This is an interview I had with Bjorn of Helldriver-Magazine.

Can you first introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi, my name is Arpan although most people call me Bob.  I play guitar and sing in a solo act called Abreaction.  I’m 22, just got out of college, and got my first taste of the real world.

How did it come that you start to make music?
I’ve always loved singing since I was kid.  It’s kind of funny because I used to be that annoying kid in 5th grade that always hummed to himself. I always had a soundtrack playing in my head.  When I was in high school, my best friends and I decided to form a band.  I wanted to sing but was later forced to pick up guitar since I was the only one not taking music lessons.  All we played were covers of mainstream stuff like Weezer and Bush.  It bugged the hell out of me so I kind of branched off and started making music with the little experience I had with my guitar and the drummer.

Why did you choose to perform alone and not with a band?
Well , it was just me and the drummer and it sounded too naked without a bass, so I started playing my electric unplugged.  When I got to college, lugging around an amp and the cables and pedals was too much, so I invested in an acoustic guitar for convenience.  I also liked the freedom of doing whatever I wanted.  I was the master of my domain, so to speak.

What bands influenced you most?
I really have way to many influences, the most monumental probably being Depeche Mode.  I had a lot of phases in my life.  Listening to a lot of rap, and then synthpop.  I then got into punk and then heavily into trance.  Lately, I’ve been just listening to a lot of indie rock.  My music would sound a lot different if Erasure, Nine Inch Nails, the Get Up Kids, and the Smashing Pumpkins weren’t around.  On my site, I tried listing some of my influences.

What for bands are in your play list at the moment?

As I write this interview up, I got Miracle of 86 playing in the background.  In the last month or so I’ve had the Flaming Lips, Ester Drang, the Pet Shop Boys, Fountains of Wayne, the Postal Service, Anberlin, and Interpol in constant rotation.

Your records are available to download from your website. Why don’t you sell them?

I’ve had all my songs up for download for quite sometime because I just wanted to get my name out there.  I’ve been waiting for a long time to record a new album.  With that, I wanted to release everything proper as I distributed my other CDs as CD-Rs for free for a short time.  I think I decided to sell them as CD-Rs for a very cheap price on my site as there has been a lot of demand.  I just ordered a bunch of t-shirts and I will probably do combo deals with the CDs and shirts.

What do you try to express with your music and lyrics?

To me I just write about what I feel at a moment whether it’s about a girl, life, a dream, or an inspiration.  I like to say that my music is really an open diary that is open to anyone who in this case wants to listen to it.  I think the songs I have been writing as of recent have to do with figuring out myself and coming to self realizations.

When will you record some new material?

I have a bunch of new songs that are finished but are not recorded.  I really have not had the necessary time to go into a studio and cut out the tracks.  I really want to shine with the next album so I want to take the time to make sure I do it right.  I don’t know when the new album will be out, but I am definitely hoping soon as it has been awhile since the last one.

Why don't you have a record deal right now? The music that you make at this moment is very successful so do you have offers from many labels?

Yes, having a record deal would be a great thing but I feel at this time in my life I can’t do the things necessary to stay signed such as touring extensively.  I’ve talked to some labels but feel that it may be best to stay independent for the time being.

What do you think about this New Acoustic Movement that going on at the moment with Bands like Dashboard Confessional, Kevin Devine, Rumbleseat etc.?
I think it’s great.  I don’t think it’s really a movement as people have been spilling out their hearts with just a mic and guitar for quite some time.  I think the ironic thing is I am listening to “Protest Singer” from Kevin Devine right now.  I think playing acoustic guitar is a convenient way for people to express themselves without pulling together the entire ensemble.  If my senses are right, Emo will be come popular, the fade, boy bands will return and then a new generation of acoustic music will return.  I’m thinking about forming my own movement with just an acoustic guitar and some hard trance beats blasting in the background.

In your opinion are you a part of this movement?
If it all it takes is to play an acoustic guitar to be a part of the movement I would say yes.  I have been doing this for about 8 or 9 years so I’m not sure.  To me it’s kind of surprising that my music is labeled as emo because isn’t most music emotional?

In an article with Dashboard Confessional, I read the sentence "quiet is the new loud." What do you think about this?

When I listen to acoustic music, it’s easier to hear the lyrics and emotion.  There’s something about an acoustic that is rougher unlike half of the processed crap on the radio.  So with that, may I do agree with acoustic being “loud.”

Are you planning to tour in the next months? And will you come to visit us in Europe sometime?

I’m in the beginning phase again as I just moved to Chicago.  I’m going to start playing some venues locally.  My dream is to tour and definitely play Europe some day.

Do you have a few last words to our readers?

Thanks for the interview.  Visit www.abreaction.net for more info and feel free to e-mail me at abreaction@abreaction.net.