Meet Bill Arnold | Songwriter, Performer & Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bill Arnold and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bill, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
You wear a lot of hats when you’re a DIY musician. Most people only see the stage persona and someone “having fun”, whether they are or not. Live musical performance is theater after all. There are layers and depths behind what people see in a live show or hear on a recording. On any given day, I’m an instrumentalist still striving to perfect his craft, a songwriter trying desperately to translate emotion into sound, a recording engineer, a band leader, solo performer, hired gun instrumentalist, a booking agent, a music producer, a video producer, a social media creator, a marketing specialist, a graphic designer, a brand ambassador, a merchandising specialist, a driver, a roadie, a lighting engineer, a live sound engineer, a logistics coordinator, financier, accountant, and ultimately an acting performer that has to make it look fun and exciting in every situation. All of these tasks then have to take a back seat to being a husband, father, son, brother, homeowner, and day job/career performer. It’s a balancing act. Sometimes you have to do the best you can and be confident that your best is enough. You have to remember to take breaks to recharge your batteries. I get asked the question often how I make enough money playing music. The answer is that I don’t! I also operate a small commercial construction business with my brother that installs metal wall panels. We have been in business since 1996. The name of our company is SDI Exterior Systems, LLC. It can be strange at times switching gears between the music life and business life. It keeps things interesting.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love to create music. Really, really love to create music. I think it’s the one constant in my life from when I was very young. From the time I really started to play the guitar at 10 years old, there was most always something musical going on in my life. As a teenager, I was all about electric guitars, long hair, goofy outfits, and metal music. Heading off to college at Michigan State University, I found much of the music I loved in high school to have gone out of favor with the masses. I lost my music so it would seem. That’s when I began to open my eyes to so many other genres of music that it became all too much to be a participant. I took that time to be a student and listener of music. I began to discover there was so much more out there other than rock and metal.

My evolution as a musician post-college went from 2-person folk rock to bluegrass, where I began to play the Dobro (resonator guitar), and ultimately to original-oriented rock bands. In every way, I was always destined to be an original artist. Even as a kid, I always wanted to create my own material. At that young age, however, I had not broken the code on writing full original songs. I was mostly coming up with original musical parts. It was not until about 10 years ago that I really started to write my own songs in their entirety. And I’ve never looked back.

No matter what I do or have ever done with music, songwriting is the culmination of all of it. It is my #1 musical catalyst and love. I find no greater joy than watching people react, sometimes emotionally, to my song creations. I don’t care at that point if I’m playing for one person, 100 people, or more than I can count. Hearing peoples interpretations for my songs is a joy beyond description. A little known fact is that I often don’t know what a song is about that I have written until I’ve heard listeners interpretations. I know that these things come from the subconscious, but I’m often too close to the songs to be able to see the big picture even after singing a song dozens of times. There’s been a number of songs I’ve been afraid to share with people because I thought they were silly, or didn’t really say anything important. It’s special when you finally do share them and the listener corrects your way of thinking! I’m tremendously blessed to share this journey with the fellas in One Ton Trolley, a band that features my songwriting. Anthony Zack (guitar, vocals), Chris Brown (bass), and Jon Johnson (drums) have been incredible partners in bringing these songs to life with me. It’s often said by audiences that they don’t know what genre to call our music. I love that. It’s true that we come from diverse musical backgrounds and influences. I just never really say “I’m gonna write a country song…or a rock song….or a bluegrass song.” I just let it happen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, I would plan the week around who was playing at some of my favorite venues. I would first look at 20 Front Street’s schedule (Lake Orion, MI) and plan the week around that. Maybe see who’s playing at Wiltsie’s in Clarkston, or The Ark in Ann Arbor. After that, I would fill the week with the places that truly make SE Michigan unique. If you come to this area from another state via I-75, it would be easy to think the only things we have here are potholes and pot shops based on the condition of the roads and the onslaught of cannabis dispensaries advertised on virtually every billboard. I guess we’d have to check some of those out if my friend was coming from another state. But there’s so much more. Without getting into a day-by-day itinerary, there are just some things you have to experience if you come here. In no particular order of importance, here are some things you have to do. 1. Detroit-style pizza. We started it, we perfected it, nobody else has it. There are too many good places to list.
2. Real coney dogs. American Coney Island is the place to go. There’s another equally famous place next door, but I’ll stick with the original and personal favorite.
3. Polish food in Hamtramck. A visitor from away might say something to the effect..”I hear Hamtramck is the Brooklyn of Detroit.” It is not. Just dispel with that notion altogether and enjoy the place for what it is. It’s funky in its own way, but it’s not the Polish blue-collar drinking town it was when my grandfather owned Stash’s Party Store….which is now a shawarma sandwich joint with bullet-proof glass separating the counter from the customers. We would go to Polish Village or Polonia for amazing Polish delights. They’re next door to each other. Then we’d probably walk over to Showtime Detroit if it’s open for some stage duds.
4. Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum. This is still the Motor City. When in Rome……
5. Lions, Tigers and…..Red Wings. We’re a sports town.
6. Motown Musem. You need to see the place where some of the greatest music in American history was made. In a funky basement more or less.
7. Mexicantown. Take your pick of restaurants for dinner, but cap it off with tiki drinks at Mutiny Bar.
8. Absolutely NO casinos. I like to pretend they’re not there.
9. Absolutely NO tribute bands. Sorry, I know people love them…
10. Eastern Market. Fresh nuts and coffee beans from Germack, a beer at Eastern Market Brewing Company (or bloodies and mussels at Vivio’s), hat shopping at Henry the Hatter, then a stop at the meat mall (that’s what I call it) to pick up steaks for the grill. If it’s Saturday and summer, some fresh produce.
11. And then of course, given enough time, I would take my friend to my favorite part of Michigan….anywhere in Northern Michigan. I would especially love to share my beloved Upper Manistee and Au Sable Rivers in Crawford County.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My dad.

My dad is the hardest working man I’ll ever know. He’s also the most honest man I’ve ever known and devoted his entire life to his family. Everything he ever did was for us, and he remains that way today. Watching how he cared for his mother, my grandmother, as her health failed years ago was a sneak peek into how he would care for my mother during her last years. He was always by her side without complaint. He was unfailing in his attention to her and care for her up until her last breath. I do my best, but I know I’ll never be the man my father is. His legacy to me will be the shame I feel when I don’t believe I live up to his self-imposed standards for himself. I only hope that the example he’s set for me makes me a better person than I would be if not for having him in my life. With my mom gone now, I intend to spend as much time with him as I can. I don’t know where I’d be in life without his ready counsel at every turn. I don’t know what I will do without him when he’s gone. It’s just too much to ponder to be honest.

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Image Credits
John Bayerl Shelley Conley Julia Cuddy