Review Fix Exclusive: Arlo Harrington Talks ‘House and Home’

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Arlo Harrington, who discusses the influences and goals for his new EP, “House and Home.”

About Arlo Harrington:

Alaskan alt-country-folk singer, songwriter and guitarist Arlo Hannigan presents his new EP House And Home, produced by Dave Trumfio of Wilco/OK Go fame. Mellotron and keys are handled by Jason Borger and percussion by Vim Dicta drummer Chris Infusio. Hailing from the town of Nome – home of the Gold Rush and the finish line of the Iditarod – Arlo’s 2011 album Come Up The Hill in 2011 (iTunes) featured contributions from Canadian violinist Jesse Zubot and drummer Elliot Polsky. Hannigan was given an Independent Artist Award in 2010 from the Rasmuson Foundation, which also subsequently awarded him a fellowship in 2014.

Review Fix: How did your childhood influence your sound?

Harrington: I don’t really go back there that much, at least not consciously.  Although I know that when a death occurred in the family or community, I absorbed it deeply.  I would look for signs in nature during heavy times, just as I do now.  I was a pretty sensitive child, exposed to a lot of cultures and walks of life, and I was free to roam late, into the early mornings.  I had intense moments with animals, stare downs with moose, musk ox, caribou…the hard weather affected me and shaped my perspective…watching the transformation that only the arctic goes through…I had close, deep friendships, and a strong connection to the land; I was also accustomed to isolation and loneliness.  I learned how to transport myself with my imagination very early on.  I always played with the artful arrangement of words, as well as melodies one could make out of thin air.

My mother used to pull me in a cardbox box down the main drag of Nome Alaska in the dead of winter.  I wore a fox hat and wolverine mittens. Mid 80’s I remember a fire in the Umiaq Apartments in February, everyone standing outside in 60 below temperatures, oh and that stray bullet flying through the wall and under my bed, a little misfire from our neighbor.  Miles of endless tundra, blueberries, salmonberries, blackberries.  Boating on the rivers.  The salmon.  The midnight sun.  Endless winters and northern lights.  After childhood came early adolescence – and with that came alcohol, and followed by everything else, leaving the childhood years frozen in time, just old photos in shoeboxes, kept in cluttered cabinets gathering dust.  If I find the courage to look at these pictures, I see faces the way I want to remember them and perhaps see them again.  Older generations, most passed and gone, with radiant, truthful eyes.  You know, before all the worry came.  And me, innocent, by their side. I was three feet tall and nothing could stop me.  I thought I could fly, or even heal the sick with just a loving touch – E.T. was a huge hit back then.  So was Cheers.  I still look for aliens.  And nothin’ beats a dive bar.  Or, as Tom Waits would say, “A barman who always understands.”

Review Fix: The album has so many flavors. What was your creative vision for it?

Harrington: For this album I wanted to create a feeling of endless space and time, expansion…but also of introspection….removal and observation I suppose…movement.  To frame the songs but not crowd or clutter them…

Review Fix: How do you want this EP to be remembered?

Harrington: If it’s remembered at all I’m happy.  It’s one of many bodies of work I hope to produce in this life.  I’m always plotting the next several albums.  I have no control over how it’s remembered, and I don’t necessarily wish to.

Review Fix: What are some acts that have had an influence on this EP?

Harrington: So many…Nick Drake, Elliot Smith, Leonard Cohen, Lee Hazlewood to name a few…but also the influences of Dave Trumfio, who really helped produce the EP at Kingsize Soundlabs.  He helped me to reinvent myself with this EP.

Review Fix: What are your goals for this EP?

Harrington: To get it out there into the world, to reach both remote populations and city folk.  I’d really like to reach college radio.  To spark interest for the next album,  create a buzz, tour domestically and abroad.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Harrington: Another album, full of material and players….a New Monkey Studios (Los Angeles) and Wavelab Studios (Tucson, AZ) production that will have players such as Nick Luca, Jon Rauhouse, Salvador Duran and several more as a support.  Members of Calexico and Everest may step in as well.  I’m really happy with the direction of this project.