Arson Garden: A Brief History
Written by: Jeb Banner
Band Interview and Reminiscing
I recently had the opportunity to talk with April Combs Mann, James Combs, and Michael Mann from Arson Garden. I’ve known April and James for about 25 years and met Michael more recently during the MFT 20th Anniversary Fest. They are all very talented musicians but also lovely humans.
Our conversation went down many Bloomington-related rabbit holes including a brief diversion into REM’s tenure in Bloomington during the summer of 1985.
I plan to return to that topic separately and welcome connections with folks who were there when REM was recording “Life’s Rich Pageant” at Mellencamp’s Belmont Studios.
James and I also connected some dots between the origins of Lotus Fest and MFT. Before he left town, James was a founder of Lotus Fest alongside Lee Williams and some others. Lee was my mentor when I was working at Second Story in 1994-6. When Lotus Fest ramped up he handed off all the local bookings to me, which gave me a platform to book the bands I thought could use the spotlight and I also started recording many of the shows. Those shows became the foundation for the MP3 archive that started MFT. It was really fun to have that “aha!” during our conversation. Now let’s dive into the history of Arson Garden.
Arson Garden was one of the most successful Bloomington bands during the late 1980s through mid-1990s.
When I moved into Collins at IU, Arson Garden was the biggest band in town. Everyone had their CDs. I’ve always been curious how they got started…and how they ended. Let’s start the story with siblings April and James.
The Combs Family
April is the youngest of 5 with James being the only boy and 3 ½ years older than April. James is 8 years younger than his next oldest sister. So April and James grew up as a unit with their older sisters mostly out of the house by the time they were teenagers. Singing was core to the Combs family dynamic. Car rides meant spontaneous singalongs. As a teenager, James took up guitar. April was active in show choir and starred in school plays. Unwittingly, April was prepping to be a lead singer.
April Meets Michael
In the Fall of 1985, when James was a junior at IU, April joined him as a freshman. She lived in Collins LLC (Living Learning Center). In February 1987, her Sophomore year, April met Michael Mann, also a sophomore, in the Collins cafeteria and they soon began dating. Michael played guitar and was in a popular band called The Opiates which covered glam/punk/alternative songs. They were well known for putting on a great show. They were also known for shutting down a party with their loud performances inviting the cops to stop by for a visit.
Michael grew up in Cincinnati and attended a magnet school that connected him with a diverse and talented group of artistic friends. This community would eventually draw April and Michael back to Cincinnati in the late 90s where they have lived now for 25+ years and raised a family.
James Plays with The Figments
Meanwhile, James had been playing with a new band called The Figments. They were beginning to make a mark on the local scene. One key memory is playing a show at Second Story when REM was in town and Michael Stipe was in attendance. The Figments played “Marquee Moon” by Television and Stipe came up to the band afterward and complimented them on the song choice. REM, in their 2-month stay, gave many Bloomington musicians a crash course in college rock “cool”.
Joby (Drums) and Clark (Bass)
As the Figments dissolved, James began to play with a new drummer, Joby Barnett. Joby was originally from New Orleans but had lived in LA and New Haven before coming to Bloomington to live with his mom and Religious Studies-professor stepfather. Out of the gate, James knew they were on to something. They had a “sound”. Soon he started working on the missing pieces. He invited Clark Starr, who James met in an English class, to join on bass. Clark had grown up in Minneapolis and been a part of that music scene before coming to IU. Although Clark was normally a guitarist, he was excited to be in a band and he quickly picked up the bass and locked into the emerging sound. Now they just needed a lead singer.
April Becomes Lead Vocalist
James suggested to April that she consider singing with the band. This wasn’t something April was looking to do. As a sophomore still living in Collins and dating Michael, she had a busy life. But with some coaxing, she began to show up to practices and soon the core sound of the band was established. She brought her musical theatre background to the band and they quickly had a stage show that was ready for an audience.
Arson Garden’s First Show
Arson Garden played its first show in November 1986 at ER Night at Second Story. ER Night was a mix of music, spoken word, and “you name it”. Lisa Sorg, a local music writer, was in the audience. She was impressed and quickly signed up as their manager. Many other early supporters were in the audience and the band came out of the gates with serious buzz and momentum.
Why “Arson Garden”?
Why “Arson Garden”? Well, I was curious and had to ask. When they booked their first show they knew they needed a name. So they locked themselves in their rehearsal space and began working through candidates. Arson Garden was a composite of two words from different potential names. April shared that she liked the “ying/yang” of the name. And that it was often hard to communicate verbally. “Was that Arts On Garden?”
With Lisa Sorg leading the charge, the band soon had a booking manager and was playing shows around the Midwest. They also secured a recording session with Paul Mahern, legendary producer and lead singer of the Zero Boys.
Michael Joins on Guitar
Soon, Michael Mann joined on 2nd guitar. During the recording of their cassette with Paul Mahern, James had added guitar overdubs that they wanted to include in their live show. April was apprehensive about mixing “business with pleasure”. But once Michael joined, it was clear he was a perfect fit. Arson Garden was now a 5 piece.
Recording, Albums, & Touring
The cassette opened more doors. Eventually finding its way to Albert Garzon who produced the first 10,000 Maniacs album “Secret of the IChing” and was looking for his next breakout act. Garzon signed Arson Garden to his fledging label Community 3. The band went up to Minneapolis to record their debut album at Paisley Park Studio’s C room with Garzon producing and Tom Herbers engineering. Yes, they did encounter Prince several times in the hallways. With only 5 days to record and mix the album, they had no time to waste. Nervous energy translated into increased tempos for many songs.
Back in Bloomington, Arson Garden was now the go-to opening band for national artists. With a strong draw, they were the perfect band to pair with a national artist who could use local support. Some might have thought that the band was living the rock star life but when they weren’t touring they were working as servers at Uptown, Runcible Spoon, and other local spots that could accommodate their on/off touring schedule. Upon returning from a tour, they were happy to have broken even.
Soon things began to heat up. “Under Towers”, their debut album, was released in early 1990. Garzon leveraged his connections and opened every door he could for the band. They began to tour nationally, playing clubs across the country. The album charted in the top 50 of the CMJ. Their video was featured on 120 minutes. They toured Europe and were invited by John Peel to record at the BBC for his famed Peel Sessions.
Peel discovered “Under Towers” and played some of the songs on his radio show. A friend of the band heard this and let them know they were getting some Peel plays in England. Garzon helped connect the dots, leading to the Peel session. But soon, Garzon’s money ran out, and his label, Community 3, was shuttered.
Vertabrae Records
The band went shopping for a new label and connected with Indianapolis-based, Vertabrae, which was owned by a CD manufacturer. Another visit to Minneapolis, working with Tom Herbers again, this time at Nicollet Studios gave birth to their second album “Wisteria”. Now given 10 days to record the album, the band expanded their sound and spent more time on arrangements and overdubs. They also pulled in 3 songs from the Peel Sessions, including “Impossible Space”, a fan favorite.
“Wisteria” was released in 1992, and the band continued touring despite the loss of their booking agent, who retired from the music business around this time. They charted on CMJ and played showcases across the country. Later in the year, they released the EP “Drink A Drink Of You,” produced by Frosty Morton. Unfortunately, their label, Vertebrae, folded shortly after the EP was released.
American Empire Records
So the band went shopping again for a new label. They had considerable interest from many different parties and ended up signing with American Empire Records which was run by Joe Grillo, distributed by Priority Records, and affiliated with Rick Rubin’s American Records. This gave the band a bigger budget for their next album. They headed back to Minnesota once more, this time to record at Pachyderm Studios, where Nirvana had recently recorded In Utero. And again, Tom Herbers joined to produce.
After spending 3 weeks recording at Pachyderm, the band spent another week finishing the album at Belmont Studios, following REM’s footsteps. “Belle Stomp” was released in 1994. With the additional time, the band explored new sounds and approaches. To my ears, this was the band’s best work and they were clearly ready for a bigger audience. Unfortunately, mismanagement at the label led to American Empire closing its doors shortly after release. And more bad luck was headed the band’s way.
Journey Ends
The week that “Belle Stomp” came out, Kurt Cobain died. A planned Rolling Stone feature was canceled. The music press had one (dead) subject to cover and the release did not get the exposure it was due. A European tour was canceled. The band was very demotivated by the sudden change of fortune. They played one or two more shows but soon they dissolved. In 1995, April, James, Michael, and Clark moved to Chicago to try their luck but found the club scene crowded and challenging. It was time for a reset. James ended up moving out west and April and Michael moved to Cincinnati. Music still remains a vital part of their lives. And they all look back with fondness on the Arson Garden journey.
There have been two Arson Garden reunions since the 90s. Once in 2006 for the 25th anniversary of Second Story (which I regret missing) and then MFT’s 20th anniversary in October, 2024. The music continues to be loved and listened to by their many fans in Indiana and all over the world. During their time, Arson Garden was one of the most promising bands to ever come from Indiana and they helped lift the stature of Bloomington on the national stage. We were lucky to have them!