About The Blood Arm
Zachary Amos – Drums
Zebastian Carlisle – Guitar
Nathaniel Fregoso – Vocals
Dyan Valdés – Keys
The Blood Arm are a Los Angeles-based four-piece rock band whose intense live performances and catchy energetic songs have earned them fans and critical acclaim worldwide. Their unique blend of barely-contained wildness and tongue-in-cheek braggadocio makes them one of the most exciting bands to listen to or experience live.
The Blood Arm began as a far-fetched idea in the mind of UCLA film student Nathaniel Fregoso. It wasn’t until he met guitarist Zebastian Carlisle at a karaoke bar in L.A.’s Koreatown that the band began to develop. After a few early sessions, the two invited classically trained pianist Dyan Valdés, to join the band. Soon after, the band recruited Zachary Amos, a music whiz and microbiology student, to play the drums.
The band’s sound solidified into a mishmash of Fregoso’s sweeping choruses sung in his dripping tenor, Carlisle’s cutting and melodic guitar, Valdés’ anchoring bass lines and intricate piano parts, and Amos’ frenetic drumming and pop sensibilities. Drawing on their diverse backgrounds and musical tastes, their songs reflect a sound that is both classic and modern — urgently delivered in four minutes or less.
The Blood Arm’s first album, 13 songs recorded in a garage studio, was self-released under the title Bomb Romantics. Despite the raw sound of the recordings, the strength of the songs earned them fans the world over and led to opening slots and tours with new converts Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, Sons and Daughters, Maxïmo Park, Hot Hot Heat, We Are Scientists and Spoon.
Overseas buzz about the band led to tours in the U.K., a single with Loog Records, and a recording contract with British indie label City Rockers Records and Because Music. City Rockers released the single “Say Yes,” from Bomb Romantics, whose sing-along chorus, catchy and danceable music, and All That Jazz-themed video earned them their first chart position and a coveted slot at the British Reading/Leeds festivals.
The Blood Arm’s second album, Lie Lover Lie, was released worldwide in 2007 on City Rockers/Because and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid (We Are Scientists, Foreign Born, Cass McCombs). It captures The Blood Arm’s frenzied energy in a tightly structured and musically grandiose fashion. The first single, “Suspicious Character,” lays Fregoso’s chorus of “I like all the girls and all the girls like me” over a sparse and funky groove that periodically breaks into jump-up-and-down rock. Lie Lover Lie was a resounding critical success with The Guardian giving it 5/5, NME giving it 8/10, and Artrocker calling it “the best debut album of the year.”
After a few years of playing live, recoding new songs, and unfortunate label disputes, an EP, All My Love Songs, came out November 2010 on Snowhite/Pau! Records. The EP includes a rambunctious cover of The Temptations hit “Get Ready.”
The Blood Arm’s third album, Turn and Face Me, was released in 2011 on Snowhite/Rough Trade. It was recorded/produced by David Newton, from the popular late ‘80s band The Mighty Lemon Drops, in Burbank, CA. The album builds upon the raw creative energy of the previous albums while exploring new artistic and sonic frontiers. Key standout tracks “She’s a Guillotine” and “Introducing Randy Newman” are favorites at recent live shows.
