Meet Clockwise On Fire

Clockwise On Fire is the musical union of longtime friends and collaborators Tim Arnold [Good Old War, Anthony Green] and Brian Lynch.

Brian and Tim first began playing music together during middle school in the Philly suburbs, experimenting, improvising, and exploring sounds at a formative age together. After high school, life carried the musicians down separate roads. Tim co-founded Good Old War, releasing four full-length albums and four EPs in addition to touring nationally, while Brian stayed local performing in various bands. In 2017, the two reconnected and launched a Primus cover band, Los Bastardos, and by 2019 had started collaborating on original music. Even in the face of the pandemic, Tim and Brian were locked into an unbreakable groove, resulting in Clockwise On Fire. Ultimately, Clockwise On Fire is now welcoming everyone into their weird, wild, and wonderful musical conversation between two old friends.

Are you finding the isolation of the pandemic conducive to your writing or is it hindering the experiences you can write about?

Brian: I found the pandemic to be conducive to writing music for sure. Clockwise On Fire didn’t exist prior so we are an absolute byproduct of the pandemic. All the extra time at home provided the ability to really hone in on songs and keep working at them until we both agreed that we had a finished product. I’m not sure we would have had the time to really do this under normal circumstances.

Has your musical journey had a deliberate direction, or did it simply gradually evolve in whatever direction it found?

Brian: I think for me personally, it’s just been a long organic evolution. There is so much incredible music out there, in such a wide variety of styles, that the things that I find inspiring musically come from such a wide spectrum. I think our band is the same way. We both kind of create whatever we are feeling at the moment and that can change from day to day. We are not setting out to try and accomplish something in any certain genre or style, so we don’t feel limited in any way, and we are pretty much free to explore those different feelings and vibes.

What can we expect from you within the next 6 months? Any releases planned? Future gigs?

Brian: We plan on putting out new material all the time. We are already far along on the next album, and we are very excited about how it is coming together. As far as gigs, we hope to be booking some dates in the next month or so we will make sure to keep everyone posted as that happens.

COF Woods Photo by Pamela Lynch 002 — Photo by Pamela Lynch

Do you sing in the shower? What songs?

Brian: I have to believe that most people sing in the shower at least some of the time. Sometimes when you’ve got that morning low voice, Crash Test Dummies “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” is a good one to sing. Although, I also enjoy just singing that at random times as well.

Do you shout out the answers on the TV whilst watching quiz shows?

Brian: When I know an answer on Jeopardy, I’m absolutely yelling it out. If I knew more than one or two per episode, I may not be inclined to yell it out, but when you know so few, I feel like you gotta take that opportunity to yell it out.

What led you to become a music artist and what advice can you give to others aspiring to make a hit?

Tim – My fascination with anything musical and the feeling it gives me to perform music have kept me hooked my entire life. I’ve tried a bunch of different jobs out of necessity and even considered giving up music, but the universe simply will not let me, and I’m ok with that. I’m not sure I’m qualified to give advice on writing “hits” but my belief is that if you just keep trying eventually something will land. I read the book “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield and I think his central conceit is profound. Go to work every day no matter how you’re feeling or whatever obligations you have. That’s what we try and follow, and it’s been really helpful. I guess my advice would be to go read that book!!

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

Tim – I think about this probably daily, but the best advice I ever got was in a Guitar Center in my early days of drumming. I was playing on one of the demo kits as I would do back then, thinking I’m hot shit. This elderly woman walks up to me, puts her hand on my shoulder and gently tells me to relax when I’m playing. It blew my mind. This old guardian angel walked away, and I never saw her again. Whenever I’m struggling to play something or just getting locked up, I just remember her words and things become easier. Thank you, Guitar Center Bodhisattva.

What are your plans for any future releases?

Tim – We are currently writing out magnum opus, a rock opera of sorts. It’s fast and weird and beautiful and I can’t wait to show the world.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your current releases?

Tim – I think the most challenging aspect has been managing ourselves. This project is very DIY and I’m used to being managed and taken care of, so it’s definitely a learning experience, and like any learning experience is frustrating and painful at times, but ultimately rewarding and enriching.

What would be the ideal food to have cooked for you on a date night?

Tim – What I really want is authentic, home cooked Indian food. It’s something I’ve never really had, and it’s been a fantasy of mine for quite some time.

Clockwise On Fire has released their self-titled debut album. The 8-track independent collection showcases the duo’s sonic hybrid of psychedelic rock, progressive, funk, and alternative, which shapeshifts with each key change, as evidenced by the previously released singles “Dig” and “What Will You Forget” featuring Anthony Green of Circa Survive.

“We have put a lot of love and devotion into this record and couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world!” shares Clockwise On Fire. “We hope you enjoy listening to the album as much as we enjoyed making it!