Ben Arnold brings his positive sound to Steel City New Year’s Eve Celebration
Having just returned from a European tour which began in Paris on the night of the attacks, Ben Arnold is ready to ring in the New Year at Steel City, 203 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, with the positive power of music.
Ben Arnold and fellow musician Scott Bricklin (both of US Rails) were just beginning a month-long tour on Friday, November 13, 2015, at L’Ogresse, a small basement theater little more than a kilometer away from the Bataclan. The audience at L’Ogresse had been asked to silence their phones for the performance, so it wasn’t until the show had ended that they all became aware of reports of incidents happening across town.
Very quickly, the nighttime streets were filled with flashing lights and sirens as police ordered everyone to stay inside. Later that night, with public transportation suspended, the duo left their equipment at the venue in order to give rides to family and people at the show who needed to get home, only really learning the horrible full extent of what had transpired when they got back to Bricklin’s apartment in the Southeastern suburbs of Paris.
“The music community is very connected,” says Arnold. “I had gone to see Eagles of Death Metal just a few weeks prior in Philadelphia. We knew people who were at the Bataclan. Other Philadelphia musicians were playing in town that night as well. It took some time to get a grasp of the enormity of the situation.”
Arnold and Bricklin made the difficult decision to leave Bricklin’s family in Paris and continue on their tour which took them to Normany the following day.
“We felt like we had to go on or everyone would lose. The show in Honfleur that night was filled with great energy, friendship and a spirit of togetherness. The audience was there to heal and bond.”
He is looking forward to bringing that same energy to the Steel City Cafe in Phoenixville, PA on December 31st when he performs a special New Year’s Eve show with his band and special guest, Matt Spitko, who just released his debut CD “At Love With War”.
Arnold has a lot to celebrate in the New Year with a brand new album, “Lost Keys,” being released on February 6, 2016 at Underground Arts in Philadelphia. The album features a rich Motown-inspired sound and some Philadelphia’s top performers including Matt Muir, Phil D’Agostino, Eric Bazilian Mutlu, Kevin Hansen and Jeannie Brooks.
He is also hosting a benefit to support the Light of Day Foundation’s efforts to fight Parkinson’s Disease at World Cafe Live on January 8th.
“Throughout the European tour, everyone I met told me that music brought out light in a very dark time. I can think of no better message to carry through to 2016.”