What Is Yes Bassist Billy Sherwood Up to Now?
I spoke with Billy Sherwood about his new Arc of Life project, which is both like and unlike Yes and previous Sherwood projects. And I reviewed it for you.
In today’s edition of Michael’s Record Collection, I’m excited to bring you news from a conversation I had with a member of one of progressive rock’s most successful and well-regarded bands.
Bassist Billy Sherwood, who stepped into the Yes lineup after the death of his good friend and musical collaborator — the legendary Chris Squire — has put together a new side project called Arc of Life. The band’s self-titled debut release comes out this Friday, Feb. 12, on Frontiers Records. Both the physical disc and digital downloads will be available in the usual places.
Arc of Life is made up of Sherwood (bass, vocals) and fellow musicians from the current Yes lineup, Jon Davison (vocals) and Jay Schellen (drums). Rounding out the five-piece band are Jimmy Haun (guitar) and Dave Kerzner (keyboards). Sherwood has collaborated with both Haun and Kerzner in the past, particularly Haun, who was part of his CIRCA: and YOSO projects in recent years. Sherwood also worked with Kerzner in the past, including playing on his 2014 release, New World.
Sherwood said the album was recorded as “a hybrid of old school and new school and how you can do things together and still do things (through) file sharing.” There was some in-person studio collaboration, with Sherwood and Schellen laying down the rhythm tracks together and vocals recorded at Davison’s studio.
The album was primarily produced by Sherwood, though he said the entire band had production input, Arc of Life also includes contributions from legendary Gentle Giant vocalist Derek Shulman, who lent a hand with some arranging and served as a general sounding board.
With three members of Yes involved, the obvious question is: Why does Arc of Life exist? Why not take the writing for Arc of Life into the next Yes sessions? Sherwood said this new band evolved from writing some songs with Davison that didn’t seem to be tracking in a Yes-like direction. Those sessions started before the pandemic, all the way back in 2017.
“It started from songwriting, which is how a lot of the bands I've been in in the past have started,” he said. “Jon and I shared a bus on a Yes tour. I have my studio set up in the back end we got together just for fun and started knocking some ideas around, and they started taking on a life of their own. It was its own thing. And so, we started talking band, and it was at that point that Jay, Jimmy, and Dave got involved.”
Arc of Life is a collection of 10 songs that range anywhere from just under four minutes to almost 10 in length. The style isn’t Yes per se, but there are certainly echoes of that band’s Heaven & Earth era (2014) due in large part to Davison’s voice. But Sherwood splits vocals throughout the album with Davison. Sherwood said he wanted the band to have an even vocal split like such bands as Supertramp and Pink Floyd, which often used multiple vocalists to great effect.
Consider the Heaven & Earth era of Yes crossed with Sherwood’s band CIRCA: — only with more dense and layered compositions — and it’s a fairly good approximation of the sound.
“Everybody knows we play with Yes, so everybody thinks this is gonna sound like Yes. So, to a lot of people's ears, it does feel (like) that thing inside — a Yes thing,” Sherwood said. “But there's also influences from all of our past involved, because all musicians are influenced by other musicians, so I hear some Beach Boys and some UK and some Gentle Giant and Mahavishnu (Orchestra) and, you know, I hear a lot of different influences coming through. And I think that Yes is the most obvious because we're guys from that band.”
Opening track “Life Has a Way” is a bouncy number that sounds like it could have come off Heaven & Earth, but things depart from the typical Yes fare after that, although there are hints and sounds from both older and newer Yes throughout that remind the listener that the Yes roots run deep here. “Talking with Siri” is a song I didn’t care much for the first time I heard it, but upon repeat listens I enjoyed its disjointed groove more and more. Schellen’s drums and Haun’s guitar shine, while Kerzner contributes some interesting sounds to the overall mixture.
“There's a simplicity factor involved in this record that's kind of cool, and that we were all digging,” Sherwood said. “But it also is like meeting this complex factor and they sort of meet in the middle and they work against each other, and with each other at times. So, it makes for a very interesting backdrop over a very simple song.”
One of two previously released singles from the album, “You Make it Real,” is boosted by a great Haun solo. It’s an upbeat number with a catchy chorus, and is one of the more immediate-hitting songs on the album, so it’s easy to hear why it was chosen as one of the singles. “Until Further Notice” is the shortest track at just under four minutes. It features a cool, recurring rock riff from Haun and a soaring vocal repeating the title mixed with some quieter vocal passages.
“Just in Sight” is the album’s other single. Both are already available to stream on Spotify, YouTube, and elsewhere. Haun shines on this track as he does throughout the record. It’s a rockier track than “You Make it Real” and it’s one of the songs on which Sherwood’s bass line really cracks through.
Davison’s and Sherwood’s voices harmonize best on “I Want to Know You Better.” It sounds like the next single off the record to my ears. The album gets a bit denser and requires more repeat and attentive listens to digest after this track.
“Locked Down” is the first of two consecutive longer-form songs on the album. Despite the title, the songs were largely written before the COVID-19 pandemic. At just under 10 minutes long, it just beats out “Therefore We Are,” which follows immediately after, by about 15 seconds. “Locked Down” goes through several twists and turns and strays at times into some more familiar Yes territory. Sherwood’s bass takes the spotlight around the three-and-a-half-minute mark before Haun’s soaring guitar slices through it with surgical precision. Near the eight-minute mark, Kerzner provides some of his most distinctive moments on the album.
The final two tracks in particular are bigger sounding, with “Therefore We Are” and the closing track, appropriately, called “The End Game,” building to a big finish. Sherwood said placing the two longer tracks back-to-back near the end was intentional.
“I wanted the record to start kind of on a simpler note and start working its way towards this complexity. It's almost like a five-course meal. You know, you’ve got your starter, and your amuse-bouche and the appetizer. You work to the entree and then the bananas come out on fire at the end,” he said with a laugh.
This is an album that should hold plenty of appeal for fans of Sherwood’s previous projects and Davison’s vocals. For those who enjoyed CIRCA: and YOSO, Arc of Life will slot in nicely alongside those projects.
For more of my conversation with Billy, including the story behind the band’s name and the album’s artwork, the creative process behind Arc of Life, his thoughts on replacing Squire in Yes, and more, check out the full interview on my YouTube channel.
Lost Classics: “Hanging on a Heart Attack” by Device
Today I wanted to call attention to one of my favorite underappreciated 80s songs. In 1986, well-known songwriter Holly Knight formed a pop trio called Device. The band featured Knight on keyboards, bass, and backing vocals, Paul Engemann on lead vocals, and Gene Black on guitar. Even if you’re unfamiliar with Knight, just about anyone who has listened to popular music is familiar with her work. She’s written such hits as Aerosmith’s “Rag Doll,” Animotion’s “Obsession,” Tina Turner’s “Better Be Good to Me,” Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield,” and Scandal’s “The Warrior.” Simply put, Knight knows how to write a catchy song.
Device released only one album — 22b3, which came out in the first half of 1986. The album didn’t do much, peaking at No. 73 on the Billboard 200 chart, despite being full of great songs. The record sounds very much of its time, although the production is good. It was produced by Mike Chapman, who worked on such standout albums as Blondie’s Parallel Lines (as well as three of the band’s other releases) and Get the Knack by…well, the Knack, obviously. Chapman is a good songwriter as well, co-writing with Knight on “Better Be Good to Me” and “Love is a Battlefield.”
Device’s music is catchy synth pop with drum machines and loads of keyboards. 22b3 produced one top 40 hit, “Hanging on a Heart Attack,” which made it only up to No. 35. It’s a shame it wasn’t better received by the public or better supported by the label, because it’s a great pop song. Engemann’s lead vocals are a bit on the dramatic side, which might put some people off, but the style was common at the time. Knight adds harmonies and the odd “talky” line in the verses that works well.
I enjoy this song even though it sounds a bit dated at this point. You can check out the official video for the song here. Other favorites from the album are “Who Says,” “Fall Apart, Golden Heart,” and “Pieces on the Ground.” It’s a shame there was never a follow-up album from Device.
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