Category: Music

Recording a single with Anton Delost + Tour Vlog

Before coronavirus came around and and put everyone’s life on standby, my band was looking far into the future. We had deadlines to make and dates to work towards. We now live in purgatory, but that’s more fortunate than a lot of people can say for themselves during this time.

Days before we were told to quarantine, Arm’s Length recorded a single with acclaimed producer Anton Delost. He mainly works with artists that are signed to big labels, so working with him for our next release is a big step forward for us.

We packed up our van at about 7 a.m. and we left from Jeremy and Jeff’s house in Trenton. Anton’s studio is located in downtown Toronto in the Leslieville area.

We arrived at about 9:30 that morning and got straight to work. Two 10 hour days to complete the single, but everything went very smoothly. For a band that hasn’t even been around a year, Anton, a seasoned veteran in the industry did not have any harsh words to say about how we conduct ourselves. He liked the song going into it. He didn’t criticize my singing much at all and was open to all sorts of ideas while keeping our vision in mind.

We still await final mixes. The song is set to release after coronavirus settles down.

Here’s a sneak peek of the track. Don’t tell anyone.

Also our friend / part time bassist and our band made a vlog of our recent stretch of shows. Check it out.

How COVID-19 is affecting Arm’s Length

It’s needless to say that the rapid spread of coronavirus has plagued the careers of many across the globe.

COVID-19 has seemingly pushed back time itself. For workers, it has rearranged deadlines and caused many to leave their jobs. For all, it stands as a towering obstacle, blocking you from a goal you may have had your eye on for a while.

This year was supposed to be huge for Arm’s Length. We were gaining traction and announcing shows with popular bands. We have had to cancel 3 major shows and potentially delay the release of our album that was supposed to drop later this year.

Being a money-making musician puts yourself in a unique circumstance with COVID-19. Social distancing is difficult when the only way you can earn dough is by social interaction. You have to play shows to make a name for yourself. You have to sell merchandise at those shows to make money. You have to be around people who care about your music to do anything at all.

To help keep our audience growing we’ve been more active on social media, especially Twitter, where we did not have as big of a following until now. We also made an online store where our fans can purchase Arm’s Length merch. The website has been up for one day and we’ve made about $350.

In terms of live performances, musicians have taken to live-streaming their “concerts” on Facebook or Twitch but have reported instances of technical difficulties. We have plans to live-stream one of our shows in the near future.