The man behind the keys, a distance yarn about Arjuna Oakes and what he stands for.
The first conversation I had with Arjuna was at a VMorg gig where he mentioned his appreciation for what we did, I then awkwardly smiled at him and ranted about how much I loved The Shamblés and his rendition of Purple Rain. Since then me and Arj have managed to have a decent number of conversations without me fanboying him toooooo much haha.
Arjuna’s been playing the keys for well over a decade and you can see his passion at shows simply by looking around at the mix of family and friends all keen to see him do well. With a style that blends genres, different eras of sound and what ever he’s inspired by at the time, you’ll easily find something in his projects for you. As he puts it he simply draws inspiration from a lifetimes worth of learning and doesn’t seek a certain genre when creating music. Arj mentioned he struggles with being labeled and put in a genre box. ‘The Watcher’ was the only full project out under his name for a while and he now feels he is labelled under that chill jazz vibe but his new music hosts a much more upbeat and energetic feeling.
Halfway through the conversation we touched on inspiration and Arj mentioned that in greek mythology, genius was an entity that would follow you around and occasionally come into your life. Similar to inspiration this guardian angel would swoop in and drop genius all over you and gift you the eureka moments. I liked this way of thinking because ideas simply hit you out of the blue, you can’t force them or replicate how you got the last one, it’s simply your guardian angel Genius coming to say hello.
Arjuna at Moon Bar supported live by Jo Jenkins (Lead Guitar), Sam Notman (Drums) and Harrison Scholes (Bass) picture by Kenzie Pigman
I then asked ‘Whats Arjuna Oakes if you take the keyboard away?’, I got a very puzzled look and some momentary silence back. Arj then started to describe how there was a time when music was his entire life and identity. If someone critiqued a song he made then he took that on as a critique on his life too, something he he can very comfortably seperate now. Arjuna is a man who’s biggest priority in life is to enjoy his time surrounded by friends and family. Right now music is simply the vessel he’s using to make his days filled with fun and good times but whilst its a big part, it’s not the only thing to him.
Have a listen below to Arjuna Oakes and we recommend giving Nobody Knows a go, his latest release taken in one take live at Roundhead Studios, listen closely to see if you can hear the click track haha.
Cover Image by Kenzie Pigman
Arjuna Oakes, A chat about life behind the keys by Ben Morgan
