New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "'Devil On My Shoulder' gets to the heart of what it means to be human, especially in the sense of being honest with oneself," says The Boot in their exclusive premiere of the new video from ARTS FISHING CLUB. The deeply personal track appears on Part 1 which houses the first five tracks from the band's two-part debut album Human. "
Devil On My Shoulder" recalls a turning point in the life of frontman Chris Kessenich "who wrote the song after a fateful look in the mirror forced him to be honest with himself," says The Boot. "I felt like I was looking into a ghostly version of my soul and wondered what a conversation with my soul would be like," Kessenich recalls. "I was exhausted with the person I felt myself becoming: detached and empty. Drinking, drugs, promiscuity and partying were my vehicles for distracting myself from my fear of myself and my inevitable inadequacy. This song was extremely important to me and marked a turning point in my life, where I began to accept responsibility for my life and my happiness," he reflects. "I began to quit blaming others and finally admitted that it isn't 'the devil on my shoulder, the devil in my ear,' but the 'devil in the mirror' that is to blame."
The Nashville-based group specializes in high energy rockicana that employs clever lyricism and infectious hooks to tackle subjects from learning humility to the political unrest in Syria. The album's songs, written over a four-year period, each explore a specific emotion or idea of who we are as humans. The band's musical mission statement is three-pronged: to help people explore and confront difficult realizations about themselves and society, to articulate love (the good and the bad), and to make people dance. Recorded at Smoakstack Studios in Nashville with Collin Pastore (Lucy Dacus, Collin Elmore) and Zach Zinck at the helm, the first set of songs ranges from somber atmospheres to fun-loving summery anthems-all with a deeply-rooted set of questions at their core. Human Part 1 is available now at iTunes and Google Play.
After landing in Nashville for college, recording a solo EP, and completing a 1,600-mile tour on foot with folk collective The Walking Guys, Kessenich began to search for bandmates to help realize the Arts Fishing Club sound he had always imagined. After two years of touring with countless iterations of band members, he finally found a home in Matthew Siffert (Bass),
Peter Eddins (Keys/Sax), and Jimi Greene (Lead Guitar). The four began to plan their debut album Human.
For Arts Fishing Club, their guiding principle comes from the wisdom of generations past. "Both of my grandfathers are named Arthur," he explains. "They instilled in me the mentality that fishing is about going out every day with the intention for success. With every single line you cast, you're trying, you're going out there with purpose and intention. But, you're going to constantly come up empty-handed and at the end of the day, if you go home and nobody caught anything, that's not a wasted day, because fishing is about being out there, the adventure of it, and being in the boat with people that you love. The name of my band, which is also a play on words referencing music being the art in focus, reminds me that it's not about catching a big fish. It's not about having a hit song," he adds. "It's about going out and doing it with people that you love."
