INTERVIEW: Mickey Church from White Arrows

In the UK, they’ll talk about your hair first. In America, they’ll talk about your story. Such is the word of WHITE ARROWS front man Mickey Church, a man who is almost certainly no stranger to reading about himself. When I call him on a Wednesday morning, it’s about four o’clock his time. I ask him if he’s done many interviews that day. “You’re my second of eight,” he says. Dutifully, I promise that I’ll try not to ask the same old questions, but we both realize that I probably will, although that doesn't seem to be a problem. “You guys [PURPLE SNEAKERS] were the first to review our album,” he says. “We really appreciate that.”

We really appreciated that, too, I assure him, before apologising for the fact that I sound like Chuckie from The Rugrats. It’s roughly ten degrees and I’m camped outside, rugged up in a poncho and praying that it doesn’t rain. I also have something that feels like (and may or may not be) Ebola. “It’s okay,” Mickey assures me. “Some things are just beyond our control.”

We chat about the weather for a bit. “Where are you at the moment?” I ask.

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White Arrows are somewhere in the desert; somewhere sunny and hot. “It’s boiling right now. It’s like 110 degrees [Fahrenheit]...”

Journalists and pseudo-journalists like me are no doubt drawn to the same elements of White Arrows, and its enigmatic vocalist. Theirs is an unconventional story, and that unconventional history has bred unconventional music. Mickey Church was legally blind until the age of eleven; now, he tours the world in a band with his brother, and two friends—one of whom, it turns out, is his half-brother—playing in remarkable venues to incredible crowds.

Even as recently as a few years ago, Mickey was studying at NYU, in a program that allowed him to pick and mix his course of study. Instead of selecting classes based on title or school of study, Mickey chose by professor. “I’d go online and chose classes according to professor’s rankings. So I studied some classes in, like, neuroscience at the med school, and some music.”

During that time, he also studied ritualistic shamanism—a course of study that sounds outlandish by anyone’s tongue but Mickey’s. “It fascinates me,” he begins, before he calmly explains his interest in rituals, religions and culture, encouraged by a particularly favorable mentor.

Fascination is important. It cultivates growth, expansion, and experimentation, and White Arrows are a perfect example of how enthusiasm can foster success. When Mickey was a student at NYU, they wrote and recorded demos, never suspecting that they would really mean anything. Now, they’re a genre-bending phenomenon, fusing the best of L.A.’s laidback, experimental cool with the grunge of New York. It doesn’t stop there, though. They fuse genres, break rules, and take risks—risks that often pay off.

This willingness to test the boundaries has not always bred positive results. There have been claims that they’re ‘the next big thing’, and then, on the other hand, there have been claims that they’re ‘not groundbreaking enough’. “People will say what they’re going to say, and you can’t change that. You just sort of have to take it in your stride.”

There are also a lot of people who will skim over the tentative, passive negativity that creeps into their music, lyrically, in favor of emphasizing the delightful, upbeat melodies and musical nuances. “I like that juxtaposition,” Mickey affirms. “I like those layers.”

Undoubtedly, the release of their album Dry Land is Not a Myth will mean big things for the California fivesome. I ask them what their touring schedule’s like. “Crazy,” I’m told. He skims over a few locations, a few dates, before reminding me that White Arrows will be in Australia before the end of the year. They’ll be playing a few festivals in the US beforehand.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about their live shows, and when I ask Mickey whether he prefers festivals or more intimate venues, he replies, “That’s like asking a parent to pick between their children!”

Seeing as Mickey plays in a band with his brother and half-brother, I decide not to point out that research has demonstrated that a large percentage of parents actually can pick a favourite child. “On the one hand, some of the most amazing shows we’ve played have been festivals; this one we played, Sasquatch!, was just amazing.

“We get to play to huge crowds and sometimes there’s a really cool backdrop or just a great atmosphere; it’s also nice to play those smaller shows in, you know, a little venue where there’s literally sweat pouring from the walls, and everybody’s having a great time.”

A cheerful switch operator from the conferencing centre that’s hosting our interview comes on the line, explaining that we have a minute to wrap up.

I thank Mickey for his time, and tell him again how much I’m looking forward to seeing White Arrows in Australia. “Come say hi!” he insists.

“Hopefully I’ll be less diseased by then.”

“Well…” He does the math. “You’ve got a month or so. Shouldn’t take that long.”

Fingers crossed.

JINJA SAFARI, OPOSSOM & WHITE ARROWS TOUR DATES

Presented by The Brag, Beat, Xpress, Db, RTRFM, Triple R, FBi94.5fm, Dew Process, Hello Pavement & Artist Voice

Tickets on sale Thursday 7^th June, 10am

Wed 8 Aug: Perth – Astor Theatre

Tickets from www.bocsticketing.com.au

(08) 9484 1133

Thurs 9 Aug: Adelaide – Uni Bar (Licensed All Ages)