Arks @ Darkroom (Chicago, IL) KEXP

December 6, 2007

Up next was Arks, a staple and a highlight of the Highwheel catalogue but on this occasion their performance was a swan song for a band that is splitting into new directions. It was clear that there was a tremendous amount of support in the house for Arks in their final moments at Darkroom and they delivered a show packed with every ounce of their collective energy. It was a thunderous set that seemed intended to leave an impression in the ether of rock 'n' roll shaped like Arks for the ages. Arks were honed and incisive in their attack and Paul Hornschemeier's insistent but steady voice sliced through the band's controlled frenzy with a mixture of David Byrne and Mission of Burma's Roger Miller. It was a triumphant performance for a band that had deservedly garnered a great deal of local acclaim over the years. Darkroom responded with a mixture of enthusiasm and sadness at the loss of one of the scene's best.— Mike Turner

Arks @ Trash Bar (New York, NY) - NY Press

November 16, 2007

Last night at Trash Bar, Chicago's Arks showed a small Brooklyn crowd that Chicago has a powerful up-and coming music scene. Touring in support of their new album, The International, Arks' deep, dark, driving post-punk rhythms nearly blew the walls off the small Williamsburg venue.— Jonny Leather

"The International" - Washington Post Interview

November 3, 2007

FROM OFF THE STREETS of Chicago to the streets of D.C., the up and coming indie rock band Arks is ready to get you grooving at The Velvet Lounge tonight.

Arks, who could sonically pass for Fugazi's Midwestern second cousin, come at you with relentless, driving guitars and singer Paul Hornschemeier's staccato vocals providing some haunting results. The band arrives in town touring in support of its first full length album, "The International."

While Arks' post-punk sound could comfortably assimilate into the local hardcore scene, Chicago's a different story.

"We sort of absolutely don't and absolutely do fit into the Chicago scene," Hornschemeier said.

The Chicago music scene, known for bands such as Tortoise and The Sea and Cake, purveyors of jazzy and mathy rock, really offers a much more diversified, often weirder and edgier sound, which is where Arks finds its place.

"I think a lot of times people don't necessarily know what to do with us," Hornschemeier said. "'You sound like um, uh, ahhh.' And then they give up. They'll hear one song and then the next song isn't anything like that, so they don't really know what to do with it."

It's almost fitting that the band is difficult to categorize, as Hornschemeier himself falls into the same surplus of classifications. When he's not sweating and crooning on stage, the erudite performer lives a second life as a noted cartoonist, with numerous graphic novels to his name, including "The Three Paradoxes" and "Mother, Come Home."

The multi-talent artist describes making music as his sanity that gets him out of the house and interacting creatively with other human beings.

"Honestly, doing music is a necessity because cartooning is such an insular activity," Hornschemeier said. "It's still a creative outlet, but it's much more immediate and certainly with the music we do, a fair amount more visceral then the sad sacks that I draw."

In lieu of the sad sacks, Hornschemeier compares an Arks show to that vibe you get when you go back home and your big brother is there.

"There's absolutely no pretension," he said. "I think we're a rowdy, probably somewhat drunk big brother that's just going to tease you during the show. Everybody just wants to have a good time."
— Scott Rosenberg