Today we’d like to introduce you to John Arnold
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My twin brother Joe (singer) and I (guitar) started Cerebellion, a Metal band, in 2009 with prior bandmates Jimmy Schultz (drums) and Marc Battung (bass) from the band Project1. We released our first album “Inalienable” in 2010. We’ve had the same lineup for the last 15 years. Since then, we’ve released two other albums, an EP and several singles. Due to a successful short form content strategy, we’ve recently grown our audience substantially and connected with new fans that had never discovered us prior. One of our favorite comments that we see often is “how have I never heard of this band before?”
Utilizing the Big 4 Socials (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook), most of our short form content showcases the four of us in a small rehearsal studio jamming out to parts of our songs. Some of these videos have gone viral and have allowed us bring a new wave of attention and love to older songs. For example, we recently had a short form video go viral for the song “Someone’s American Dream” from our 2020 album “Beyond Our Failures”. As a result, we saw a massive spike in streams, music video views, merch orders and overall fandom. It’s fascinating to all of us. When we put that song out in 2020 as a third single for the album, there was no indication that this song would be a mini-hit. We loved the song but the response in 2020 was not nearly how it has been in 2024. We’ve had similar moments with songs like “Cold”, “Thin Ice” and “All Came to Light” from our 2015 album “Regeneration”. It really goes to show that your music is evergreen now and can find its audience at any time if you create the right content for it. And the hook isn’t always “the hook”. We’ve been surprised by parts and songs that have caught on. Sometimes you start to believe that song just wasn’t that good. But sometimes, it just didn’t get the right look…or the right hook.
One of the things that we’re really proud of is that we’ve been able to create content in a way that is very authentic to who we are as a band and as people. We’re all 40+ and at the end of the day, it’s just the four of us in a small room banging our heads and enjoying still playing in a band together. In our Metal genre, a lot of bands that are older like us, have rejected short form content and social media because they don’t want to do “silly TikTok dances” or don’t want have to become comedians when that isn’t their vibe. I completely understand the sentiment. Initially, we struggled with it too but ultimately, we knew that we had to embrace social media. And fortunately, short form content has proven to be, by far, the best way to connect directly to our audience in our entire careers.
We try to read every comment that comes in through the four platforms and we reply to the vast majority. While we definitely get some haters, probably 90% of the comments are overwhelmingly positive. The comment sections allow us to engage with fans, new and old, in a way that is really meaningful and heartfelt. This band and this music means a lot to us and we’re finding out how much it means to a lot of other people as well. We also see a lot of comments from people who are inspired to start playing music or to get back in a band again. They see these four old guys getting after it like we’re still in our 20’s and they see that it’s never too late. It’s your life. You make the rules. As for the haters, we embrace them. We have a saying that “you’re not truly viral, if you don’t get at least a little hate.” We’re hoping to take this music on the road in 2025 and connect with our new and old fans in person.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a band, we’ve had a lot of struggles along the way. Most of have kids and wives and we all have day jobs. So managing family life and work sometimes makes it difficult to give the band and the music the attention we would like to give it. We’ve done a fair amount of regional touring but when you’re an independent band and you have these types of responsibilities at home, it makes it hard to get on the road and get in front of new fans.
Joe is my best friend but being in a band with your twin brother is difficult for both of us. We’re both competitive and we bicker over everything. Joe even left the band briefly in 2013 partially due to our personal conflicts, after we had two years of shows and regional touring in support of our 2010 debut album “Inalienable”. Fortunately, he came back in time to write and record the vocals for 2015’s “Regeneration”, which has become a fan favorite. Marc and I had started writing those songs with the help of my then 16-year old son, Johnny, who was filling in on drums while Jimmy was touring a lot with another band.
The lack of industry attention has made it hard as well. Traditionally, record labels and the industry have held the key to access and reach new fans. Fortunately, that is no longer the case. We’re able to reach new fans directly via social media and they’re able to go back and dig their teeth into our catalog. It has been really beautiful to bring new life to our older music this way and get to rediscover our music through the eyes and ears of our new fans.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We’re a metal band, but definitely a band at its core. Apparently, it’s a dying art as the emergence of the solo artist dominates music now. But we love the energy we get and produce when the 4 of us get in the room together. There’s a chemistry, even just as people, that works with us. The 4 of us have been playing together since 2003 and there’s a real chemistry and love for one another. 4 goofy dudes that take our craft seriously but love to laugh and enjoy each others’ company and vibe. Everyone in the group takes pride in their instrument and when we come together, it’s pure energy. That is our brand and that is what makes us different. On a sound/style level, what makes us different is that we’re a modern heavy band in which the music can be very heavy but our vocal style is different than what most expect when they hear our riffs and music. They expect heavier, brutal vocals. And though our vocals may sound heavy to the casual listener, the metal world in 2024 is inundated with brutal vocals (screaming, growling, gutteral screaming, etc.). And while we have the occasional scream, our mainstay is different. Our vocals have been very often compared to that of Linkin Park, Metallica, and Nonpoint. This gives us a different musical recipe, with more of some ingredients than what is common in metal. We are very big on melody.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
We were pretty hyper lol. We were always creative, making things from scratch with whatever was around the house. I made a book when I was like 10,11, drew all the pictures, wrote the story, designed the cover. We were really into sports too and made a batting cage in our den out of smelly fish net that my neighbor had. Joe drew a life-sized Magic Johnson and made a miniature Lakers basketball court replica on a 1×6 piece of wood lying around the house. This was before computers and iPads. We are grateful for that time and opportunity to be creative. The first time we tried recording music, we recorded a guitar into a tape player and then played that tape next to another tape recorder while singing into the tape player. We covered both tape players with a box and blanket over it to control for the noise in the room. All of that for two tracks, lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cerebellion1.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cerebellion/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cerebellion1/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cerebellion1
Image Credits
Stephanie Tovar
Justin Schulze
