were performing and was immediately impressed with Jasper's exceptional vocal talents.
The two 'clicked' immediately, but Jasper was almost scared off when he saw the intimidating surroundings of Voltashop's rehearsal room. He recalls: "It was a dark and really hostile neighbourhood. And they rehearsed with only one red light, and this drummer with lots of tattoos..."
Jasper's reluctance to play with the band almost led him to turn down an opportunity to perform with them in public for the first time in the musical contest at Gentse Feesten (a local Festival in Gent). But fortunately David persuaded him to join them.
At this stage Jasper had only rehearsed a handful of the band's songs with them, so he was forced to improvise the lyrics to songs he wasn't familiar with. He recalls: "It was really funny cos I was singing all these songs - I didn't even know them. They were gonna start the song: 1, 2, 3...and I was like... "Da, da, da"! And then I was guessing - what is this song gonna be like?"
So it was against all odds that they were still awarded second position in the contest.
"IT WAS LIKE BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING"
Encouraged by their success in the Gentse Feesten contest they decided to enter the 1996 Humo Rock Rally - Belgium's most prestigious rock contest. They made it to the final and their song Keeping up with the Jones's gained a place on the Rock Rally CD produced for that year. The jury report states: "It was like being struck by lightning!" At this time record company Double-t Music (now part of Sony Music) expressed an interest in the band, but despite being impressed with Jasper's voice, they were not yet convinced by the band as a whole.
"TRANSFORMED ALMOST BEYOND RECOGNITION"
And so Arid went into a period of intense rehearsal, honing their musical talents and writing their own new material. Jasper and David formed Arid's songwriting core - with Jasper writing the lyrics, and the two of them working together on the music. They found that forming the skeleton of the song as a pair, and then working out the arrangements together with the rest of the band, was a wholly successful formula for them. The music came together intuitively and spontaneously - the songs almost wrote themselves!
During this time the drummer they had been working with returned home to Italy, and Steven Van Havere - who had been drumming for six years in the well-known Flemish band Gorki - joined Arid.
Almost two years later, towards the end of 1997, Double-t were advised by one of their A & R scouts that Arid were now "transformed almost beyond recognition" and should be seen once more. This time Double-t were completely blown away, and a week later the contract was signed!
LITTLE THINGS OF VENOM
In 1998 Arid recorded their debut album Little Things Of Venom. After being courted by a number of internationally-renowned producers they eventually chose to work with David Anderson (Fine Young Cannibals, Edwyn Collins, Al Green), a young British producer who they felt had an empathetic vision for the album. They were determined to make everything sound as pure, sober and unaffected as possible, with the real sound of real instruments - no effects, no samples.
The album was recorded at Brussels' ICP Studios complete with guest appearances from the likes of David Dewaele (Soulwax) and Piet Goddaer (Ozark Henry) and was mixed at London's Lansdowne Studios.
Before the album was even released in Europe in the Spring of 1999, Arid were snapped up by Columbia Records - one of America's biggest record labels.
The title Little Things Of Venom was "something that just popped into my head one day", explains Jasper. One of the major themes of the album is balance: "the knowledge that in something good there's something bad". He insists: "It's not a depressing album, but it's about coming to terms with the fact that life is made for joy and for bad things. Things aren't always what they seem."
Little Things Of Venom turned out to be a thoroughly enchanting album. Jasper's vocals are achingly beautiful, elegant and pure - rare qualities in today's music scene.
The songs themselves are anthemic - full of emotion, melodic and well crafted, and the lyrics have a unique poetry about them. Combine all this with unorthodox tempo changes such as those employed in the song 'Life' and you have a real gem of an album.
Not surprisingly, the press were enamoured with the album and consistently praised the depth of emotion expressed in the music and lyrics. Daina Darzin, music critic for MTV online, enthused about the "remarkably evocative and mature songwriting" and concluded "Arid is a remarkable young band with one hell of a future".
At the beginning of April 1999, Arid were whisked over to New York City by Columbia Records to play a showcase gig at the Mercury Lounge - a great opportunity for the New York press to experience a little of that Arid magic for themselves.
ON THE ROAD
Then in the Spring of 1999 Arid were introduced to a larger audience in Belgium and The Netherlands by opening on a few key shows for the successful Belgian band, K's Choice. They soon gained a reputation as a captivating and thoroughly engaging live act which, together with the success of Too Late Tonight (their first single release in Belgium), helped secure them a place at the important Torhout -Werchter Festival in Belgium.
A steady stream of shows and festivals followed, keeping Arid busy through the Summer and Fall of 1999. Then in December they embarked on a mini-tour of Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and Spain, opening for Suede. But perhaps Arid's biggest touring breakthrough came at the beginning of 2000 when they were hand-picked by US rock band Counting Crows to open for them on the extensive European leg of their tour.
Meanwhile, record sales continued to soar, with the success of Too Late Tonight mirrored in subsequent single releases, Believer, Life, Me and My Melody and All Will Wait. And Little Things of Venom achieved Gold Record status with an impressive 25,000 sales. In April 2000 Arid's debut album was released in the US. Here it was titled At the Close of Every Day as Columbia Records were concerned that the title Little Things of Venom would make the band sound too much like a heavy metal outfit to the American audience.
Arid continued with their busy touring schedule through the Summer of 2000, playing to overwhelmingly enthusiastic audiences at many of the major European Festivals.
HAUNTED CASTLE
Jasper was also cast as the 'lead' in the 3-D movie Haunted Castle. Produced by Ben Stassen and the Los Angeles-based company nWave, the $10 million dollar movie is the first music-driven, computer-animated 3-D film in history.
Haunted Castle closes with Arid performing in the first-ever live concert performance in 3-D, recorded at the AB Club, Brussels in April 2000. Haunted Castle premiered across North America in February 2001, and is now showing in most continents throughout the world.
ALL IS QUIET NOW
Arid's second album was produced by Mark Howard (U2, Chris Whitley, Eddie Vedder) and recorded at the beginning of 2002 at The Paramour Studio, Los Angeles.
All is Quiet Now is a kaleidoscope of colours; a place where complex layers and ethereal vocals live harmoniously alongside raw jam-session riffs and contemporary soundscapes. Its hauntingly alluring melodies and impassioned climaxes are kindled by infectious rhythmic patterns and unconventional structures.
Arid's hallmark elegance, but with an edge.
'All is quiet now' was released in Benelux on 13 May 2002. Prepare to be enchanted once more!
Source: http://www.aridcentral.com
