Jocelyn & Chris

GLENMONT –What’s the future of live music?

With no clear sign of when or how venues will reopen, it’s a stressful, weird time for audiences and the industry at-large. But it’s like the great Hunter S. Thompson once said, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”

To scratch that concert itch, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall has teamed with the Glenmont-based Jericho Drive-In for a concert-and-film series.

Thursday was the first night of the collaboration, featuring a performance by Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, the local brother-and-sister with a burgeoning national profile, and the 2019 film “Yesterday.” The movie, which presents a hypothetical situation where only one person knows the Beatles and its tunes ever existed, has no appeal for me. The 65-minute set by the Arndts was entertaining musically, however, and presented an intriguing, different conceptualization of live music this summer.

Watching a concert at a drive-in is an experience both familiar and odd. In front of a stage situated directly underneath the motion picture screen, there’s a small field where folks could set up lawn chairs and vibe to the music. If that wasn’t your thing, you could stay in your car or put out a chair or blanket next to it and stretch out a little. In that sense it was familiar, conjuring up memories of good times spent at SPAC or Music Haven.


Of course, the thing that separates those experiences is the reason this show was at the drive-in and not something like Alive at Five, where the Arndts played last year: if you were on the grass or outside your car you had to have a face mask on and maintain six feet of space from strangers in order to prevent the spread of a highly contagious illness.


The anxieties and sad reality of our current moment didn’t dampen the performance or its reception. The siblings Arndt and their band were exuberant and on-point, playing with such a level of cohesion that it’s hard to believe that this was their first show in several months and not a group locked in the groove of a summer tour.

Material from last year’s minor national breakthrough LP “The Fun in the Fight” packed a wallop. The single “Outta my Head” was improved upon, delivered with an urgency and rhythmic thrust the studio version only hinted at. On the blues-rockers “Witness” and “Kill in the Cure” Chris’ guitar work featured more prominently than on the record, sounding beefier and more potent. The '70s rock-inspired “Shame” and a take of “Footprints on the Moon” both ripped and highlighted everyone’s skills, from a funky rhythm section to Chris’ abilities to play a hot lick and Jocelyn’s bold, soulful vocals.

And the folks in attendance were enthusiastic throughout. “Outta My Head” earned hearty applause and when the evening was over, there were cheers and honkin’ horns a-plenty. Seeing and hearing quality live music again on a hot summer night felt good. It felt right, almost like a real concert experience and not a weak approximation.

I say “almost” because there is something missing, and it’s not something that anyone did wrong. Part of the fun of concerts (for me at least) is that communal aspect. The feeling of being in a crowd, the energy that comes from swaths of fans responding to both performer and each other, the physical intimacy in a shared experience with like-minded people.

Of course, a lot of that is missing right now in day-to-day life in general and there’s not a whole heck of a lot we can do about it. But while we figure that out, at least there is a way to see and support artists playing on-stage again. So if you’re jonesing for live music, a concert at the drive-in hits nearly all the right notes. It’s an experience worth checking out. - The Times Union

Fort Plain natives Jocelyn and Chris Arndt appeared on NBC’s "Today" show this morning.

The brother and sister duo and band performed a semi-acoustic version of “Outta My Head,” off of their latest album, “The Fun in the Fight.” After the album was released late last month, it reached the number one spot on the Relix Jambands radio charts. - The Daily Gazette

"We’re siblings, if you haven’t figured that out already,” Jocelyn Arndt joked at the start of a Leap Day performance at Caffè Lena on Saturday night with her younger brother, Chris.


The musical pair from Fort Plain share a strong physical resemblance: long, glossy brown hair, piercing eyes, and bright smiles.

They also share an affinity for blues-rock, a Harvard education, and the intuitive, easy interaction of siblings who have made music together since elementary school.

Now approaching their mid-20s, the duo (plus bandmates and special musical guests) returned to the Saratoga Springs folk venue — where they first played in high school — to debut new material from an in-progress studio album in front of a sold-out crowd filled with friends and family, including their parents (who they joked were inexplicably seated at opposite sides of the room).

Like their last performance at the venue in 2019, the pair played mostly acoustic, with Jocelyn focusing on her fiery vocals (rather than the keyboards she sometimes plays) and the bearded Chris seated on a stool strumming an acoustic guitar. For the first few songs — including the intense “Kill in the Cure” from the pair’s most recent album, “The Fun in the Fight” — the siblings were alone onstage.

“Tonight’s all about mixing it up,” Jocelyn said before bringing out David Bourgeois — the band’s manager, producer, and percussionist — and bassist Dan Zavadil for “Outta My Head,” a spirited blues rocker that the Arndts played last year on NBC’s “Today Show.”


Both Arndts exude self-confidence onstage, and Jocelyn is a dynamic front woman, with animated hand gestures and a commanding voice that she knows how to wield well, whether veering from a dramatic whisper to an emphatic roar.

After “Footprints on the Moon,” a song about dreaming big that Jocelyn wrote the words for not long after high school graduation, the band rocked out on the catchy “Be That as It May” before playing the dark ballad “Bad Business,” with Chris adding backup vocals for the first time.

Troy singer-songwriter Olivia Quillio joined the band for two songs: the gospel-tinged love song “Mercy Me,” from the Arndts’ recently released, live acoustic album, “One Night in November,” and the rarely played “Things I’ll Never Know.”


“It’s about to get crazy,” Jocelyn then said, introducing to the stage keyboardist Beau Sasser from the electro-fusion jam band Kung Fu, which happened to be playing down the street later in the night at Putnam Place (Sasser also plays frequently with the Arndts).

Local jazz talent Jeff Nania also joined in on saxophone for the run through “Jagged.” Sasser then split to go soundcheck, and the Arndts got “smooth” on a deep cut off their last album, a breezy yacht-rock-like number, “The Weatherman,” which Nania accompanied on flute.

The pair’s 90-minute set wrapped up with “The Western,” a rousing singalong with a dark, low undertone that sounds like a “Gunsmoke” or spaghetti Western theme, and new song “Skeleton Key,” an uptempo blues burner that drew hearty cheers from the crowd. - The Daily Gazette

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt have come a long way since 2014’s debut EP, Strangers in Fairyland. Through three full-length records, including 2019’s The Fun in the Fight, and numerous nationwide tours, the sibling rockers have a far greater understanding of their natural songwriting and performance power. They wield both as a warrior heading into battle.

With a new year (and decade) now unfolding, the pair prepare their second live record, One Night in November (out February 14), with the release of a song and live video for “Mercy Me,” premiering today on American Songwriter. “We’ve always wanted to do a more stripped down, acoustic-style live album. It’s exciting to finally put that to tape,” Jocelyn says.

“Mercy Me” rumbles with a Hammond organ’s soothing cry, and Jocelyn’s incisive vocal performance is an acrobat mounting a dizzying high-wire act. Chris joins on lead guitar, a tender chord progression that whispers through the layers, and band members Dan Zavadil (bass) David Bourgeois (drums), and Beau Sasser (Hammond organ) piece instruments together in a stunning stained glass display. Singer-songwriter Olivia Quillio offers up lush harmony work.


“We don’t do acoustic very often, so it’s definitely more challenging in the sense that we have no practice doing it. Every once in a while, we’ll do a couple acoustic songs in the middle of a full rock set. For the most part, we just play full band all the time. Figuring out the arrangements was weird, and also, there’s a very different energy in the room,” Chris says. “It’s not something I’m used to.”

Even so, the acoustic collection allows the band to lean into and further explore each song’s unshakable roots. “I write on acoustic guitar, and Jocelyn writes with her voice. That’s pretty much how we write songs, and then, we bring them to our producer David [Bourgeois] and add various orchestration elements. It’s nice to take it back to the songs’ [beginnings] and play a show that way.”

Jocelyn adds, “We’d been playing these songs for so long as a full rock band, and it was cool to go back to how they were written with all that live show experience.”


Unlike their first live record, 2017’s 30,000 Miles, which was a smorgasbord of recordings from various full band shows from across the country, One Night in November carries with it a raw, impressive intimacy. “I’ve got half a mind to give you all my heart,” Jocelyn sings on “Mercy Me,” a baptismal confession on love and devotion.


“We’ve written a lot of songs on the sadder side of love. But this is definitely on the other side of that spectrum. This is one of those songs that is about the awesome side of love where you’re really so devoted to someone, and there is a powerlessness in that feeling,” Jocelyn describes of the song. “You’re really laying yourself out in the open, but there’s this powerful element of trust and committing to that level of trust with somebody. Chris and I have been writing songs since we were in middle school, and I’m really proud of this one. I don’t think this is a song we could have written when we were in seventh grade. I hear it, and I think, ‘Wow, look how far we’ve matured in our songwriting!’”

One Night in November weaves through Jocelyn & Chris’s entire discography, upending the original fully-produced arrangements for more pointed and mature moments of clarity. Their song “Kill in the Cure,” which spent 12 weeks on the Billboard AAA chart, offered up a refreshing, unexpected reprieve in this new context. “This past year alone, I feel like I can play this song without thinking about it. It’s on autopilot. It was cool to free our brains from that particular train track of that version of the song and finally breathe for a minute,” explains Jocelyn. “We do this really cool new version of it with just the two of us.”


The new version, Chris notes, has more “jazz chords. It’s one of our better known songs, so I’m really curious to hear how some of our fans who know the rock version will think about this smooth jazz version.”

The new live album was recorded at White Lake Studios in Upstate New York, and such an intimate setting feels appropriate to showcase the extent to which they have grown as live performers. “It’s weird. I keep seeing those posts on social media since it’s a new year and a new decade – start of the decade and the end of the decade. It is crazy to think how much I feel I’ve changed as a person, and music has allowed me to change as a person in the past decade,” says Jocelyn. “We get really caught up in the moment of what’s the next thing we have to do and what’s the next thing we need to write or record or say.”

“With this project, we got to step back and pick songs from each of our releases. It took me back to when we first wrote them or recorded them – and how excited and scared I used to be. Songwriting is always terrifying. You’re ripping out a diary page and putting it on a loudspeaker,” she continues. “Then, we were also learning how to work in the studio and with our team and each other. We have a new perspective now to reapply those songs. I think I sing differently now and we play the songs differently. We makes me excited to see where we’ll be six years from now.”


Fusing classic rock and blues sounds of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, Jocelyn & Chris Arndt strike upon a new kind of creative fervor these days. “Mercy Me,” which will be full recorded on their next album, already in the works, perfectly mixes with polished and modern signatures. “[This song] is a good example of what the next album is going to bring. To get to a place where we can just sit down and write a song like that and be so proud of it and have it be so fun and smooth – that’s not a place where we were when we were in our parents’ living room in eighth grade. It makes me so happy to think about that song and how much it means to us.”

“Our parents are obviously not super objective about our music. Our dad says this about every single song that we ever write, but we did play this song for him. He looked at me and said, ‘This is the best song you have ever written!’ I mean, he says that every time, but there was a little more emphasis behind it this time,” says Chris with a laugh.

One Night in November releases February 14. - American Songwriter

Jocelyn and Chris broke into Billboard’s Top 40 in the Adult Album Alternative chart with “Red Stops Traffic,” the third single off the band’s 2017 release “Go.” The album as a whole was Jocelyn and Chris’ most successful release. It peaked at No. 2 on the Relix Jamband Top 30, and it stayed there for three straight months. Perhaps what’s most notable about the album is that it was produced while Chris was still attending Harvard.

The Jocelyn and Chris team chase radio play. It involves networking, sending tapes, exchanging phone calls and logging in the miles between the more than 120 radio stations that fall under the AAA format. When “Outta My Head” debuted with Parade Magazine last November, David Bourgeois, the band’s manager at Bridge Road Entertainment, said it caught the attention of different radio stations. And, that’s exactly the point they’re trying to make.

“The Fun in the Fight,” promises to be a venture that will take the band into new territory. It’s debut track “Outta My Head” starts off with Jocelyn singing over Chris’ bluesy guitar riffs, but it then turns into something different. It swiftly progresses into a layered, contemporary production; uptempo and hook-focused. It is the most commercial-leaning song the two have yet to produce. And, that’s just the beginning. Other songs within the 11-track album suggest Jocelyn and Chris could take aim at alternative radio in addition to the AAA and jamband genres they are accustom to playing.

The album’s opening track sets the table for Jocelyn and Chris’ styling of a new generation of classic rock featuring Danny Louis of Govt’ Mule. “Witness” is a love letter to all the artists that have influenced the sister-brother duo since they were young children. A powerful guitar riff leads bread crumbs to a lyrical homage to Ozzy Osbourne, Prince, Pink Floyd and more.

Any given live Jocelyn and Chris performance is defined by both power and energy, and “Kill in the Cure” may best capture that. It’s a controlled burn with emotional vocals from Jocelyn and metronomic guitar play from Chris. It’s an appropriate segue to “Outta My Head,” which within itself, beautifully progresses from Jocelyn’s lyrics to a craftily layered track worthy of its debut status.

Chris plays a mean blues guitar and it stands out on a track that also features Beau Sasser on the Hammond Organ. The two are paired well on this darkly powerful, midtempo groove.

“Don’t Hang Up” is a stop-and-listen track. Dark lyrics reveal one side of an intimate phone conversation from someone desperate and contrite. Jocelyn’s voice is front and center in a ballad that lingers on through the next track. A stark contrast to “Problematic,” which follows with a pure rock riff.

“Be That as it May” is an all-out jam that features Vulpeck’s Cory Wong at lead guitar and Louis again, this time on the Hammond. It starts slow and busts out into a stomping, danceable track. “Original” is yet another track that’s going to get you up and moving.

“Things I’ll Never Know” is a retro ballad that, again, reveals the roots to Jocelyn and Chris’ influences. More organ in the back, allowing Jocelyn to take the listener to church on this love song.

The album ends on two, fun tracks in “The Western” and “Weatherman.” “The Western” is a story, as one would imagine, with pistols and a climactic duel, complete with a trumpet that will place you into the middle of a spaghetti western. The flute play in “The Weatherman” accentuates yet another retro track that harkens back to the wistful ballads of Linda Ronstadt and Dan Fogelberg that dominated radio play in the 70s.

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt have shown some versatility, and “The Fun in the Fight” showcases an effort that should help push the band out in front of different audiences. It’s a road map of where the two have been over the past several years, and it shows where they plan on going from here. Should you be one of those who has not yet picked up on this duo, pick this up. - Spotlight News

Rock & Roll has always been abundant with siblings – Eddie & Alex Van Halen, Chris & Rich Robinson, Gregg & Duane Allman, Angus & Malcolm Young to name just a few. They all claim there is a special magic that happens to the music they create together and their collaborative bands lasted for decades because of it. Jocelyn and Chris Arndt may be fairly new to the business but their output is only getting stronger with time. With a new album on the horizon – The Fun In The Fight, releasing on February 22nd – the Arndts have created a tight, steady-rocking, sure-footed collection of songs for their third full-length album. With a couple of EPs and live recordings already under their belt, they know themselves as artists much better than they did when they were growing up in New York and discovering their parents’ classic rock albums.

Their first single, “Outta My Head,” is a catchy, sassy, bluesy rocker that showcases Jocelyn’s unique vocals and Chris’s steadiness on guitar. Not ones to shred a mile a minute, their pacing is impeccable, letting the song be a full meal to savor. It’s the way they do all their songs: from the album lead-off track, “Witness,” to “Problematic,” “Don’t Hang Up” and “Kill In The Cure;” even the slower “Weatherman” captures something witty and enlightening without going over-the-top.

Jocelyn and Chris, former Harvard students, English major for Jocelyn and Computer Science and Music for Chris, just don’t have stereotypical in their vocabulary. That’s not how they roll. They go old-school when the feeling moves them, or newfangled that comes with the youthfulness of their generation. There is control and spontaneity, emotional turmoil and playfulness from song to song.

I caught up with the pair a few days ago while they were in the studio in frosty upstate New York – “I think it’s -7 degrees outside right now,” said Jocelyn, the older of the Arndt siblings – to talk about their upcoming album, how their influences have changed and having Govt Mule’s

Danny Louis as their rock & roll fairy godfather.

So what are you doing in the studio?

Jocelyn: It’s like the nerve center of the whole operation. We’re rehearsing later but right now we’ve just been writing a few dozen thank you notes to radio stations that we found out have added our music. This week is the first official week to radio for the lead-off single, “Outta My Head,” and a bunch of stations have already been playing it. So we wrote them thank you notes. I got all the stickers I could find (laughs).

I saw the stickers on Facebook but good for you because that’s a very old-school way of doing things.

Jocelyn: Yeah, you know, we went through the email thing too but we like snail mail. I like when I get stuff in the mail.

So what was the plan for the upcoming record? What did you really want to do this time?

Chris: When we started writing this one, there wasn’t really a plan in mind. But I think as we began writing more and more of the songs, a kind of identity for the album started to take shape a little bit. There was never really any intentionality in any of the songs other than we wanted to make each song as good as we possibly could. But they kind of started to fit together in a way that we really liked. We started to realize that all of them had a little bit of this old-school sound but we definitely put our own new twist on it. Classic rock is the music that we loved growing up and have always really connected to.

So I don’t know if there ever was like a moment where, “Oh yeah, we should do this cause it would sound cool.” But I think there was some kind of subconscious idea or something that we ended up doing a pretty good job of realizing, cause of all our albums, this one is my favorite, in terms of songwriting and in terms of there seems a cohesiveness throughout the course of the album that was just not there before.

I mean, it’s there in our previous work but it’s there more in this album. I think this is our best album, all in all.

Jocelyn: This is the first album where I had graduated college but Chris was still in college for another year. Usually we’re kind of spoiled cause we basically went to the same school, we grew up together, we’ve always been together so it was kind of a weird balance that we had to strike for a few months there while we were writing it. We had to make time for me to take a bus to see Chris so we could write the album. We’ve never really had to schedule it that much before so I think we were kind of nervous that it was going to come across as weird or scattered or not fully formed. But I think once we started writing, we were like, “Okay, we remember how to do this.” (laughs)

What about the lyrics? Do you find them more mature than in the past?

Jocelyn: I think, definitely, it’s more mature. Traditionally, how we write, and it changes from song to song, but we’re kind of a half and half team here. Chris does the chords and the music, and I do the words. I think writing this album, it definitely felt a little more mature. We’re that much more comfortable in ourselves as songwriters and I feel like there are some songs on this album that are the most personal songs that we’ve ever written because we were finally confident enough to put that on paper.

For you Jocelyn, what is the most powerful lyric in this batch of songs?

Jocelyn: Oh man, it’s kind of hard for me to pick. They are all kind of like, I don’t know, my weird babies (laughs). But I think Track 5, “Don’t Hang Up,” is probably one of the darker tracks on the album but lyrically it feels like me at my best, words-wise.

There is one lyric in there, “There’s nothing you can do, and I should never share my darkness with someone as bright as you.” I really like that, just cause of that whole feeling of like, “Oh man, I don’t mean to bother you, I have all these things going on in my head but you’re so happy and awesome and I don’t want to trouble you with that” – that kind of thing.

Are these mostly newer songs or were there some left over from the last record?

Chris: There was one that was left over from the last record. Actually, the last record was the very first record we’d ever written where we didn’t have any songs left over from before. So we had to write all of those from scratch. We wrote thirteen and we used twelve, so we had one leftover going into this one. We wrote eleven more for this one and then we actually ended up cutting the one that we had left over. So we had twelve but we only used the eleven new ones.

Jocelyn: They’re all pretty new and that was one thing that made it a little nerve-wracking going in. It was like, oh my God, we have to make a whole new album! I hope we have enough ideas in our brains! (laughs)

Which song would you say changed the most from it’s original composition to it’s final recorded version?

Jocelyn: I think hands down, “Outta My Head.” When Chris and I write music, he is usually on his acoustic guitar and I’m just singing, and occasionally I’m on the piano; but usually when we play the songs for the first time for our producer David Bourgeois, who is also our manager – we’re a very tightknit group – when we play them for him for the first time, it’s just me singing and Chris on the guitar.

And that one, on the record we kind of built up all these textures and there’s backing vocals, there’s this awesome guitar riff underneath it. So if you can picture that just on the guitar acoustically and a vocal, it was very different. I was clapping at one point, just trying to add something in cause we could picture in our brain what it was going to end up, being built up and a lot bigger. So that one for me, seeing that one progress in the studio, was really cool.



Which one of you is the more techy studio nerd?

Chris: That would probably be me (laughs). I actually don’t know that much about the equipment but I’m really into like the science of how it all works. Also, as somebody who plays guitar, I like the music and the harmony side where Jocelyn is more connected with the lyrics and the melody and all that.

What can you tell us about “Be That As It May”

Chris: The way I originally taught myself to play lead guitar was I had this pedal called a Looper Pedal and basically I would play stuff into it and loop it and then I would play lead over it. We didn’t have anyone else for me to play with at the time so I was kind of being my own band and rhythm guitarist. So a lot of the songs that we’ve written, especially a lot of the more jammy songs, started as things that I would play into my Looper Pedal and I would just solo over them for like forty minutes or an hour, until my parents would yell at me to stop (laughs). And that was one of the ones which I just had in my back pocket probably since I was like fifteen or so, that main chord progression. Finally, on this album I was like, man, we should turn that into a song.

So I showed it to Jocelyn and she immediately latched on and came up with that hook and I just love it so much. It’s got this really high energy jammy feel and because of that David thought it would be a really good song to get guest players on. So we got Danny Louis from Govt Mule and also Cory Wong from Vulfpeck to play some of the guitar on it.

Chris, your guitar playing on that is subtle and that subtlety in the playing seems to provoke an emotion, like it’s another voice. From listening to other of your songs, you do that quite often.

Chris: Thank you very much. That is exactly what I try to do so it’s really good to hear you say that it’s working (laughs). My favorite quote about lead guitar ever is by David Gilmour and he’s like, “I could never really play fast so I always just tried to play like I was singing.” That has kind of inspired a lot of my style. When we’re recording lead guitar, it’s always about trying to find a part that is memorable and emotive as opposed to a part that is more technically demanding.

Have you always been that way and not jumped on an Eddie Van Halen kick?

Chris: (laughs) I don’t know, I think when I was younger I didn’t have the technical skill to play fast. I mean, we recorded our first album with our high school band when I was probably thirteen or fourteen and I couldn’t play very fast. So in order to make the solos sound cool, I had to really focus on that. If I could play fast, I probably would have just shredded (laughs). But for the past few albums it’s been a very intentional and thoughtful process recording lead guitar.

Jocelyn: He’s super deliberate when he goes into the studio. It’s not just, “I’m going to shred for a while and hopefully we’ll get some licks that we like.”

He thinks through his solos from start to finish, as far as what sounds the best, what is going to get the listener where they need to be.



What guitar did you use on this record?

Chris: It was a combination of a Les Paul and a Stratocaster. They are kind of my go-to’s.

On “Weatherman,” Jocelyn, you bring a real Norah Jones type vibe. It’s not the only time you’ve gone that way. Do you like being “quiet” sometimes?

Jocelyn: (laughs) Yes! Absolutely! I think for a while, like when I was younger, you find out you can do something with your voice and the first inclination is to do that as much as possible. But I think just like with the guitar, it’s not always the answer. So definitely, I love being dynamic with my voice but I love being quiet because it makes the loud more fun and it makes the quiet more fun too. You get to do a little bit of everything.

What can you tell us about the song “Problematic”

Chris: You know, earlier you asked what song changed the most from it’s original conception to what you hear on the album and Jocelyn answered “Outta My Head.” I definitely agree with what she said but the first thing that came to my mind was “Problematic,” because that song is actually the last song we finished writing for the album and it was exceptionally difficult for us to write. I don’t know exactly what it was about it but Jocelyn had the idea for the hook and we really liked it and we worked on it. But how some songs kind of come together and it feels like you’re sort of a vessel with which the song is poured into, this song was not like that. It was hard work and every single measure was fought for.

We brought it into David and we played it for him and as we were playing it for him, I realized that what we had actually done is we had just rewritten “Kill In The Cure,” one of the other tracks on the album.

So I was like, Oh crap, back to the drawing board (laughs). Then we took a totally different approach and it just came together really quickly and it felt like a million times better. Once that happened, it became one of my favorites on the album.

You guys got into music really, really young. Now that you have some years under your belt, do you find that where you draw inspiration has changed much?

Jocelyn: I think now we both listen to more contemporary pop and rock than when we did when we were little. I think part of that was when we were little, it was kind of our parents’ CD collection that was dictating what we listened to. We loved that, I’m so glad that we had parents that raised us on classic rock, but now I think as we’ve gotten more comfortable in the industry and we’ve broadened our horizons, we listen to a lot of different genres now. But those albums that we listened to at the dinner table, I still keep coming back to. So it’s kind of a mix.

Jocelyn, you have this big voice with a bluesy tinge. Have you ever delved deeper into blues like Big Mama Thornton to see how they used and manipulated and controlled that power that they had in their voices?

Jocelyn: Definitely. I mean, I’m not a big classic blues fan but every time we listen to something like that, I think you can feel exactly what they are feeling when they are singing it. I am very drawn to that kind of voice that can just tell a story. That’s what I want to do when I sing.



Since you were raised on classic rock and you’ve broadened your horizons, who do you find inspiration from in the modern day world?

Jocelyn: Hozier I love. He’s amazing. Adelle, Beyonce – she’s an insane entertainer.

Chris: St Vincent.

I’ve been listening to Masseduction on repeat for the past couple of weeks.

Jocelyn: Imagine Dragons, the Killers, Muse

You’ve mentioned about Danny Louis helping you guys out. Would you consider him your rock & roll fairy godfather?

Jocelyn: I’ll ask him next time we see him, Will you be our rock & roll fairy godfather? (laughs). He’s awesome. I’m really glad that we got to work with him. He’s just insanely talented. He knows exactly the part to play, he really listens, it’s not just him coming in and playing and leaving. He wants to help the music, which is awesome. And he has crazy stories (laughs).

I understand that you have done some recording in Muscle Shoals. What was that like?

Jocelyn: It was awesome. I was recording vocals for a song called “Hot,” which was on Edges [2016]. We needed to do some recording and we happened to be passing through and we were like, you know it would be really cool to stop there. But I didn’t get to explore as much because I was in the booth but Chris and our bassist at the time, Kate Sgroi, were going around and they found the room with all the original masters.

Chris: Yeah, basically there are two main studios there. They’ve got Studio A and Studio B, and Jocelyn was in Studio A. So Kate and I found our way to Studio B and then we found our way into the Studio B control room. And behind the Studio B control room they had like Etta James outtakes, Aretha Franklin outtakes, Lynyrd Skynyrd outtakes, Allman Brothers outtakes. I was like, wait, what! (laughs).

What was your first I can’t believe I’m here moment?

Jocelyn: Main stage at Mountain Jam. That’s the one that comes to mind and that was this past summer. I’m sure there have been more but standing on main stage at Mountain Jam and thinking, wow, a couple years ago I was like freaking out because we were playing inside or whatever and they let us come up on the stage and stand while Grace Potter was performing, and I love her, and now I’m like standing in the same place as she was.

That was really cool. We almost ran into her after her set backstage but we were like, we don’t want to bother her (laughs). But I was like fangirling. Someday I will meet her and it’ll be on like more even terms (laughs).



What was the first song you obsessed over as a kid?

Chris: Probably either “Freebird” or “Stairway To Heaven” for me.

Jocelyn: I was going to say “Freebird” for you because there was about a three month period when Chris was in like sixth grade and that Lynyrd Skynyrd greatest hits album was all we listened to. Every day, wake up, Lynyrd Skynyrd; lunch, Lynyrd Skynyrd; go to bed, Lynyrd Skynyrd (laughs).

Chris: Yeah, I might have worn out the CD (laughs)

Chris, what was the hardest song you tried to learn on guitar?

Chris: At the time, I mean “Stairway” was really hard, but I’ve tried to learn a few Barry Galbraith jazz renditions of songs and they were always insanely difficult. I’ve tried to learn some classical stuff. I was classically trained for about two years but that stuff is still insanely difficult. In terms of blues and rock, pretty much anything with a slide guitar, just because I’ve always found slide guitar super difficult. I feel like I should have played it more before I was this good at regular guitar because now I pick up a slide and I try to play and it doesn’t sound good and I just get frustrated. But I think the most difficult one was I was trying to learn a Bonnie Raitt song a couple years ago and I just could not get it. I practiced it for like a week and finally I was just like, this just does not sound that good, and I gave up.

Jocelyn, what is the most unique thing that inspired a song?

Jocelyn: Honestly, “Weatherman,” the song that we were talking about earlier. Lyrically, I feel like it’s one of the more unique songs we’ve written.

When Chris was playing the riff part of that song, I kind of started to think that it sounded like something that would be played in the background as they are saying the morning weather (laughs). Or a song like they’d play on the Weather Channel, in a good way. So I was starting to think about, well, if it sounds like a Weather Channel song I might as well go full-in on a weather theme. So I started thinking about, wouldn’t this be cool if there was this story where someone, they get up every morning and they get their cup of coffee and they turn on the weather and they are in love with the weatherman. They know they might never meet him and he might never know how they feel. This is stuff that I think about at like 2:00 am when I’m trying to fall asleep (laughs). But I am kind of proud of how it came out. I think it turned out cool and unique; a good way to end an album.

Where does your last name originate from?

Jocelyn: It’s super German. Our grandparents, they met in the United States but Grandma Arndt came from Germany, from Alsace-Lorraine, and Grandpa Arndt …

Chris: Yeah, I think he was born here but his parents had immigrated from Germany and our grandma was born in Germany and then moved here.

So you are pretty new to the States. You don’t have deep roots here.

Chris: Actually, on our mom’s side, our grandfather was super into genealogy and he traced the family tree back to somebody that was on a boat in 1620. So on our mom’s side, it goes way back but on our dad’s side, it’s like two generations-ish. But I think they are a combination of British, Dutch and German.

There are lots of articles about you guys out there but do you still feel like you’re fighting to get heard?


Jocelyn: I think that we’ve been pretty lucky. I mean, it’s crazy just how much information there is about music in the world now. Yeah, there are points where we get frustrated and we’re like, I just wish it would happen or something; but then I think about, wow, in this day and age you can go online and you can post a video and it’s anybody’s game in what people like. There’s a lot of opportunity in that. We get frustrated but then we think about what we have and we calm ourselves down.

When the record comes out, what happens next?

Chris: It’s going to be a lot. We’re really pushing the record itself on radio and on streaming services so it’s going to be a lot of traveling around and visiting radio stations and doing press appearances. But there also will be a lot of touring in-between. In a few weeks we’re going to SXSW and basically, we’re going to tour our way down there and then be there for the whole week. Our publicist has a bunch of press stuff set up and we’re doing a special SXSW showcase and whatever else they will let us do, we’re going to do (laughs). I think we’re going to do that again for Summerfest in Milwaukee. There’s a radio conference in August in Boulder, Colorado.

Jocelyn: We’ll be on the road and visiting our radio friends wherever we can; stop in at stations that are playing us and thank them and just keep doing it. - Glide Magazine

Jocelyn & Chris Arndt will release their sophomore album this coming Friday, May 5. The siblings enlisted Danny Louis (Gov’t Mule), Beau Sasser (Kung Fu) and Bryan Barbarin (The Routine) to lend their hands on the bluesy, dynamic GO (which is now available for pre-order). Today we share the premiere stream of this new record, which features Jocelyn’s galvanic vocals and Chris’ crackling work on guitar.

Jocelyn reflects, “Another year, another album! And I think you'll dig this one, guys. Go is a new chapter; a bit more mature, a bit more focused, but still US. A little retro, a little modern. It's cool... this was our first chance to make an album from scratch without a few already-written songs in our back pocket. We wrote and recorded all of these tunes in the past six months. It was pretty daunting, waking up one day and being like, "okay, time to write an album!" But in the end it was a great experience, and I think we're better musicians for it. And then when we were in the studio and starting to think about adding special guests, we managed to snag some serious players, including Danny Louis from Gov't Mule and Beau Sasser from Kung Fu. Their handiwork is seriously awesome on this thing! All in all, this album is a really current representation of who we are as artists. We're unbelievably excited to share it with the world, and we hope you dig listening to it as much as we loved creating it. We made it for you!”

Read more: https://www.relix.com/blogs/detail/album_premiere_jocelyn_chris_arndt_go#ixzz4j9DxBmLY - Relix Magazine

Listening to alternative rock and rock has been second nature having grown up in the Seattle area. We have a deep-seated love affair with music. So when a band reveals those nostalgic feelings of the first time hearing one of the classics like NIRVANA or Jimi Hendrix, you tend to pay attention. The sibling duo of Jocelyn & Chris Arndt stir up those emotions. The hard hitting, bluesy guitar riffs Chris hammers out combined with Jocelyn’s gravelly, honey-smoked vocals, which are similar to a young Fiona Apple and the talented Grace Potter, are wonderfully matched.

The intense chemistry between the Cambridge-based siblings, having played together for years travelling the country at festivals including SXSW, CMJ and Sundance, shows through in the balance of their first single, “Footprints on the Moon”. With the help of Danny Louis of Gov’t Mule on a Hammond organ, the bluesy, soul track is the rife with sultry, smoky vocals and jagged, stinging guitars. It is a racy, sexy song that drives the entirety of their sophomore album, GO, forward.

Even though there is an expectation of a continuation of hard-hitting rock anthem tracks, and there are quite a few, Jocelyn & Chris Arndt do know how to bring it down with a lovely piano-driven ballad in “Shine”. The detour from the anthemic rock songs shows their ability to diversify. Throughout the album, Jocelyn is pedal down without letting up, but “Shine” shows off her tender, sensual aspects of her classic, powerful rock vocals. It is a wonderful contrast.

The 12-track GO is a fun updated rock roller coaster that is everything that you could want. Fun, unadulterated guitar riffs and killer, powerhouse vocals. Do not pass up on Jocelyn & Chris Arndt. They are worth the price of admission.

You will be able to pick up GO by Jocelyn & Chris Arndt on May 5, 2017, but you can pre-order the album on iTunes now.

4.5/5 Stars - Lemonade Magazine

After the excitement from their surprise live album, Jocelyn and Chris Arndt have been looking forward to releasing their latest album, Go. As their past music includes lyrics and mindsets that the duo had developed back from their middle and high school days, this album showcases their growth, both in music and in life, through new experiences and perspectives.

The opening track, “Footprints on the Moon,” sets an edgy tone for the album. Featuring Gov’t Mule’s Danny Louis, the song combines blues with rock and could give anyone a confidence boost with one listen.

“Ready Steady Go” is my favorite off of Go, not because the album title is included in it, but because the song reminds me of 90s classic rock. The deep guitar riffs, drums, and Jocelyn’s vocals give off a “don’t test my patience” attitude.

Taking on a different vibe, “Shine” has a slower tempo and involves fewer instruments than the aforementioned rock-heavy songs. The choice to have “Shine” accompanied by just piano and guitar takes into account the simple, yet emotional lyrics of wanting to make someone you love happy.

Pushing the sad, breakup stories to the side, “History” brings to light the anger that people feel when a relationship ends. Focusing on the lyrics, “out of sight, out of mind, you should know when you’re out of time,” this song proves that sometimes moving on can be easy if the end was already in sight for both parties.

Bringing the album back full circle, “Devil May Care” has a blues vibe, similar to that of “Footprints on the Moon.” Involving more piano, brass instruments, and guitar, the tune will definitely be stuck in your head after the song is over.

There’s a lot of variety in Go in terms of the instruments used and how they’re played. Because the instrumentals are different throughout the album, there’s never a sonically dull moment, and, instead, there’s something new to catch when listening to the album beyond that first time. Combined with the vocals, every song stands on its own as a story that listeners can relate to. Overall, Go displays the energy and confidence Jocelyn and Chris have, and, with this release, I think they’re also sending a confident message – to go forward with what you want and believe in without looking back.

4.5/5 Stars // Review by Elizabeth Loo - Focus Magazine

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt are a sibling duo that create powerful blues rock. Their recent album, Edges, features Danny Louis from Gov't Mule and G. Love. This Friday, October 21, they will appear at The Hall at MP in Brooklyn, supporting Pat McGee. Here, they share a track from Edges, live at Relix. - Relix Magazine

You love them. You hate them. Sometimes those feelings can turn on a dime. I have no idea what that expression means by the way. I’ve used it a ton of times, but seriously who turns on a dime? Anyway, my point is having a sibling or siblings can be a weird thing. There’s such a wide spectrum of emotions experienced on such an ongoing basis. You can go ages without talking to them or can’t go seconds without texting one another. I know people who haven’t spoken to their brother or sister in years or don’t even acknowledge their existence. This weird opening ends (thankfully I know) with a story of siblings who are thisclose - almost literally.

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt share a childhood, a school, and a band together. That story in itself is cool but when you throw in the fact their band is successful, it just gets better and almost makes me want to reach out to my sister and start a band. OK, not really. We both have no musical ability. Anyway, JCA (I’m going to abbreviate here so I don’t get tired of typing) are attending college together at Harvard University while the music they’ve made plays on college radio and notably AAA and AMA radio. Their album, by the way, debuted in the Relix Jamband chart at #17 last month. Smart, talented, and successful. On paper, you want to be them or you’re incredibly jealous. Meet and listen to them, and the proverbial paperwork gets crumpled up into a ball and misfired into a nearby trashcan.

Take a listen to Edges - their new album - and you’ll reap the benefits of raw emotion, blues-and-soul inflected power and an energy level you wish some acts on radio today would have and I don’t say that in a “back in my day they didn’t have...” sort of way.

Late last month, JCA performed on A-SIdes, and discussed their music and the whole sibling thing. They also discussed touring while hitting the books (they’ve played over 100 performances this year including SXSW and CMJ), all while going to school. Their grades? Very good by the way but who cares. Music is going to trump education here. They’re destined to break out like a delinquent in detention. Have a look below (JCA filmed am A-Sides session at the Music Conservatory of Westchester), and call your sibling. - Huffington Post: A-Sides with Jon Chattman

If there's one blues song that's guaranteed to hit you right in the feels every time, it's Tracy Chapman's, "Give Me One Reason To Stay Here." Breathing new life into the well-known anthem, brother-sister duo Jocelyn & Chris Arndt have managed to crank up the soul and turn up the funk for their live rendition of the heartbreaking track.

Recorded at Rock n' Roots Festival in Lake George, NY, the song encapsulates everything you want in a live cover - enchanting guitar riffs paired with out-of-this world, powerhouse vocals.

"This song is insanely fun to sing," says Jocelyn. "It really takes on a whole life of its own when it gets going." Chris digs it, too, saying, "There's nothing better than a solid blues jam, which is exactly what Chapman created with this tune. It just rocks!" - Bandsintown

Sibling duo Jocelyn and Chris Arndt are sharing their newest single, “Shame,” off of their upcoming album, Edges, a follow up to 2014’s Strangers In Fairyland EP.

”’Shame’ is all about sweet, sweet musical revenge,” said Jocelyn of the track. “We tried to make ‘Shame’ memorable and singable, while retaining Chris’ trademark retro guitar style. Lyrically, this is definitely me at my sassiest. While the guy I’m singing about may have gotten the last laugh, I definitely got the last chorus.”

Listen to the exclusive premiere of “Shame” above, and look out for Edges, set to release on February 26, 2016. - Paste Magazine

The sibling tandem of Jocelyn and Chris Arndt will release their debut full-length, Edges on February 26, the follow-up to their 2014 Strangers In Fairyland EP. They performed at the 2015 Mountain Jam and Gov't Mule's Danny Louis appears on the new record. Today we premiere "Too Much To Me" which showcases their big, brash, bluesy sound. The Arndts tell Relix, “This song is straight-up rock and we definitely want people to tap their feet when they hear it! Lyrically speaking, regardless of how much the dress costs, if the character of the person wearing it isn’t worth a penny, we are not going to get along very well.” - Relix Magazine

Jocelyn and Chris Arndt have a lot in common. They’re both musicians, they’re both Harvard undergrads—they even share some of the same DNA. Like Duane and Gregg Allman, Eddie and Alex Van Halen or Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson before them, their sibling bond extends beyond family game night and into their creative collaboration.

With a new record, Edges, slated for release in late February, Jocelyn and Chris are poised to accomplish big things in 2016. We caught up with the pair to talk about the good, the bad and the unexpected about writing songs with the person who’s known you longer than anyone else.

Scout Cambridge: Normally when I interview musicians I ask how they met, but I guess with you two that’s pretty self explanatory.

Jocelyn Arndt: Yeah, it was like, right around when Chris was born. [Laughs]

SC: Then I guess I’ll fast forward a bit: How did the two of you get into music, and when did you decide that you’d like to play together?

JA: The music thing started around fourth grade. For Chris, that would be third grade. When I was little, I took tap lessons, and I was terrible. I was like, “Mom, I want to play piano!” And she was like, “Um, cool, but not until you’re older so you’ll actually practice.” I started playing piano in fourth grade, and Chris wanted to play an instrument, too, so he started playing guitar.

Chris Arndt: Actually, I specifically wanted to play the piano, but our parents didn’t want us to be competing or anything. So my dad just bought me a guitar—he surprised me one day. And I’m very grateful that he did that.

JA: It really worked out! We started doing talent shows together, and in high school we formed a band. We played a lot of, like, family fun days, the local fair. That was how we cut our teeth on music.

SC: When did things start taking off beyond that?

CA: We were actually playing with our high school band at a fair, and the guy who’s our current manager, producer and drummer was there with another artist. He saw us, he called us up the next day and we just kind of started working with him. He said he’d like to sign us with his company for development, and we were like, “What? Can this actually be a career?” I thought I’d just end up playing bars when I was 40.

SC: So what is it like to be in a band with your sibling?

JA: I’d say around 99 percent of the time, it’s awesome. And then there’s that 1 percent, when Chris eats the last piece of pizza…

CA: Or Jocelyn doesn’t take out the trash…

JA: We have our sibling moments. Everybody’s like, “Wow, I can’t believe you’re in a band together. That must be where all the emotion comes from.” And it’s not, really. It’s great though, we’ve known each other literally since infancy, so we know each other better than anybody else. I think that really helps when we go to L start writing songs.

CA: It’s really nice to know each other so well because we’re comfortable airing our full opinion without sugarcoating it. That’s what you need to do to make a good song.

SC: You also hear about bands whose members get to an impasse, or have a power struggle, and end up breaking up thanks to “irreconcilable differences.” That probably doesn’t happen with you two.

JA: Right, we still have to go home for Thanksgiving and cut the turkey together. That still has to happen.

CA: Unresolved conflict isn’t really an option, which is a great thing.

SC: So where does the emotion come from, if not your relationship?

JA: The emotion comes from… anything. You can write a song about anything. I’m your typical, garden variety, emotional artist girl, so I can get drama out of anything. We look all around for inspiration, and sometimes writing a song helps us understand things better.

SC: Was it a conscious decision for you to both attend Harvard? Did you know that you wanted to do that?

JA: It sort of just happened, and in the end, I’m really glad we chose to go to the same school. We’re constantly there for each other—to hang out or to write music or to play games. It makes everything easier.

CA: Other than the fact that we are actually best friends, it’s ridiculously helpful to both be at the same place. Any time I want to work on a song or practice I just go up to her door with my guitar like, “Hey! Stop what you’re doing!”

SC: “Pay attention to me now!”

JA: He’s like a cat.

SC: Do you have any other thoughts for aspiring sibling musicians about what this kind of collaboration is like?

JA: I would say it is the best thing in the world. It’s also, sometimes, the hardest thing in the world. It’s like… picture this: You’re five, and you’re on the playground, and you just made up a secret language that only you know. But there’s one other person that also knows the language. We still speak in our own secret code.

CA: Having been around each other—Jocelyn for the majority of her life, me for the entirety of my life—we just understand each other on a level that I don’t think could happen with anyone else. It’s an integral part of how we write songs.

JA: He just gets it. - Scout Magazines

On Saturday, January 23, sibling duo Jocelyn and Chris Arndt brought their brand of ‘70s inspired blues rock to The Viper Room in downtown LA. The show was to celebrate the upcoming release of their new LP, Edges, out February 26. The album will feature spots from Danny Louis (Gov’t Mule) and G Love. But in between crafting sweet rock n’ roll and playing with industry legends, Jocelyn (21) and Chris (19), still find time for their studies at Harvard. Their set showed these aren’t your average students, though: Chris’ guitar playing is well beyond his years — his riffs and composition show a true understanding of music. His sound evokes Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughn, using these legends as a stepping stone to play blues-rock his own way. Then you have Jocelyn. While bubbly when speaking in person, her stage presence is all business. She uses the stage as her pulpit and commands every inch of it. Their performance proved these siblings are a force to be reckoned with, and it will come as no surprise when you start hearing more from these two. We sat down with Jocelyn and Chris before their show:

Where are you guys from?
Jocelyn: We actually grew up in upstate New York. It’s about an hour west of Albany — it’s very far up, more cows than people.
Chris: Yeah.
J: In a little town called Fort Plain. We go back and forth from Boston because we go to school there. But I would probably say right now we’re based around Albany; that’s where we rehearse a lot.

You have a ‘70s, blues-rock vibe going on. Were those the type of bands that had the biggest influence on you? Did where you grow up have an impact on your sound?
C: I think so. I don’t know about the geography so much, but being in a small town, everyone knows everyone. From our very first performance at a talent show when I was 10 or 11, we met the local guys who were in the band in the area. There were a couple bands — they played all the shows, all the festivals, all the bars, and they kind of took us under their wing. That’s the kind of thing I feel like only happens in a small town like that. They were hugely instrumental in our development as musicians.
J: Yeah. And I think that small towns are 15 years behind in a lot of ways [laughs], which I think is super helpful because we’re all still in the ‘80s, maybe the early ‘90s, you know? I think that really helps our music.

You both go to Harvard. How is playing music and going to school at the same time? Is that tough to balance?
J: It’s definitely tough. I would not call it easy at all. But it’s worth it, we love them both. And we’re closet dorks.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.
J: They both help us appreciate the other one. And we’re getting really good at picking our classes and setting goals and accomplishing them, because otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to get anything done. I would always rather be playing music than doing homework. So, I think one really makes me appreciate the other. Music is definitely the main focus.
What is your major?
J: I’m an English major, which definitely helps with the lyrical writing side.
C: I’m Music Engineering and Computer Science. Mostly music though.

How do your parents feel about that balance of school and music?
J: They’re really supportive, and I know we’re really lucky in that way. You’ve heard horror stories with bands being like, “Hey Mom, we’re gonna start a band," and mom being like, “No you’re not” [Laughs.] So they’ve been really great in that way. They called us earlier and were like, “Good luck! Kill it at the Viper Room tonight!” They’ve always told us, if you’re going to do something, do it. And be serious about it. Do it to the best of your ability. I think that applies to anything.

You guys are considered “younger” for a band — you’re still in school, etc. Are there any words of advice for musicians just starting out?
J: It still feels so weird giving advice. I feel like I’m still a baby in the industry…I mean, for me? I would probably say, “just play whatever you can” is a big one. Wherever you can find power outlets, set up and play something. Because you never know who you are going to see, who is going to hear you and give you his card, and say, “Call me,” which is what happened to us. We were playing at the fair in the Beer Tent.
C: There were literally five people there — two of them were our parents.
J: And the other three were working the hot dog stand. David, who is now our manger and producer on our new album, Edges, came up to us and said, "Hey, you know you can really do this, right?” And we were like, “Alright, we’ll do it!” Play all the time because you never know who's watching. - Culture Collide

As midnight approached, Tavern, Crown Street’s newest bar, hosted a standout performance by Jocelyn and Chris Arndt. The siblings have been playing together since they were four. Now they juggle school with music in Cambridge, Mass. Jocelyn performed like an unholy union of Amy Winehouse and Hannah Montana; Chris combined Hendrix with John Mayer. Their appearance belied the intensity with which they played; their show was like walking into a theatre expecting a Disney classic and finding a Quentin Tarantino flick instead. - ALESSANDRO POWELL , New Haven Independent

Few musicians can say that they have had a year quite like Jocelyn & Chris Arndt. While their blues-rock style brought them to over 100 performances across the country including the Sundance Music Festival and Mountain Jam Music Festival, the two managed to attend Harvard University.

With their debut full-length album Edges set to be released February 26, the duo have their sights set on bigger and better things.

Despite a hectic Ivy League schedule and flourishing music career, guitarist Chris was able to take some time to answer a few questions.

Everyone seems to mention the timeless quality of the guitar playing, but the thing that strikes me on your songs are the powerful vocals that seem reminiscent of the glory days of rock. What influences led to the timeless quality of both the guitar riffs and the commanding vocals?

We’ve been listening to music for our entire lives. When we were little, we had a library in our house, and we would take turns going in and picking random CDs to listen to throughout the day—silence was pretty rare, but we loved it.

As we started getting older and growing into our roles as musicians, we gravitated towards blues and rock because of the powerful drive behind the vocals and guitar. Some of our biggest musical influences are Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Grace Potter, Dire Straits, Jefferson Airplane, and Train.

I was in a band in college and we found it difficult to practice and play a handful of shows while studying. Then I found out that you guys performed over 100 times this last year while also attending Harvard. First, I just want to thank you for making me feel like a slacker. Secondly, how in the world do you balance all of that?

It definitely gets pretty busy, but we absolutely love both, so it’s really a lot of fun. Most of our weekends and breaks go to music, and there are times when we need to miss school to perform. Our primary focus is music, and we’re super psyched to push Edges this spring!

What’s the best moment in all of those performances that you can think of?

There are so many! It’s really hard to choose… Mountain Jam was incredible because we got to share the bill with people like Grace Potter, Government Mule, the Black Keys, and Robert Plant. That whole experience was pretty surreal.

Another really good one was a show we had in Pittsburgh where we opened for the Gin Blossoms. Their ‘Best Of’ album has been one of our favorite picks from the library for as long as we can remember, so sharing the stage with them was insane. This past year has been pretty amazing and going into 2016 I think it’s just going to get more so!

Do you ever to find it difficult to write and perform as siblings?

As my sister always says, “Working with Chris is great… 99% of the time.” I think that about sums it up.

She’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Throughout high school and now, we’ve always done everything together, so it seemed only natural that when we started writing songs we would do that together too. There are definitely moments when we have our sibling arguments, but I don’t think either one of us would be capable of doing music at this level without the other—we‘re a team, and that’s all there is to it.

You’ve said the theme of your newest song “Shame” is a sort of revenge after a less than pleasant ending to a relationship. Do you think the guy knows about this song and what would his response be?

Knowing him, he’s probably living in denial right now. If he does know about the song, he’d probably say something like “At least I was worth that!”, to which Jocelyn would reply, “I once wrote a song about dry cereal. Don’t let that ego inflate too much.”

Edges, your upcoming full-length, is scheduled for release February 26th. Is the material similar to “Shame” for the most part or did you explore different sounds throughout?

“Shame” is definitely the song on the album that would fit pop radio the best, but I think that you can expect a similar rock and blues-rock vibe on the rest of the tracks. There will be a ballad or two, but we mostly stuck with high-energy songs with a bit of an alternative edge (pun not intended), while always maintaining some serious retro influence.

Solely based off of “Shame”, it seems that we can expect to hear a lot of growth between your 2014 EP Strangers In Fairyland and Edges. Was this just a natural progression or was there something specific that led to that move forward?

It sounds cheesy, but I think Strangers in Fairyland was really us trying to find our musical identity. We didn’t know exactly what we wanted to do or be yet, and it really reflects that. We love it, but it’s definitely a collection of songs that aren’t really that connected to one another. Edges is going to be a cohesive album, and that’s something we’re really looking forward to. We’ve got some great players on the album with us, like Danny Louis from Government Mule and G. Love, so I think listeners can expect a pretty rootsy blues-rock sound!

What was the biggest inspiration for the album?

Again, it sounds pretty cheesy, but we’re really inspired by everything. Music is our outlet. Whenever we’ve had a stressful day, or are feeling happy about something, or just want to get emotions out in general, we always turn to music. So I guess you could say the inspiration for the album is just life in general.

How did the collaboration with G. Love on Edges come into play?

That came through our producer, David Bourgeois.

When we began discussing harmonica players for the album, G was our number one pick the whole time—he’s such a great blues player. Well, it turns out David’s wife Anna went to college with G’s tour manager. So they took us to one of G’s shows and he decided to record with us! A couple months later, just a few days before Christmas, we went to Boston for a day to track him. He was not only a super nice guy, but he really liked the song. He wanted to go for even more time than we had booked. We’re stoked for everyone to hear what he did. It sounds badass. I don’t think there’s another word for it.

What’s next after the release of Edges? Are there plans for a supporting tour?

Definitely! This spring is the push to radio, so my sister and I will be flying all over the country to support that. That will take up most of our time. Then, this summer, we’re going to be back out with the band doing shows across the country. And on top of it all, people can expect another album within a year. We’ve got no plans to slow down any time soon.

You can hear Chris’ guitar on their debut EP Strangers in Fairyland and on the duo’s upcoming full-length, Edges, available February 26. - Talk Nerdy With Us

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

Busy, but really stoked! We’re crunching to make our upcoming full-length release “Edges” as awesome as possible, and we’re also gearing up to hit the road for shows across the country in week or two. It’s been crazy, but Chris and I couldn’t be more lit-up about how everything is going.

Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Shame”?

Ah, “Shame”. Talk about sass… I let my girl-wrath have free reign on this one. Lyrically, I was really going for this idea of musical revenge; he might have screwed me over, but he forgot that I’m one of those artistic types, and I’m going to make sure everybody who hears this song knows what an absolute jerk he was. And then Chris really took that tone and ran with it. His guitar work here is just the right balance of retro groove and modern edge. The end result is a cheeky, unapologetic rock song we’re both really proud of.

Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?

Well, what happens in high school stays in high school… Although honestly, Chris and I aren’t the type to hold grudges in our everyday lives. We save that for our music. Mess with a couple of blues-rockers and you can expect to hear a song down the road that sounds just a little too familiar. Just ask Taylor Swift about that.

Can you tell us more about the upcoming video?

Sure! We’ve actually got a bunch of videos in the works right now… It’s going to be a busy winter. For “Shame”, I’ll tell you that it’s sort of a lyric video with a twist. All the words are there, but it also incorporates live performance with a story line that follows the song. We think it’ll turn out pretty sweet.

The single comes off your new album Edges – what’s the story behind the title?

It took us a long time to name this album. Chris and I went back and forth brainstorming ideas, and nothing seemed quite right. Finally, we were driving to the studio one morning going through lyrics when we stopped on a line from our song Jagged: “My edges are jagged / I’ve got you wrapped around my finger but you’re gonna have to move along.” The word “Edges” kind of stood out to us…I think both of us would say that our music is multi-sided, and with all those facets come lots of different edges, too. Rock, blues, a little pop, a bit of jazz. A pinch of retro styling here, a bit of modern bite there. It just seemed to fit with the whole feel of the album; we’re showing you pieces of us song by song, edge by edge.

How was the recording and writing process?

Edges is a blend of material we wrote years ago with material we developed over the past year while we were traveling and playing a bunch of shows. The difference for us with this album is a greater sense of musical identity. We’re much more confident about who we are as musicians now, and that certainty offered us a much clearer roadmap when it came to a recording approach for these songs. Our producer, David Bourgeois, is a big fan of giving a song time to breathe instead of forcing it through predetermined process, which was perfect for Edges. For example, we actually recorded most of the vocals for the album in a cabin on White Lake in New York’s central Adirondack Mountains. We could take our time, chill by the fire, and find just the right space for each song. No studio pressure, no hard daily timelines, no traffic… Just music. We also recorded a track at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals while we were on tour, which was insane! You can feel the character of that place as soon as you walk through the door. And seeing signed records by people like Etta James and Duane Allman hanging on the walls is chicken soup for the rock n’ roll soul. All and all, Chris and I both feel that taking our time allowed us to create recordings that are organic and true to each song. Edges is clearly a rock album, and we’re really proud of it. We’ve only got one listening rule… Don’t forget to turn it up.

What was it like to work with Danny Louis and how did that relationship develop?

First of all, besides his insane talent, Danny is also one of the kindest musicians we’ve ever met. Plus, he’s a member of Gov’t Mule, a band with some of the most loyal followers in history. We saw that firsthand when we played with them at the Mountain Jam Music Festival earlier this year. The recording connection came through our producer, David. Danny not only ended up playing on six tracks of Edges, but was also super engaged in the process and said some really nice things about all of us and our music. The experience was amazing, and we feel we’ve found a true friend. You can expect further collaboration for sure. (And also, never miss a chance to see Gov’t Mule live. They’ll melt your face off with pure blues-rock goodness, and you’ll love every minute of it.)

How much did he get to influence the album?

Like all of the musicians on the Edges, he was there to lend to songs that were already pretty fully-formed. Chris and I don’t bring a song to the studio until we think it’s ready to be developed at that level. That’s not to say that the musicians we play with don’t have any input, though. The reason we play with people like Danny Louis and G Love (he’s also on the album) is because we know they’ll put their own creative stamp on our music; tones we didn’t know existed, riffs we didn’t know were possible. Our producer’s style is to listen first and ask questions later. That’s the approach that gets us those “Ooh! I love what you did there!” moments, and the music gets better as a result.

What is the main theme and topic of the album?

It’s more of a main feel than a main topic. With Edges, Chris and I want to show the world exactly who we are as musicians and songwriters. This is a blues-rock album, and we’re blues rockers. We’re focused, we’re wide open, and we’re ready to share ourselves with you. Every edge.

Any plans to hit the road?

Yeah! Next up for us is a run of shows out West, anchored by a January 23rd performance for Edge TV at the legendary Viper Room in Hollywood. We’ll be through Colorado, Utah, and Nevada along the way. In March, we’ll also be doing another run of shows through Ohio, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Texas. We’re racking up the miles these days!

What else is happening next in Jocelyn and Chris Arndt’s world?

Between Edges and our tour schedule, we’ve got no plans to slow down. In the next few months, we’ll be recording, editing, videotaping, and playing nonstop. Expect lots of new material very soon! You can check us out on Facebook, Instagram @jocelynandchrismusic, Twitter @jocelynandchris, and our website, jocelynandchrismusic.com, to follow our music madness. Thank you for having us, VENTS! - Vents Magazine

In today’s edition of CMJ portraits, I want to tell you about an up and coming brother/sister duo, Jocelyn &
Chris Arndt. Originally from Fort Plain, New York, the siblings have done more than 100 performances this
year including stops at The Sundance Film Festival, Mountain Jam Music Festival, and numerous TV
appearances in New York, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The duo has played in many NY outlets including the recent Big Picture Media showcase this past Saturday.
Jocelyn’s soul style of singing mixed with Chris’ guitar playing goes hand in hand with each other. The small,
acoustic style setting of places like Pianos and Arlene’s Grocery in New York fit their style of music like a
glove. It’s not just because they are family, but also because of their musical acumen that started when they
were very young being inspired from music by acts like Led Zeppelin.
For both Jocelyn (20) and Chris (19) to be so young, but so in tune with their retro/indie, blues-like feel is
pretty impressive. Coming off their first EP, Strangers in Fairyland, which was released in October of last
year, you figure that they have nowhere to go but up looking forward to their full album release. - Mind Equals Blown

Soulful singer-songwriter duo, Jocelyn and Chris Arndt, just recently played the CMJ Music Marathon
for the second time as official CMJ artists! We sat down with the sibling duo to chat about their
experience at this year’s CMJ, festival preparation, and their upcoming full length! Check out our
interview below!
You can also check out our recent session with them, where the duo performed their
track “Shame” here!
Since CMJ is filled with tons of incredible acts, were you excited to catch any artists in
particular? Did you stumble across any new artists that you are now a fan of?
The whole experience was amazing. We got into town on Thursday and we had a pretty full day of
meetings and prep work for our showcases, plus we did a couple of acoustic performances for different
media outlets, so we didn’t get out to see any artists that night. But Friday we met and got to hear
some incredible bands at our showcase at The Delancey. First off the club is amazing, three floors
including an exceptionally sweet rooftop lounge. Ruby Red Fox out of Boston were killer as were all the
other bands that night. Saturday we played at our publicist Big Picture Media’s showcase at Arlene’s
Grocery. Arlene’s seriously has one of the best sounding rooms in the city. Malia Grace from Texas
was tremendous, just Malia and her piano, that was all it took to get the whole rooms attention. The
Gills out of Nashville Tennessee were straight up high power rock. They’re exactly the type of band
we’d do shows with for sure. Too many great artists to mention… it was AMAZING!
You’re no stranger to playing festivals, having previously performed at the Sundance Film
Festival and Mountain Jam Music Festival. Do you guys prepare differently for festivals versus
any other show you would normally play?
Well for large stage festivals like Mountain Jam, we have a crew that helps out getting gear situated
and ready. But for multi-band showcase type events like CMJ it is all about performing as much music
as possible in our allotted time slot, making it easy for the house sound person, and promoting
promoting, promoting!! We actually rehearse the specific show we are going to do right down to the
talking points. When we are doing those rehearsals we don’t stop even if there is a mistake or technical
problem. That gives us the best shot at presenting a powerful showcase regardless of anything going
wrong. We’ve also spent a lot of time on the road so we are used to just about anything!
Everyone has a different way of defining how and when they make it, whether it’s a radio single
or playing sold-out shows. How do you measure your success?
To begin with, success is being proud of our work. Not compromising, no “B” sides, always making
every song everything it can be. Now that we have a recording and development deal, we are able to
take our time a bit and really find the best path for each song, plus we get to work with some pretty
amazing people!! For us, regardless of income, there is no true success without having pride in what we
do.
As far as “traditional success”, the big music industry has taken a very big hit over the past decade.
Decision making is much more conservative, there is less money, and there is not much wiggle room
or time for an artist to develop under a traditional label. Fortunately at the same time, there has never
been a time in history where an artist can more directly affect their own success. We both feel this is a
great time to be in the music business and we are committed to and excited by the road ahead of us.
Love and believe in what you do, inspire and be inspired, and success will follow.
Being that you guys are under 21 and there are tons of venues that do have age restrictions,
have you ever had any issues with getting into one of your own shows?
shhhhh:) Ok it’s true… but not for long! We have absolutely run into venues with super strong age
restrictions even for performers. We are fortunate to have a great Management Team and they have
successfully negotiated us onto performances at most of these venues, though it often means a giant
letter X written on our hands in permanent marker.
Seriously though, these clubs are someone’s business and the success of that business depends on
the club being very careful to protect their beer and liquor license. We have enormous respect for that
and would never jeopardize it. We are there to play music!!
It’s been a while since we’ve seen an album from you. Is there any new music in the works,
possibly a new album? If so, what information can you share with us about it?
Yes!! Our full length Edges is well into production. It will feature 14 original tracks and we are thrilled
with it. We’ve recorded extensively at White Lake Music, but this time around we did vocals for one
song at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The rest of the vocals were recorded at our
producers home in The Adirondacks.
The vibe of being in the middle of nowhere, sleeping in, drinking tea, and not having to watch the clock
made for some really inspired takes. We both love the studio, but getting out of the studio for the vocals
was an incredible experience. We are headed back there in a couple weeks to finish some guitar.. and
just maybe a campfire and some marshmallows:)
At the same time we are doing acoustic versions of almost every song on the album as well as
alternative versions and a series of club remixes. There is a LOT coming!! Word is we will
release Edges officially in mid February followed by extensive touring to support it. Fingers crossed!!
We are also shooting several videos for release in conjunction with the album. It’s going to be great!! - Lucy Out Loud

12. Jocelyn Arndt- Effortlessly blending indie-rock with soul and blues through skillful songwriting that evokes emotion, Jocelyn seems to have cracked the code to connect with listeners. Co-writing with her brother Chris, the pair are a brilliant team that bring about amazing sounds that are sure to dominate in 2015. - Planet Stereo

Jocelyn Arndt and her brother Chris have been playing and creating music together since they were kids. It didn’t take long for their passion and talents to exceed their living room, and they began performing live anywhere they could (as long as they had permission and a power outlet).
The siblings have honed their sound over the years into a powerful blend of all things jazz and blues, with a little country, rock and soul thrown in for good measure.

Today (Feb. 13), Diffuser is very excited to premiere Joceyln’s brand new track, ‘Here to Stay,’ just in time for Valentine’s Day. Check it out in the audio player below.

Over the course of four minutes, ‘Here to Stay’ never lets up with its swing-infused rock and roll — and the underlying theme of the tune is perfect for the lover’s holiday. As you listen to the lyrics, you’ll quickly hear a message about what true love is and the significance of rising above any quarrels or disagreement: “You and me / We are here to stay.”

As for the music itself, Chris took the lead. “‘Here to Stay’ actually started as a chord pattern that I recorded on guitar to practice lead over,” Chris Arndt tells us. “The moment Jocelyn heard it, she wanted to turn it into a song. She said it was just way too bluesy to pass up.”

“So we took some lyrics she was working on at the time and we sat down and cranked it out,” he continues. “It just fell together. We then brought it to David Bourgeois, our producer, and he really took off at a sprint. He brought in some incredible players, horns and upright bass, along with Danny Louis from Gov’t Mule on B3 and Jazz Vibe player Tony Miceli. But even with all of that, he somehow still managed to let the vocal and guitar carry the song.”

He emphatically tells us, “We seriously love it — everything just came together to make this into the totally awesome song it is now!”
Jocyln and Chris have announced the first run of dates for 2015, including a stop at the Bullhouse in Chestertown, N.Y. on Feb. 20 and a performance at the Sidewalk Cafe in New York City on March 16. You can check out her entire concert schedule at her official website here.


Read More: Jocelyn Arndt, 'Here to Stay' - Exclusive Premiere | http://diffuser.fm/jocelyn-arndt-here-to-stay-exclusive-premiere/?trackback=tsmclip - DIFFUSER.FM

Attending Harvard University isn’t the only thing unique about indie rock artist Jocelyn Arndt. The 19-year-old also co-writes and performs with her brother, Chris, who is also a Harvard student. The two have played music together since they were children living in rural upstate New York.

The duo inked a development and recording contract in 2013 and will release their debut EP “Strangers In Fairyland” on Oct. 27. In addition to some notable players, the album was mastered by Grammy Award winning engineer Brad Blackwood who’s other work included Maroon 5, Saving Abel and Eve 6.

Jocelyn, Chris, and their band have been invited to appear at the Black Bear Festival in Chatsworth on Oct. 18. They will also make a stop for a short set at Mocha Lounge later that evening.

“We are both so excited to play in Georgia and Tennessee, following great shows this week in Boston, Saratoga N.Y., and New York City,” commented Jocelyn. “We look forward to meeting a lot of people and making some new friends.” - Chattanoogan.com

Brains, beauty, AND a bangin' voice? Ugh, some people really DO have it all! Meet Jocelyn Arndt and her brother/co-writer Christian - BOTH students at Harvard. The Boston-based duo is currently preparing for the release of Jocelyn's new EP, Strangers In Fairyland, on October 27th, and we here at Joonbug.com are exclusively premiering its first single, "Cinderella!" A gorgeous mixture of classic rock and contemporary indie energy, "Cinderella" is tied together by Jocelyn's soulful vocals that are mature beyond their years. Her chops bare a certain raspiness and 'know-how,' that when combined, create a superbly developed and mature tune. Check out "Cinderella" below, and remember to get your copy of "Strangers In Fairyland" below! - MOLLY BOEKENHEIDE , Joonbug.com

Let's close out the school and work week with a fun EP premiere! How about listening to this exclusive stream of Jocelyn Arndt's new EP, Strangers in Fairyland, out Monday, October 27, with us?

Jocelyn and her brother/co-writer Christian, both students at Harvard, which is majorly impressive, began to reach past their living room practice space when they were barely teens, playing anywhere they could find permission and a power outlet. While Jocelyn's distinctive vocal style took shape, Chris' guitar skills flourished, both drawing inspiration from local classic rock stations and their parents' bottomless record collection.

The duo soon became known for their stylized songs and powerful performances borrowing equally from classic rock and contemporary indie energy.


 "My brother Chris and I write music," Arndt told us. "It's something we've done since we were kids. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes we struggle, but we keep each other at our best and we love it. We're both so extremely proud of the music we've chosen for Strangers in Fairyland. It's an honor to have this opportunity to share our music! To put it simply... we're absolutely stoked! We're also grateful to all the people who believed in us and helped make this EP a reality. We can't thank YOU enough for listening!"

With that in mind, enjoy Strangers in Fairyland.

Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/exclusive-ep-stream-jocelyn-arndt-strangers-in-fairyland/11274100#mXp1WFFXV6EaQ3ee.99 - AMY SCIARRETTO , Artist Direct

Hi Jocelyn, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
I’ve been great! Busy, but that’s the way I like it. Thanks for having me.

Let’s talk about your new material Strangers in Fairyland. What’s the story behind the title?
My brother Chris and I write all of our songs together, so deciding on a name for the EP was also a team effort. Many a title died in the making of this work. In the end, we decided on “Strangers in Fairyland” because we think it sums up a feeling that tends to come up a lot in our writing – the idea that nothing ever goes quite as intended, and reality sometimes has different plans than expectations. Sometimes signals get lost and story lines get twisted. I’ve always been a firm believer that fairy-tale ideals don’t work for everyone, including me; sometimes I’m just a stranger stumbling around, trying to figure out which foot the stupid glass slipper is supposed to fit.

Can you talk to us more about the recording and writing process?
Writing is a pretty open-ended process. Chris will come up with a riff or I’ll hear a melody in my head, and then we’re rolling. The process can vary from song to song, but usually Chris constructs the music while I write the lyrics and melody. After we’ve got a song we’re proud of, we head to the studio to flesh it out. I can’t tell you enough how awesome everyone at Bridge Road Entertainment is. It’s an absolute pleasure to see our songs come to life at the hands of such great people. We’re currently working on around 20 songs with some amazing musicians, but we really wanted to get the material on this CD out there.

Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
Everywhere! Chris and I are always in music mode. I think some of our best writing has come out of spontaneous ideas triggered by everyday events. Cereal, anesthesia, Dillenger, anything. I have to be careful cleaning out my wallet because chances are there are lyrics scribbled on the backs of receipts and old movie tickets. We also draw inspiration from our music heroes. For Chris, that’s anything that ever happened in the 70’s guitar world, and for me, that’s any singing diva that ever wailed her heart out.

Will you be hitting the road this year?
Yeah! We just wrapped up shows in Boston, New York, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Georgia. We LOVE playing and our band is incredible. I know we’re in the Northeast through the holidays with a stop at The Bitter End in NYC on January 3rd. Then we go south through Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida in early January. We’re going to try to swing a trip to the West Coast that month as well. Summer is also looking pretty busy… we’re stoked!

What’s happening next in Jocelyn Arndt’s world?
Well, believe it or not, we’re finishing a holiday song this month that we’re really proud of. Chris and I originally wrote it for our parents as a Christmas present. I can’t wait for the release. We’re also completing videos for three of our tracks. One is being shot by DP extraordinaire Jendra Jarnagin. She’s the bomb. Other than that, we’re in the studio working on more music, including two new songs featuring Danny Louis of Gov’t Mule on keys. He’s great! And of course, writing, writing, writing. That never stops. It’s way more fun than doing homework, anyway.

I try to post about things we’re doing on Facebook whenever I can. Stay in touch! I can promise you lots of new music and silly faces. - RJ FROMETA , Vents Magazine

...6. If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
Queen, hands down. Their songwriting was undeniably genius. And Freddie Mercury was probably the greatest rock singer ever. Period. End of story.

7. With the holidays just wrapping up, which celebrity were you disappointed not to find under your Christmas tree?
Grumpy Cat! He counts as a celebrity, right? He’s adorable. Every time I see his little scrunched-up face I want to hug him.

8. Where do you guys see yourselves in a year?
I can’t say for sure, but it’s definitely going to be somewhere bigger and brighter. We’re going to work as hard as we can to make this music thing happen for us. We’ve got lots planned for this year; a new full-length album release in the summer, new music videos, and loads of new tour dates. I can’t wait to see where we end up. One thing’s for sure, though; it’s going to rock. - Musicholics4u - Staff

Life is busy for Jocelyn and Chris Arndt! The Fuze Magazine spent some time with the touring Arndt’s on the big comfy couch in the greenroom at Lukin’s where we rapped about music, Harvard, and the fact that they’re pretty much prodigies. And, they told us a secret that we’ve been holding in for days now! Since they’ve made the official announcement, The Fuze can finally tell you all that Jocelyn and Chris will be playing the Sundance Film Festival this year! The pair also nabbed some recent studio time at the legendary Fame Studios in Alabama. Some pretty prestigious cred sitting around on Varick Street, don’t ya know?

Since their idea of busy isn’t even the same as the rest of us, the duo also released a new music video for their song, Lullaby recently cause, ya know, down time. There was nothing else going on for those 3 minutes.

We’d also like to take a moment to wish Jocelyn a very happy birthday and an amazing year to come... - Fuze Magazine - Team Fuze

We’re conditioned to be impressed when we hear schools like Harvard. That’s just the norm, which isn’t a bad thing because it’s hard as heck to get accepted there. Well being a student there is a reality for singer Jocelyn Arndt.

She was accepted to the prestigious school and was all set to play her last show with her brother when a man handed her dad a card. One thing led to another and they were signed to Bridge Road Entertainment the day before she could legally cast a vote. School didn’t take a break though, but neither does her music. Finding balance between the two puts life in perspective for the young singer-songwriter.

This New York native has more up her sleeve than higher education. Jocelyn is set on taking on the world and making her fairy tale a reality.


Kendra: Would school take a break if you got offered a huge chance at a big tour?

Jocelyn: In a word, YES! But it’s not necessarily about a single big chance or big tour, it’s about the timing b - Golden Mix Tape - Kendra

What they’ve both figured out is their desire to write, play and perform music; their own music. “Strangers In Fairyland” is a well constructed, well produced and gutsy performance from Jocelyn with Chris playing some blistering guitar licks behind her powerful vocals. Arndt performs at a level both live and on this debut effort that is far above her years of experience; totally complimenting her all star cast of Gov’t Mule’s Danny Louis on the B3 organ, Tony Miceli on vibes, David Bourgeois on drums, and a host of session players. “Working with such talented musicians was just an unbelievable experience.”
Working with Talented studio players is one thing; so how is it working together as siblings? “You know what? Ninety nine percent of the time it’s great,” said a laughing Jocelyn. “We always have easy access during a stroke of creative genius,” added Chris... - Concert Blogger.com - Danny Coleman

The Fort Plain, New York singer-songwriter may have released her debut EP, 'Strangers In Fairlyland,' two months ago, but now this musical fairy returns to spread some holiday cheer with an exclusive new track dedicated to the holiday season.

Along with her brother/co-writer Chris, Jocelyn follows up on the strength of her debut EP,Strangers In Fairyland, a seven-track track collection of soul pop goodness with an alternative and jazzy edge, which dropped October 7th, with "Still."
The warm composition was initially penned by the duo last winter as a Christmas present to their parents, as both were still -- no pun intended -- in high school and short on cash from their part time ski and snowboarding jobs."Our goal for 'Still' was to try and fit as much wonderful, sparkling Christmas-ness into a song as we could," Jocelyn recalls.

"We sat there, closed our eyes, and wrote about what came to mind... - Arena.com - Bear Frazer

Boston singer-songwriter Jocelyn Arndt might not be on your radar at the moment, but she will soon enough. Following the October release of her stunningly rock-soaked Strangers in Fairyland EP, Popdust is honored to exclusively premiere her brand new lyric video for folk-textured “Lullaby.” Her voice here is angelic, dripping slowly across each melodic line like a bird in flight. Along with her brother Chris (on guitar), both musicians are Harvard students, but they’ve managed to shatter the classroom walls for a truly career-defining moment. “Lullaby” is only scratching the surface of their soaring talents.

The lyric video (below) was created through a collaborative effort with producer David Bourgeois and developed by Jeff Knight. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the searing rock ambiance. - Pop Dust - Jason Scott

Siblings Jocelyn and Chris Arndt team up on Strangers In Fairyland to write and produce one of the most promising EPs I’ve heard in a long time.

The indie-rock duo’s debut EP shows enough of the pairing to get a taste for their sound, yet not too much leaving the listener longing for a full album.

Opening track “Cinderella” charges right out of the gate with attitude packed vocals that command attention. The production is reminiscent of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” but at no point does it sound like a cheap knock-off. It sets out the sound the duo are after, an in-your-face, vocally charged, indie-rock anthem.

“Hitman” and “Icebreaker” carry on the genre of anthem-esque rock with a more progressive, electronic twist. “Hitman” in particular shows the bands experimental approach to song structures. Much like recent work from Beyoncé, the track doesn’t flow smoothly, it swaps and changes into different sounds. This approach makes the song exciting and in turn a highlight.

Another highlight is ballad “Lullaby,” but for totally different reasons. This track is a classic rock ballad, like previous song “Nevermind,” just with a more positive vibe. Jocelyn’s vocals are beautiful and totally steal the show from the gaining production. She shows different tones and pitches to her voice, also showing a softer side compared to the power vocals from other tracks. This wouldn’t be missing from The Fault In Our Stars soundtrack.

Arndt Jocelyn has the potential to cross over from under the radars rock singer to the next big thing, and judging by this EP, she will be very soon!

Musicholics! Have you heard the fantastic EP yet? Let us know what you think below! - Musicholics4U

Our spirits were high for the next show at the Bayou Cafe. Sitting at the bar and watching a crowd start to pour in really peaked my interest into who was about to perform... The answer was Jocelyn Arndt and her brother and co-writer Christian.

Jocelyn and Christian Arndt were a highlight of the Move Festival. Jamming out some entertaining alternative rock music, Jocelyn's voice was pronounced and powerful. Playing tracks like "Two Left Feet" kept the crowd moving and the energy high. - In Your Speakers

Your songs, band, and performance created pin drop moments! Jocelyn’s voice reverberating through
the room literally stopped people in their tracks. Come back soon!
-Brent Kirby, Brothers Lounge, Cleveland OH - Brent Kirby

FORT PLAIN - Two teenage village siblings are flirting with musical stardom.

Capital Region music industry insiders say 18-year-old vocalist and piano player Jocelyn Arndt's vocals, and the guitar work by her 16- year-old brother, Christian, have put them on the fast track to what may turn into something big. The pair earlier this year signed a two-year agreement with Latham's White Lake Music & Post/Bridge Road Entertainment to support both recording and touring.

"Jocelyn is an unimaginably gifted singer, just incredible" commented David Bourgeois of Bridge Road Entertainment. Bourgeois said the two have a "development agreement," which is a little different from a record deal, offering the artist time to develop image and musical “brand.” High school senior Jocelyn has been accepted to Harvard University and plans to attend in the fall as a pre-med student while continuing to write, record, and perform. Warren Garling, director of marketing for White Lake/Bridge Road, said the Fort Plain Central School District has been understanding of the potential stars in their midst.

"The kids are so well known they are given time off to do publicity," he said.

Garling said Jocelyn's voice has gained the attention of music professionals across the country with inquiries from as far away as California and Canada. The Arndts will be recording with musicians from New York City to Los Angeles to complete their first album with Bridge Road. - MICHAEL ANICH , The Leader Herald

FORT PLAIN — 18 year old Jocelyn Arndt, singer and pianist formerly of The Dependents, and her brother/guitarist, Christian, have signed a development and recording agreement with the Albany-based White Lake Music and Post.
The contract, signed on Jocelyn’s birthday, January 14, has been in negotiations since White Lake Music and Post President and Creative Director David Bourgeois saw the duo perform at a regional music festival. As part of the deal, Jocelyn and Christian will record two albums of original material backed by an impressive list of musicians for eventual presentation to major music industry. “I think it’s safe to say we’re both pretty dang stoked by it,” said Jocelyn of the deal, with Christian commenting, “It’s really awesome, but I don’t know if it’s quite sunken in yet.”
The deal will afford many new recording luxuries for the teenaged duo. Jocelyn explained that they’ve collaborated with Bourgeois to expand and layer their sound, possibly adding instruments such as cello, or even a gospel choir, to new tracks. “We’re super excited to work with him,” Jocelyn stated of Bourgeois, noting that their ultimate goal, as stated by him, is “to kick the ball down the field.” “We’re just going to ride this wave,” she concluded. - JOSHUA THOMAS , C-S-E Editor

Jocelyn Arndt Performs Live On Fox Good Day New York! Sometimes a song is better...

Upstate New York indie singer/songwriter Jocelyn Arndt has had quite a year. She signed a development deal putting her and her co-writer and younger brother Christian in the studio with top musicians, she was accepted at Harvard University, and she finished high school as Salutatorian. Now, most Salutatorians present a nice speech about what they’ve gained from school or where they hope to end up one day, but not Jocelyn.

Instead of the typical speech, Jocelyn wrote and performed a song that brought nearly everyone attending, including her classmates, to tears.


Video shot by an attendee quickly racked up several thousand views online and less than a week later the phone rang. But this was no ordinary phone call. This was Fox New York asking Jocelyn to appear live on the show and perform the song.

So, on July 1st, 2013, Jocelyn -- joined by her Dad and brother as well as representatives from the company she is signed with -- showed up in the green room at Fox for a 6:15am call time. After makeup and hair, Jocelyn got to hang out in the green room and meet celebrities like former Mets great Mookie Wilson, R&B legend Joe, and several others. Then, around 8:15 Jocelyn was on the air being interviewed and performing the song that brought her classmates to tears just a few days earlier. Estimated viewers at the time of her performance were over 200,000. Not a bad experience less than a week after graduation! - WLM&P Blog

We may never have learned what a force of nature Jocelyn Arndt‘s voice is if, one fateful day, her band’s usual singer couldn’t show up and she decided to give it a try. Her vocal qualities have been compared to any number of pairings of Joss Stone, Anne Wilson, Grace Slick, Adele, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Florence Welch, and others. It’s a question that’s always asked of Jocelyn, to describe her sound. The answer given demurely, through a smile, is that it is hers.

The story begins with Jocelyn, on keys and vocals, and younger brother Christian on guitar, forming The Dependents with classmates from Fort Plain Central High. The band quickly became very popular, playing songs written by Jocelyn and select covers at a wide variety of shows. Last year, the duo signed an artist development deal with Bridge Road Entertainment, immersing them in all aspects of the music industry. Tonight they brought along Chad Mendrysa on stand-up bass and Tucker Callander on violin to play acoustic versions of songs being recorded for an upcoming album.

Jocelyn mentioned that no matter the performance type or size audience, it’s always 100%. We’re100% sure there are some great (musical) things in store for Jocelyn and Christian Arndt. - ANDREW GREGORY