Mid-July The Arcadian Wild released their newest album, Welcome, for the world to listen to. A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending one of their first concerts performing it live. I'm a big Arcadian Wild fan, so it was an awesome experience to go and hear them play. I'd been lucky enough to hear them perform during one of Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God tours, but had never been to one of their shows. Of course, I didn't miss this opportunity.
I not only got to hear them perform, I also got to meet the two lead singers in person: Lincoln Mick and Isaac Horn. I was struck by how humble they were. Instead of staying away backstage like most musicians would have done, they walked around the venue talking to people. They even got their dinners standing in line at the food cart. I talked to Lincoln Mick a little bit, and I really enjoyed him. He was genuinely excited about the music, the fans, and everything else. His enthusiasm was contagious.
The atmosphere at this concert was amazing, and musically this is probably my favorite concert I've ever attended. We were at an outdoor venue a little ways away from the train tracks. During the show at least four trains quietly passed in the background, which really added to the indie folk/bluegrass vibe.
Welcome is an extraordinary album, and my favorite songs on it so far are Sparrow, Garradh Seileach, Little Bird, Dopamine, Shoulders, The End, and Corner. A really cool aspect of this album is that it's mostly about family, hence the name "Welcome". Corner is a song Isaac Horn wrote for his mother, while Shoulders is a song Lincoln Mick wrote for his dad. Along with these are songs for their wives and family in general, as well as Dopamine, which is a song about the problem of phone addiction and how it steals away from our lives.
That’s so cool! Is Arcadian Wild a Christian band? I’ve heard of them before, but now I’m curious.
I keep intending to get into the Arcadian Wild, but haven't yet taken the plunge—perhaps this is the motivation I need! Welcome, here I come. (Although I have listened to Principium before, and I found it so incredibly amazing.)