Musical project Van Arlo returns to The Rialto Theatre
Jason Chamberlin/ JVC Photography
Ben Marthey leads Van Arlo and returns Nov. 9 to The Rialto Theatre in Akron.
By ASHLEY McCORMICK
BGNN columnist
Van Arlo isn’t your typical band. Led by Ben Marthey, the lead visionary and singer songwriter, Van Arlo is actually a musical endeavor that features local guest musicians. When asked about his music-making process, Marthey said, “the short answer to this question goes like this – have an idea or inspiration either a melody or some lyrics – match it with some chords, structure those chords in a way that you feel best portrays the message (you’re) trying to convey… and press record.”
Collaboration is a backbone of American music; Van Arlo continues to stretch its potential.
The future vision of Van Arlo produces a rich, full band sound. This could easily be achieved by electronic add-ins, but Marthey prefers raw, organic sounds: “Everything is going to be a real instrument or a real guitar that has some effects put on it.” For example, “Hand to Hold” features Mary Bontrager on violin and Abigail Bontrager on cello. Finding musicians to perform with has come through online advertising and meeting local musicians.
Van Arlo fine-tunes its music choices when performing. Private events receive soft, solo acoustic while the fun, outgoing rhythms are for the bars.
“I can tailor it to whatever I’m doing for that night,” Marthey said. The band performs two to four times a month. No matter the venue, a musician always hopes for an attentive audience. “Someone who’s like, actually listening to your music … like listening, paying attention, who, you know, cheers for (them) at the end of the song, or someone who’s actually just there for the music,” he explained.
While not possible at every performance, it’s “really gratifying is, by the end of the night, if you’d won over a table of people who actually, like, start to take notice that oh, you know, they’re really into what you’re doing, even though, at the beginning of the night they were just there to have some beers and watch the watch the game. But by the end of the night comes around, they’re, like, into what you’re doing. They’re having fun and cheering and whatever like that is also very gratifying,” Marthey explained.
Attending live music performances is more than listening to the music. “It’s just a social event, like you can meet like-minded individuals … you might have a chance at developing friendships with and like it’s really that powerful.”
It’s easy to press play on Spotify, but a pre-recorded song isn’t the same as hearing it in person.
Live music shows the human vulnerability of music, like the artist’s expression, live voice, and even slight imperfections. You can’t get that through digital recordings.
Van Arlo’s next performance is at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at The Rialto Theatre, Akron. This isn’t their first time at the venue: The Rialto’s care keeps Van Arlo coming back. Throughout a set, sound is adjusted by the staff to enhance the artist, not just the noise. No need for the bar beforehand: The Rialto has its own full service bar and hot dog shop, the Das Dogs. The venue offers plenty of parking behind the building and street parking.
AJ & The Woods and Wreck Like Me also perform that evening. The ticket price, to see three bands in a for-musicians venue? Ten dollars. Putting the typical concert ticket price to shame.
Marthey adds, “that’s my selling point. If you’ve never heard of any three of our bands before, I think $10 is a worthy sort of gamble to hear some great live music.”
Saturday’s performance will strengthen Van Arlo’s vision with several guest musicians. These musicians include a string quartet, including:
- Mary Bontrager – 1st violin
- Maria Vinas – 2nd violin
- Cristian Diaz – viola
- Abigail Bontrager – cello
As well as:
- Jay Sparrow – Percussion
- Ed Marthey – Keys
As an introduction, listen to Van Arlo’s “Can’t Go Home,” available at https://vanarlo.com/music.
Find Van Arlo on its website at https://vanarlo.com/home, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vanarloband/ and Instagram at @van_arlo, TikTok at marthey_b.
Listen to Van Arlo’s music on Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.
Do you know a local artist who deserves to have their work featured? If so, email Ashley at [email protected] with the subject line “Feature This Artist.”
