"Strangely enough as a music writer you kind of are what you are...you don’t really change much over your lifetime. Dylan hasn’t changed much, McCartney hasn’t changed much, and Elton hasn’t changed much. The songs are different but some things are still the same. You know in the first three seconds who it is. The crap guys you don’t know. They can go on for an hour and you still don’t know who it is."
Thus spake progressive titan Greg Lake in 2009, and this observation sums up the appeal and relevance of the work of Tony Arnold. Based in Athens, Georgia and heavily influenced by both his musical and literary backgrounds, Arnold has carved out a unique niche which melds his melodic sensibilities with the sui generis art-house approach that has become a Southern trademark.
His first recorded output came with two releases from his short-lived duo Menage 'A Twang, which explored an avant-garde Americana-inspired end of the spectrum. Following this initial experiment, he released a series of conceptual albums of Adult Rock & Electronica under various project noms de plume (The Pachinko Allahs, Macular Degenerates, Musaphonic), each of which expanded his signature style and paintbox of influences. Musically adventurous and never straying far from his mischievous irony, Arnold allows the music to represent and guide him, rather than the ego-driven rock & roll lifestyle.
Eschewing a performance schedule for a more civilized existence, Arnold works relentlessly in his home recording studio to honor his commitment to an authentic creativity and the musical standards which have inspired him to compose.