+
16
ARTS & CULTURE
KANSAN.COM
Local pop-punk trio Four Arm Shiver announces new album
HARRISON HIPP
@HarrisonHipp
The future looks bright for a group of local musicians whose poise and persistence has earned them a record deal.
Lawrence-based pop-punk band Four Arm Shiver, which originally got its start in Emporia, came together when the members — bassist Logan Herrera, guitarist Joel Austin and drummer Ryan Schlotterbeck — met while attending Emporia High School.
The trio recently announced its plans to sign with Smash My Records, a Kansas record label located in Chanute. They will release their second full-length album titled "Something About My 20s" this fall.
The record's release is set for this September, and it will be available in CD and vinyl formats.
"Our producer Cody Nichols, who
is head of Smash My Records, has been one of the most amazing people to work with," Herrera said. "We are very thankful to be a part of the Smash My Records team and can't wait to grow with them."
The band has headlined concerts in neighboring states such as Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma, while building a solid local following. Schlotterbeck said the band is currently scheduling fall and spring mini-tours to promote its upcoming record.
All three members share vocal responsibilities on stage and describe their music as pop-punk. The group cited various musical influences but could not put a finger on one in particular.
"We're a little more on the punkrock side of pop punk," Herrera said. "We all have a very wide range of influences."
Four Arm Shiver was recently part
of a full slate of music last Wednesday in the basement of the Eighth Street Taproom. The band has played the venue twice before but performed there for the first time in 2015 last week.
"Playing live is always an exhilarating experience," Schlotterbeck said. "I try to focus any nervousness into playing with more feeling. When I'm really in tune, I can totally lose myself while still carrying the song."
Four Arm Shiver has two albums currently available on its Bandcamp, a streaming website for artists to post their music. The band's site is the main way it distributes music to fans.
The band's first album, a nine-song self-titled release, was recorded in the summer of 2013 at their parents' houses and released in late July 2014.
The band was also featured on "Lawrence Kansas Punk Rock Vol.
1," a 24-track compilation album recorded at Revealed Studios in Chanute, which is owned and operated by Smash My Records. The album was a collaborative effort with Lawrence punk-rockers The Rackatees and The Sluts, among others.
The members of Four Arm Shiver came together as a group of unruly high school students in 2008 looking for an outlet for their musical talents and for something bigger than themselves.
"I feel liberated when we're playing. Liberated from the real world, our responsibilities and our flaws," Herrera said. "I guess that's the romantic way of looking at it, because we're really just three friends participating in makeshift therapy."
For Austin, the best part of performing is the people he does it with.
"You've got the friendship level where you get to hang out with your best friends, doing things you love
and going places," he said. "Then, or course, music. It's powerful. It's fun. Even if we're playing to an empty room or something it's still just a great time for all of us."
Over the last eight years of playing music together, Four Arm Shiver has evolved into a working class band ready for the next step in the music industry. In addition to growing stronger as a unit, the individual members have also learned a lot about themselves.
"I used to be a scrimmy little punk who didn't care about much let alone many other people," Austin said. "The band has given me friends, family and the best time ever. It forced me to become responsible for myself."
Four Arm Shiver will play again at 10:30 p.m. Thursday at the Eighth Street Taproom, located at 801 New Hampshire St.
GARDENS FROM PAGE 11
a garden for self-containment and self-sustainability, said Laura Odell, permaculture adviser for the garden. There are no pesticides used, and the watering is done largely from rain runoff. Four 500-gallon rainwater catchment barrels assist by distributing the water around the garden through attached hoses. Members can learn about disease identification, pest management, crop rotation and any skills needed to maintain a permaculture garden.
Odell said she became interested in permaculture when she was pregnant with her son and became hyper-aware of the environment.
"What we put in our bodies ultimately determines our own health and so I started teaching myself organic gardening," she said.
Odell eventually received her permaculture certification in a 72-hour class from Kaw Permaculture under
her mentor, Steve Moring, who also teaches permaculture design at the University.
In the class, students take workshops in permaculture design and learn about organic crop rotation, among other things. This certification gives Odell the ability to plant effective permaculture gardens that follow specific principles, as taught in the course.
"A primary purpose of permaculture is to build up soil fertility; we're using all organic controls so the health of the soil will determine the health of the plant," Odell said.
Common Ground community gardens are always looking for volunteers and members. A list of community gardens and contact information for project coordinators can be found on the City of Lawrence website.
Steve Moring, a lecturer in the environmental studies program, could not be reached for comment.
DANI MALAKOFF/KANSAN
+
Laura Odell, the permaculture adviser at PermaCommons, picks diseased leaves off a plant to prevent a disease from spreading.