MANSFIELD — Cody Nicolas has been in town long enough to see the music scene evolve, and Narrow/Arrow’s frontman likes what he sees.
Narrow/Arrow will headline this week’s Newsroom After Hours concert at Idea Works beginning at 6:30 p.m Friday. Jai Merina and Mod Lit also will perform at the third of five After Hours shows, which are free to the public and sponsored and supported by Mechanics Bank, Phoenix Brewing Company, Doc’s Deli and Potent Studios.
“I moved here at the very end of 2011 and there were just a handful of people still trying to do DIY shows,” Nicolas said. “Fast-forward to now and you have several venues putting on shows.
“We’ve got a lot of young artists who like the amount of spots there are to perform,” he said. “There’s a big music community and then there is a number of smaller communities within that big community. It’s really surprising how big that community is for how not big of a spot Mansfield is.”
An early iteration of Narrow/Arrow as a band performed in one of the very first seasons of Newsroom After Hours in 2016:
Like the local music scene, Narrow/Arrow has evolved since its founding in 2013. The current roster includes Nicolas on vocals and guitar, Donovan Hill on bass and drummer Jonathan Hape.
“I was in a band…it was me and my brother’s band and we really got it going out in Boston when most of us were going to school out there,” Nicolas said. “School wasn’t working out for me and we ended up coming to Mansfield because we had a member from here. When we got here we did that for about a year and then everybody kind of went their separate ways and that’s when we formed Narrow/Arrow.
“I liked Mansfield so much because it’s affordable for me to pursue a band. That has always been the driving force, can I do the band?”
Nicolas doesn’t like to be pigeon-holed, but said Narrow/Arrow’s sound is most often described as “math rock.” The group draws its inspiration from several genres.
“Math rock is where we’ve been getting a lot or recognition, so we’ll stick with that,” Nicolas said. “Even though we would probably call it an indie rock band.”
Friday’s show will jump-start a busy touring summer for Narrow/Arrow. The band will head to Cincinnati on Saturday and have upcoming shows in Michigan the following week.
“My worry is that I’m so out of shape because of the pandemic. We haven’t been this busy in almost three years,” Nicolas said. “We’ve been playing more than we have in years. Everything is getting back more to the way it was.
“It’s a lot of regional stuff. It’s not technically a tour.”
The Newsroom After Hours Series seemed like the ideal place to launch the band’s newest phase. Narrow/Arrow, which recently released its second full-length album titled Asbestos Weak Hood, will be making its third appearance at an After Hours event.
Jai Merina ~ 7 pm
- I Hope
- This is Mine
- Woman from a Man’s Perspective
- Work in Progress
- Vice
Mod Lit ~ 7:45 pm
- Untitled
- Move the Moon
- Who Cares
- Jazzgae
- Cowgirl
- Outskirts
Narrow/Arrow ~ 8:45 pm
- Correct Sean
- Aura
- Ruth
- Amira
- Amy
- Becca
- Anna
- Supertramp
- Impress
- Rufus
- Mantaman
- Savior Talk
“It’s an awesome event and it gets better every time.”
So what does the future hold for Narrow/Arrow? Nicolas, who recently became a father, can’t wait to find out.
“Life keeps happening as the band keeps happening,” Nicolas said, “but we’re all still able to do it and we all still love to do it.”
Mod Lit vocalist and guitarist Chandler Holiday is looking forward to sharing a stage with Narrow/Arrow. Mod Lit includes Holiday, bassist Paris Stewart and drummer Lucas Collins.
“I’m super-excited to finally get to open for Narrow/Arrow,” Holiday said. “I’ve been a huge fan for quite some time.”
Holiday is a fan of the math rock movement, which he said is characterized by irregular chord changes and dramatic changes in time signature.
“I like to keep stuff where people can still dance to it, but have some chaos as well,” Holiday said. “I’m trying to throw some elements of experimental, maybe almost like dance or techno-esque.”
The members of Mod Lit draws inspiration from very different places. Holiday tries to bring elements of experimental and indie music, while Stewart leans toward southern rock and classic rock. Collins is a rap fan.
“It’s kind of weird, the mashing up of things that shouldn’t really go together,” Holiday said. “It’s cool the way the different styles come together in ways I would have never really thought of.”
Mod Lit will be making its Newsroom After Hours debut Friday.
“Me and Paris were a two-piece at one time and we were supposed to play it, but COVID happened,” Holiday said. “We’re really looking forward to it.”
