Song Premiere: Adam Arcuragi, “You’d Think This Was Easy”

We’re excited to debut the latest track from acclaimed indie folk artist Adam Arcuragi, “You’d Think This Was Easy.”

The song hails from Like a fire that consumes all before it, which is due January 31 on Thirty Tigers. The new disc was recorded live in twelve days with members of his ever evolving band The Lupine Chorale Society — which in the past has included members of War on Drugs, These United States and Rogue Wave.

“The riff came first,” Arcuragi tells American Songwriter. “It was one of those moments when you’re not quite ‘thinking’ about moving your fingers and just absent minded-ly playing, and the riff jumped out at me without any lyrics. That happens sometimes: A phonetic map dictates the push and pull but no real thing to say. Then one day the phrase about the fiddle sort of phonetically placed itself in there, and the rest wrote itself.

“The ‘do wrong’ section and third verse got added last when I was humming the song to myself around the West Village in New York City; I looked up at an old Art Deco finial sticking out from a gorgeous building, and there were some birds sitting there that seemed to be so completely content. They took off into the air so easily…. I thought ‘If it is that seemingly effortless, I must be doing something wrong’.

“The song was recorded on our very first take. Duane, the producer, captured it intact, like one of those butterfly hunters with his net. It was a day when we all woke up with the same James Gadson groove in our heads, and the band was feeling supremely Wrecking Crew.”

Stream or download the track below.

Adam Arcuragi, “You’d Think This Was Easy”
Adam Arcuragi Tour Dates:

Day Date City State Venue
Wed 1/18/12 Los Angeles CA Bootleg
Thu 1/19/12 San Francisco CA Hotel Utah
Sat 1/21/12 Portland OR Ella Street Social Club
Sun 1/22/12 Bremerton WA Hi Fidelity
Mon 1/23/12 Seattle WA Sunset Tavern
Tues 1/24/12 Pullman WA Belltower
Wed 1/25/12 Boise ID Flying M
Thu 1/26/12 Salt Lake City UT Kilby Court
Fri 1/27/12 Denver CO Hi Dive
Sat 1/28/12 Lawrence KS TBA
Sun 1/29/12 St. Louis MO Cicero’s
Mon 1/30/12 Chicago IL Empty Bottle
Tues 1/31/12 Columbus OH Cafe Bourbon Street
Wed 2/1/12 Pittsburgh PA Garfield Artworks
Thu 2/2/12 New York NY Union Pool
Sat 2/4/12 New Haven CT Cafe Nine
Mon 2/6/12 Philadelphia PA Kung Fu Necktie
Fri 2/10/12 Cincinnati OH MOTR Pub
Sat 2/11/12 Lexington KY Green Lantern
Sun 2/12/12 Nashville TN The End