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Archpalatine, welcome to VENTS! Can you tell us about your latest single, Hypnotized?
Hi VENTS! Thank you very much for having us! We are happy to be here for sure.
Excitedly, and gladly I (Derek Anthony Wilson) will tell you about Hypnotized. Writing songs to me is a special and sacred process. People’s energies come into alignment in a place where the gift of a song is given. When it comes to completion it is amazing. For us, Hypnotized was the epitome of just that. As Philadelphia musicians, there are lots of venues looking for live artists to share their talents, may it be through open mics or live shows themselves. I served as the host of The Grape Room open mic for three years. It was there where a lot of our songs were tried and tested. Hypnotized was forged in Philadelphia fires and tested amongst piers. Once we started playing our song out live we noticed that there was something special happening. People started singing along, sometimes even louder than us, ourselves. At that point we knew that we had to solidify this blessed place. We contacted our friend, and producer, Michael Trycieckyj to produce the record. Which, as you can hear, is indeed special, and we’re glad that we did just that!
Is there a story behind the single?
Yes! There is a story behind the song. It started in a dream, amazingly enough, that happened on Valentine’s Day. A vivid dream where music is playing. One of the beautiful things my aunt Boobie, may she R.I.P., being a God fearing and praying woman, prayed for, was that I could hear the music in my dreams and bring it to reality. Hypnotized was a prime example of just that. I woke up out of my dream taking note of the beautiful bass line that was playing. I stormed over to my piano and played my heart’s desire until I got it just how I felt I heard it. Once that part was figured out, and melody lines were formed, I took the unfinished tune to my bandmates. From there we hashed out the bridge, changed some melody lines to keep listeners guessing, and finished our new baby.
What initially brought the members of Archpalatine together?
Archpalatine is a group of friends. Anthony and I have been making music together since 2011 where we are members of a Philly based a cappella group, now defunct, called Revive. We met there and connected instantly as best buddies. Ben and I met at The Grape Room. I was looking for a bassist and he was running the sound board for their live events. We met every week for a while and one day I mentioned to him that I was looking for a bassist and to my delightful surprise he chimed in and said that he would love to join the band! I’m still flabbergasted by that moment today, and we’ve been together since! And last but not least is our newest member, Aaron… Aaron joined not even a year ago, but we’ve been friend’s for years. We lost a few members due to new endeavours and epiphanies based around the pandemic. Aaron being the amazing musician he is, agreed to come jam with us in rehearsal on fall afternoon to see what would happen. Between his amazing musicianship and dynomite personality, we agreed as a band that he is a perfect fit for us. After these many months, we’re all resting assured that we were right in that assessment. Aaron is our guy, or percussionist! And that is us, that is Archpalatine as a group.
Aside from timeless artists, what inspires you to write music?
Love, feelings, emotions, situations, God, vibes, energy, positivity, no belief in God for some, journeys, failures, self discovery … and the list goes on and on. As a band we usually look for the silver linings. We look for the lessons learned and the joys in life. We are inspired but all these things. We are inspired by our arguments, our discussions, our lovers, and our haters, alike. We have this one song we recently wrote together called “Mojo Eater”. It’s about taking charge of a hater and a negative situation and staying triumphant. Sometimes we have to dig deep to write music and that’s where our strength lies. It’s in our habits. 99/100 times you will see Ben holding his bass and playing. We all sing or play our instruments every single day with intention. Those moments of grinding and jamming and noodling around often lead to songs. So in those moments, we are inspired by who we are as musicians and people and knowing that writing music, playing music, and sharing music is our purpose in life. And we hope to live out our sweet destiny.
What can fans expect from Archpalatine at a live show?
First of all, you can expect our deepest sincerity thanks and gratitude for you being there to share the moment with us. Every show no matter how big or small is a special moment to us. We take time to craft our setlists. We craft, literally, I design my own clothes. We make sure our friends, fans, and fellow palatines have an experience we all can remember.
You can expect bright colours, shiny flashy things, theatrical expression, smiling, laughing, silliness, animated movements, and an experience that will leave with you as you leave saying when’s the next show because I want to be there too.
How would you sum up the essence of your sound in three words?
Vibrant, Adventurous, and Heartfelt
What is next for Archpalatine?
Big things, VENTS, big things! We have our full album fully finished and our goal is to enjoy the heck out of sharing it with as many amazing crazy wonderful people around the world as possible! We have album release parties planned, private listening parties, and a new one of a kind experience called ‘The Archpalatine Red and White Ball”. This is the first time we’ve mentioned it, it is going to be HUGE! That’s all we can say for now, but look out. In other new, we have another single on the album locked and loaded. It’s called “Can’t Compare”.
