Nate Greely and Sean Spillane (singers and guitar players, the both of them) come from the South (Texas mostly). Nate's dad is a Cajun fiddle player and Sean's dad is an oceanographer, which is superfluous information, but it’s interesting isn’t it? The boys met while attending college in L.A, where understandably they began playing college rock. After graduating, Nate and Sean were off to Pasadena where they came across and adopted into the Arlo fold Shmed (bass) and Soup (drums), both formerly from the band Holliston Stops. In January 2001, Arlo’s full-length debut, Up High in the Night was released and the band toured like crazy to spread the word. Somewhere in the midst of all that touring, former Further/Beachwood Sparks drummer Tom Sanford joined Arlo officially, replacing our old pal Soup and strengthening an already formidable force. Which, pretty much brings us up to now…

Stab the Unstoppable Hero builds upon the groundwork laid with Up High in the Night, adding new warp and weave to the band’s pop-rock landscape (ref. the twang provided by erstwhile Further/Beachwood Sparks guitarist Josh Schwartz on “Up”). Unlike the debut which was self-produced and recorded completely at home, Stab the Unstoppable Hero is a co-production with Ben Vaughn, and includes songs written by Shmed, who is a dangerous Beatles freak. It’s this danger, a refreshingly defiant optimism and the aforementioned live wire power that arm Arlo as they stab the unstoppable hero. So, join us, bet on the underdog for a change, take a few pokes at Goliath. After all, it’s just this kind of willingness to put yourself in peril that proves you’re alive. “Peril,” implying the momentary air-borne drop of a roller coaster.
© 2002, Sub Pop

Up High In The Night Bio
AN ANECDOTE: It was a Friday night and something was definitely amiss. Apparently the club had booked a fraternity beer bust for the early portion of the evening and it had run a little late. And, as the frat party seemed to be never-ending, the Beachwood Sparks set seemed to be never-beginning. So we drank to pass the time. It didn't take long before we were as drunk as the frat guys. Perhaps needless to say, this was a recipe for disaster. I'm not sure whose idea it was to hurl the newly-discovered, long-abandoned pieces of pizza at the front of the audience, but I remember the boys in Arlo (Nate, more specifically) thinking it was a brilliant idea. It wasn't long before almost a whole pie had gone airborne. This is where the downward spiral into chaos began... And it ended with a frat-boy grabbing Nate by his shirt, pulling him to within an inch of his face. He was screaming something along the lines of, "You think you're real funny, don't you!" When faced with another face in such close proximity to your own, you're forced to make one of two decisions: you can either punch it or plant a big wet kiss on it. Nate, always the lover, seldom the fighter, went with the latter. The ensuing, bar-clearing brawl notwithstanding, this seems somehow emblematic of what Arlo is all about. 

AND, SOME HISTORY: Based in LA, Arlo has been playing in form or another for six years. Vocalist/guitar players Nate Greely and Sean Spillane met in college and a mutual love of pot blossomed into a rock band called Otto. The boys listened to a lot of Pixies, Guided By Voices, Stones and The Who and played just about every club in LA. In the process, they went through three rhythm sections and put out a split 7" on the Glimmerfed record label. Several years later they hooked up with their old friends Soup and Shmedley, front men for the LA band Holliston Stops. Upon Joining Otto, Soup switched to drums, and Shmed moved to bass guitar. They renamed the band Arlo after the sound man at their favorite club, Mr. T's Bowl (and released a 7" on Sub Pop in October 2000 featuring "Sitin' On the Aces" and "Skyscraper") Their hobbies include oyster shucking and cannibalism, and when they drink Welch's grape soda they poop green (really - try it yourself at home!). Up High In The Night is their first album (and the title springs more from an abiding affection for the works of e.e. cummings, than the aforementioned fondness for pot…). They recorded it in their home studio between November 99 and August 00 when they weren't working their day jobs or sleeping. They enlisted the help of their friend Ben Vaughn to mix the album. An accomplished musician and producer, Ben has many of his own albums out, produced by Ween's 12 Country Golden Greats (among many others), and writes and produces the music for TV's "3rd Rock from the Sun" and "That 70's Show." Engineer Mark Linett also helped mix and, among his many credits, has worked with Jane's Addiction and the Beach Boys.

© 2001, Sub Pop