As originally posted on Flavorwire…

Exclusive Q&A: Todd Goldstein Is ARMS

Todd Goldstein of ARMS

Todd Goldstein, best known for his involvement with New York band Harlem Shakes (RIP), is a solo artist in his own right. Kids Aflame, ARMS’s debut album is finally getting its US release through Gigantic Music on October 27th. New Yorkers can preview the material this Saturday at the Bell House when he plays a free show with his new band; in the meantime, read what Todd has to say about his inspirations, the direction of the second album, and why ARMS and not legs.

Flavorpill: Where did the name for the solo project come from?

Todd Goldstein: Well, I started doing this five years ago. I started doing this new music that had a specific style and a certain feel. I had been doing very different stuff before that. So I was like, “This new thing needs a name.”

The story that I tell is there’s a British rapper called Ears and the idea of having a body part — sort of plural body part — as a name was something that just struck a chord, so I literally went through a bunch of different body parts. I was like “legs, hands, feet…” ARMS has a silly double entendre within it that I could live with. It didn’t hit me like a bolt from the blue, but I figured I could live with this name. So it has stuck. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I hate it, but it’s alright. (more…)