Feature: David Arkenstone Decodes ‘Quest For The Runestone’
What was the creative process like for this particular album?
The original idea started after I saw a BBC piece about runestones in Scandinavia. I was intrigued and thought it would make a nice subject for a fantasy album. After doing several fairly minimal recordings over the last few years, I was in the mood to do something more epic and expansive. I asked my son Dashiell to write a story, and what he came up with was extremely inspirational and I started composing immediately. I started out by sketching out music representing different aspects of the story that I wanted to illustrate. Then I got all my drums and stringed instruments out and made the ‘beds’ for the songs. I then recruited my favorite musicians to bring even more life and soul to the tracks. It’s a wonderful thing to have great musicians add their personality and talent to your music. Many times it transcends beyond what I ever thought it would be.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for 'Quest For The Runestone' to life?
The actual mix was sometimes complicated, as there were many different tracks and choices we could make. My engineer Jill Tengan in Los Angeles, California, is a master at achieving sonic clarity out of a sea of tracks. We also spent a fair amount of time sequencing the album, though the story was pretty much the guide since composing the album was much like scoring a movie. Then the Dolby Atmos immersive mix was done at Evergroove Studio in Colorado, which is available on Apple Music and other streaming services.
Can you talk about any standout tracks on 'Quest For The Runestone' and what makes them special to you?
I especially love “Path Of The Mountain’s Bones” because of the energy and the fact that everyone who performed on the album is on that track, and I think “Réann” is very evocative and one of the best melodies I’ve ever come up with.
What has been the most memorable experience or achievement in your music career so far?
Performing at Radio City and the Hollywood Bowl were definite highlights, and being recognized by peers with 5 Grammy Award nominations is very nice, but achieving the level where I get to create music every day is just the best thing ever.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a musician, and how did you overcome them?
I feel there have been some challenges through the past decades for artists with changes in how people find music and listen to music. Earlier in my career, I put out several concept albums with a story and a map. There were kites advertising In The Wake of the Wind in record stores. These concept recordings were met with great enjoyment from my fans. Now most music consumption has become mainly ‘track based,’ meaning people commonly listen to curated playlists of songs from various artists. That is a great way to discover new music, of course, but I wanted to create something that would be a rich and engaging experience from start to finish. My limited edition CD of ‘Quest For The Runestone’ comes with the complete 48-page story and some special keepsake items that add to the entire experience.