OC Music Awards 2012: We Are The Arsenal Master Memorable, Meaningful Political Punk

Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the OC Music Awards kicks off on January 3rd with seven weeks of free showcases at different venues across the county. 35 local artists will compete for the titles of Best Live Band or Best Live Acoustic and a performance slot at the 2012 OC Music Awards, March 3 at the Grove of Anaheim. And, the voting is open now!

“ If you're looking for a resolution, it's going to come in the form of a musical revolution. Our mission this year is to be at the forefront of the movement to bring good old fashioned rock and roll back to prominence.
” Ryan Terrigno from We Are The Arsenal Rousing, raucous, revivalist punk rockers, Fullerton four-piece We Are The Arsenal, truly live the meaning of their politically-minded, socially-conscious songs. When asked what he thinks about every morning, frontman Ryan Terrigno said philosophically, “There is a line in one of our new songs on ‘Surveillance’ which reads: ‘If you don’t believe every day that you breathe is a gift, then you better let me explain.’”

“That really sums up how I feel every morning,”  Terrigno continued. “Of course I seek out my cup of joe just like everyone else, but I usually take a moment to decide what I’m going to do to make this day memorable.”

We Are The Arsenal doesn’t have to worry about making an impression.

After playing the OC Music Awards last year, making it to the final rounds (Terrigno said the “2011 Orange County Music Awards were very good to us”), getting their new single “Ghost Town” played on Locals Only, and playing the Vans Warped Tour, the band is celebrating its sixth anniversary this year.

Part of the celebration includes releasing (via Bandcamp and iTunes) their fourth recorded work, an “action-packed set of new songs” wrapped up in a six-song EP called Surveillance, on January 17th–the same day as their Slide Bar show. 

“ Our band is no different and this allows each member of We Are The Arsenal to conjure up their own tastes and influences and express them in their own unique way. When all of these influences are able to fuse together, that's when the magic happens. That's what being in a band and creating music with your best friends is all about.
” We Are The Arsenal has a bit of a different line-up this year. The band still boasts Ryan Terrigno as the frontman, Kris Dufour on drums, and Alan Bauer on bass, but now the band includes Caleb Blacksher on lead guitar–an inclusion that Terrigno said is making the “songwriting process better than it ever has.“

Terrigno said that since Blacksher’s arrival, “the musical dynamic of We Are The Arsenal has changed and improved ten-fold. It has been an amazing journey thus far getting the opportunity to share the stage/studio/rehearsal space with another musician who takes his art so seriously.”

Continuing to praise Blacksher’s influence on We Are The Arsenal, Terrigno said that the band always “felt as if one piece of the musical puzzle was missing.” Blacksher was the answer.

“Having found that in Caleb,” continued Terrigno,” the creative juices have been flowing non-stop and there is nothing but positive energy surrounding the band right now. With the release of our new EP on the horizon, we are already knee-deep in the writing and demoing of our next full-length album.”

According to Terrigno, We Are The Arsenal acts as a solid musical collaborative, expressing their own individual interpretations and influences “in their own unique way.”

“Every person, musician or not, hears and interprets music in different ways,” elucidated Terrigno.“That’s the beautiful thing about it. Our band is no different and this allows each member of We Are The Arsenal to conjure up their own tastes and influences and express them in their own unique way. When all of these influences are able to fuse together, that’s when the magic happens. That’s what being in a band and creating music with your best friends is all about.”

“ The modern musical landscape isn't providing enough positive or meaningful influences for the younger generations.
” As for their upcoming EP and their next full-length album, Terrigno said that they are not willing to let their music go unheard. The band will be spending their time making sure as many people as possible get a chance to hear it.

“If you’re looking for a resolution,” Terrigno said passionately, “it’s going to come in the form of a musical revolution. Our mission this year is to be at the forefront of the movement to bring good old fashioned rock and roll back to prominence. We truly feel that there is a lack of ‘real’ music in popular culture these days. Everything is over-processed, over-produced, over-sexed, and over-done.”