Arrows of Athena is a cinematic alt-rock and alt-pop duo based in Boston. Composed of Scott Lerner (guitar, bass, synths, drum programming) and Jac-Lyn Gibson (vocals), the project began when the two friends decided to make music together again after 15 years apart. Their rekindled chemistry was instant, and the first batch of songs recorded just after the pandemic would go on to shape debut album The Ghost Archives, set for an April 2024 release via Belhaven Records. The record is preceded by a pair of singles – ethereal debut effort “Fade Away” and the propulsive “Reckless Heart” – which both showcase the band’s dramatic, panoramic sound: a kaleidoscopic pop and rock spectrum of big dance beats, heavy riffs, and melodic intensity. With each song swirling in a kinetic sense of love, loss, and yearning, Lerner's guitar riffage, coupled with synth dynamics and punchy bass and drums, is paired with Gibson's beautiful, and at times soulful, vocals for a fresh sonic palette that is both powerful and unique.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Scott Lerner: Jac-Lyn and I played together in another band in the early 2000s. When I started working on new music that sounded outside of what I had done with my last band, I immediately thought of Jac-Lyn. We had just reconnected and this just seemed like the right time to work together again. We were both really excited to see what came out of this reconnection.
Jac-Lyn Gibson: It was the right time for me to get back to music and songwriting. Scott and I always had great chemistry so it was a no-brainer for me. My sister who is a Latin teacher was helping us brainstorm band name ideas. She told me all about Athena from Greek Mythology and I loved the idea of using her name which represents strength and wisdom. My son then helped us come up with the ‘Arrows of’ seeing that one of her symbols is her arrow. We felt it was a great fit and let’s face it, it sounds cool!
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
Scott: Jac-Lyn and I played together in an alt-rock/pop band called Pure Fiction for quite a few years and I was in a shoegaze/rock band called The Crushing Low that put out a few EPs and an album.
Jac-Lyn: From an early age my dad who played guitar would have my sister and I perform at family parties. I also sang in our church choir and school choir throughout my early years. It was our high school variety show that really ignited my love for singing in front of an audience. I felt alive! Having sang in a band for almost 10 years in the early 2000s with Scott, I began to love writing my own songs and I’m just psyched to be able to get back into it again after a 17 year hiatus.
First concert that you ever went to?
Scott: I saw the Police at The Orpheum in Boston. I’m not saying when that was. [laughs] I was very young though. Locally, way too many to mention, tons of hardcore punk shows in my youth.
Jac-Lyn: My first concert was NKOTB, of course! It was the ‘90s, I was a young girl so of course it was my first show! The most memorable concert was definitely Lollapalooza in Rhode Island in the mid-’90s. As I made my way to the front, Beastie Boys came on stage and boom! I was down on the ground bleeding from my head. Someone decided it was a great idea to throw a glass bottle through the crowd and it found its way to my head. Good times! I missed the whole show!! Real quick though, just need to add that my favorite show was definitely second row at a very intimate venue to see The Cranberries before Dolores sadly passed away. It was quite literally a moment I will never forget and yes, she was spectacular!
What's your writing process like?
Scott: I generally come up with a skeleton either on guitar, synth or bass and then build around that a bit until it sounds like a thing. Jac-Lyn creates the vocal melody and writes the lyrics. Then we record the vocals and start building up the song from there.
Jac-Lyn: What he said! I have started sharing some melodies with Scott on some new material. We are going to see what we can do when we reverse our creative process… it should be fun! I’ll be the one driving the bus this time so we will see how it goes… I’m excited to see what we come up with next.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Scott: I tend to gravitate to more of an indie rock or rock bent in general, but I’m inspired by a ton of different artists, Echo & the Bunnymen are a huge influence and the band that I’ve seen the most, although Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are a close second. I love Spoon, I think they are tremendous song writers. I started listening to Foals about 10 years ago and I think they influenced me quite a bit. Curve for sure have become an influence as well.
Jac-Lyn: Oh where do I begin?! I think I drive Scott crazy because I am kind of all over the place with the artists who inspire me. It’s fun when we share our latest likes with each other. I keep Scott on his toes when he’s creating new music which is fun. I think it’s great though because we are creating something I don’t think anyone is doing right now out of Boston.
OK so back to the question… I love St Vincent right now (who doesn’t???), The Cranberries will always be at the top of my list, Broods, Garbage, Maggie Rogers, the Go-Gos, Hole, Wolf Alice (who Scott introduced me to), Blondie, I’m also newly obsessed with Arlo Parks and I’ve been listening to a lot of The Kills (they are effortlessly cool!) and The Beaches. I guess you could say that I’ve got a thing for female vocalists.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
Scott: [laughs] Well I guess we’ll see. This band was really a recording project to start with. We have started putting a band together though to start playing out. I think we’ll try and keep the live experience similar to the album tracks, but we’ll see how this all shakes out.
Jac-Lyn: [also laughs] Yup, we will see! This was a recording project when we first started collaborating in Scott’s home recording studio. Seeing that our friends and others continue to ask us for a live show, we’ve got some exciting things in the works. To be continued… [winks]!
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been?
Scott: No, not this band yet, but the previous band that Jac-Lyn and I were in played out a lot and all over the Northeast. We were fortunate to mostly have a great live experience.
Jac-Lyn: We have not toured with this band. I just know that one core memory that sticks out is when we played CBGBs before they closed back in 2006. That was definitely a highlight and who knows, maybe we’ve got some new tricks up our sleeve with this new project!
What's up next for the band?
Scott: Phew, well we’re just getting started since The Ghost Archives came out in April, but believe it or not we’ve already started working on the follow-up. I guess when the creative process flows you just go with it. We’re also putting together a live band and hope to play out in the near future.
Jac-Lyn: More writing for our follow-up to The Ghost Archives. I think we will release a single or two before the next album which is exciting. I am not very patient when it comes to the whole album process so it will be fun to see what we come up with next and not keep everyone waiting two years for a full length album. As Scott said, we are putting the band together now and hoping to play out very soon… keep an eye out for some upcoming dates!
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