Life Happens: All the Pictures of You with Arms Crossed

By: Madeleine Foster

Living behind the local high school as a kid, Ethan Rundlett was able to hear the drum line from his house – inspiring in him a desire to become one of those drummers. However, when the day finally came for him to join in, he realized how different it was from what he had imagined it to be. The sheet music and structure seemed pointless, and his vision for music was something much more energetic and expressive. Just a few years later, Ethan was simultaneously playing drums, guitar, and using his computer to create the music he desired and the sound he loved.

Ethan had music going for him and a scene he loved, but unfortunately for about three years, he lost sight of what was important to him, and lost the music scene he was involved with. It was when Ethan found the community in the Lab All Ages program that everything in his musical life changed. He attended an open mic and bonded with Dan ABH, who became a mentor and has made it possible for him to arrive where he is today. Additionally, he was reintroduced to individuals he had previously known, and he bonded with others – both of which became huge influences on his musical journey. He has played at festivals, shows, and participated in other various events with these individuals. One in particular, local singer/songwriter Ella Boissonault whom he also met at the lab, sings on his new album. Ethan talked about how amazing it has been to see so many doors open to so many individuals at a much younger age than anything he had previously been exposed to – all because of opportunities stemming from programs at the Lab.

Ethan’s big accomplishment right now is the release of his new album, after about a year and a half it is finally ready. (He is currently preparing for his album release and release show on June 5^th, being held here at the Lab at Convergence.) His vision revolved around playing multiple instruments at the same time for a unique sound and feel, but in the process of recording this album, he suffered a major setback when he broke his back. After initially believing that he would never walk again, followed by a strenuous recovery process, he is back up and walking – and playing his music – but having to adapt his musical style to his physical abilities.

Ethan was determined to continue doing what he loved, but in order to continue, some sacrifices had to be made. His music today is far from what he was doing a few years ago and for many artists, style changes – but as a personal choice, and not a necessity. He is all about his presence on stage and for him, simply backing tracks feels empty, so he started writing in a style that was very lyric-heavy and acoustic, and more relaxed while in a back brace.

Ethan’s new album and everything that has happened during the recording process exemplifies the saying, “life happens”. Alongside all of the difficulties and struggles that have happened over time, there have also been findings that have brought a whole new light to Ethan’s music. For example: by chance, Ethan stumbled upon a strange guitar in someone’s basement storage closet, and he started playing it. No one knows exactly what key it’s in but it was, as Ethan puts it, “a complete accident, probably by like god’s intervention…it was pretty crazy I went upstairs and just started yelling what is this guitar?!”

He had found a guitar that fit his singing perfectly, and ended up tuning his own guitar to match the one he had found – once again giving his music the unique sound he was striving for. The first string went down a half step, and then with two strings going up a half step and the rest of them up a full step from where they should have been, the tuning had either been “royally messed up” or the guitar was warped in some weird, yet perfect way. With the release show of his album coming up, Ethan has had to relearn all of his songs because the tuning is so unique that it doesn’t work well as a collaborative – but rather it works far better as a one man band. (Which is what he has done with the recording but just isn’t possible for the live show.)

One of the songs that really resonates with Ethan is his title track, “All the Pictures of You with Arms Crossed”. Ethan said, “The first time I played “All the Pictures…”, we were in Nat’s basement and we were having a house show. I was totally unprepared for this, but I actually got upset during the song and started crying, then I stopped playing the song and said, ‘I don’t ever want to play this song again’, it just got me so upset. The other songs are not as gut wrenching. This song wasn’t just the one with the cool name it was the, ‘I hate playing this song because it makes me upset’ kind of song. ” Often times, the art that resonates most with artists are the pieces that create the greatest emotional reaction, whether positive or negative. At that point in Ethan’s life, that particular song brought about the most emotion and reaction.

Ethan has experienced multiple times the desire to no longer play some of the songs he has written and recorded; he says he is currently experiencing that feeling with his entire album right now. He doesn’t always want to play these songs because they either represent a time in his life that is no longer relevant or people in his life who are no longer relevant. Despite those reservations, Ethan is extremely excited to be playing for his release because the entire album has surpassed all of his expectations, and people like Nat (another artist here at the lab) and Dan have really stepped up for the release show and the album sounds better than he had ever imagined. Ethan says he is happy that this environment exists with so many immediate resources available and that this community has really shaped how he has arrived to this point in his music career and the release of his new album.