MissingPerson's Official Lovely Non-Threatening Arcade Fire Joy Parade.

[MissingPerson]

Get to know a band member!

Sarah Neufeld



Also Known As:
S-Balls, apparently.

In a band particularly good at being secretive, Sarah Neufeld is the very best at it. Her official blog contains exactly one post, dating from several years ago. It's got a few lines and a photo of her cat. I know barely anything about this girl, and it seems to me that's how she likes it. We'll give this a shot though.

As stated in said blog post, Sarah is 29, comes from Vancouver Island, likes cats, and is very much a vegetarian. Like every vegetarian I've ever known, she likes cooking; people tend to be oddly suspicous of vegetarians, and if they can't cook things other than risotto for themselves they'll die of starvation, boredom and anaemia. The (apparently very good) vegan living guide Get It Ripe has her ringing endorsement.

EDIT: This is, it seems, no longer true, or perhaps never was. Moral of the story, she's a carnivore now.

Apparently, she'd like to call her autobiography "I Can't Believe I Ate The Whole Thing", and warns that sometimes she plays so hard she wants to barf. She also likes Yoga, and it worries me that she might secretly be a full-on hippy.

Sarah Neufeld is the only member of Arcade Fire who pretty much sticks to a single instrument. Since this instrument is a violin - and very damn good with it she is too - she can't quite be accused of slacking. When she was a kid she did ballet, and was once arrested for shoplifting, although she insists the charges were bogus.

She's joked that she only really considered herself a full member of the band when Google declared her as such. As far as I can gather, she was introduced to Win and Régine by Richard, and rumour has it they were an item once upon a time. I cannot and will not vouch for this scurrilous bit of gossip, but I'm a lazy writer, so I'll mention it anyway. She and Richard are also in Bell Orchestre together, and, as I've said before, they're really fucking good so go and listen to them. She also contributed to Plants & Animals' Parc Avenue, having gone to music school with 'em.

As of Neon Bible, she and Colin Stetson - who was playing the comically disproportionate baritone sax and French horn for Arcade Fire - were very most definitely a thing, and she's been known to crop up in his solo shows.

Sarah has two distinct kind of fans - the kind who are genuinely obsessive to a frightening degree, and the kind who'd like to make sure she never, ever sees those people. These two groups are destined to clash bliblically on every occasion until the end of time. Personally, it bothers me how many photos there are out there of a fan with a notably freaked out looking Sarah Neufeld. I think we've got a good thing going in our interaction with this band, and I'd like to not ruin it by creeping them the fuck out.

Or indeed, knocking them out - she was once accidentally punched in the face during a stage invasion the band invited. The band stopped inviting stage invasions thereafter.

I have had no interaction whatsoever with Sarah Neufeld, but feel certain that if I did ever meet her, it would be as important for her as it would be for me. I suspect that she might have been one of the posters who came to Win's defence during the Basketball/Blog saga. If this is the case, Will says she's shit at catching rebounds because she's too polite to mark properly. She is, however, able to physically carry Jeremy Gara. Whether this means she's freakishly strong, or he's unusually light for a drummer, I can't say.

Her speaking voice is uncannily like that of Scarlett Johansson.

[MissingPerson]

The many moods.... of Sarah.

This interview here, with Jeremy and Nardwuar, is the only recorded interview I know of. It's funny. Nardwuar's voice makes me want to tear my earsdrums out.

Les Lumieres, sort of a short about the audience and band during the Bell Orchestre song:



Vampire/ Forest Fire:



Rebellion (Lies), taking Owen Pallett down, down to the damn ground.



No Cars Go:

[MissingPerson]

Well, I'll be damned.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2...e-arcade-fire/

It gets even better. Word out today is that Arcade Fire, the super-popular Indie rock group, has come to Washington to play a private party for Mr. Obama’s staff members at The Armory.

[ArcadeParade]

I had a major infatuation with Sarah a few years ago..MAJOR

[MissingPerson]

I can dig it.

The violin, man. It's all about the violin.

[ArcadeParade]

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/articl...obama-staffers

[DRcube]

Well, I'll be damned.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2...e-arcade-fire/

that is pretty damn sweet

[MissingPerson]

Bah. I was a whole four posts ahead of Pitchfork.

And you know what else?



This is the least good Arcade Fire/ Obama photoshop I've seen. Look at his giant creepy head. It's almost as big as Win's giant creepy head.

Damn Pitchfork. For not hiring me...

[sbessiso]

This thread has gotten weird , I wonder if I should do the same with my killers thread...

[ArcadeParade]

IM SORRY! I didn't see it!

[MissingPerson]

This thread has gotten weird , I wonder if I should do the same with my killers thread...

In case you missed it the first time:

[boarderwoozel3]

MP, your dedication to The Arcade Fire is inspiring with a dash of creepy but this thread has been quite educational. Carry on...

[MissingPerson]

[iv3rdawG]

My contribution:

[MissingPerson]

Damn, she almost never gets a microphone.

Live the dream, Neufeld.

[DRcube]

HAHAHA T BALLS!

[MissingPerson]

HAHAHA T BALLS!

This is even better completely out of context.

[sbessiso]

In case you missed it the first time:

I totally saw it the 1st time, and once again Im completely speechless. Beck isnt even doing any songs?? And does the white stripes sound like through arcade fire? Will dakota fanning be added later? I'm really banking on the cast of Just Shoot Me making a return

[shakermaker113]

I totally saw it the 1st time, and once again Im completely speechless. Beck isnt even doing any songs??

he might blow a goat if you're lucky.

[MissingPerson]

From the Obama Staff ball. And gosh, might I add, don't they scrub up well:

















From brooklynvegan.

Also, they played Born in the USA. Oh, you kids.

[DRcube]

setlist?

maybe they should wear suits for their next tour...a la interpol

[DRcube]

nevermind

Obama Staff Party January 21st 2009

Wake Up
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
Intervention
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
No Cars Go
Haiti
Keep the Car Running
Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen Cover)
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)

[shakermaker113]

what's with the blindfold?

[MissingPerson]

It's not just a blindfold. It's a ninja bandana.

That's how cool Arcade Fire are: they've gone Ninja.





Made by the (understandably rather chuffed) folks at www.silkninja.com, apparently.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Silk-Ninja/8568077388

I like 'em.

They've got videos of the show on their facebook, too. I can't help wondering what Rev. Wright - or indeed Obama - would make of that bit in Intervention about working for the church.

[shakermaker113]

bandana over the eyes = blindfold.

[iv3rdawG]

[MissingPerson]

bandana over the eyes = blindfold.

Ninja blindfold. Ninjas being more awesome than regular blind people.

No offense blind people. Although let's face it, this post will probably be lost on you.

EDIT:

iv3rdawG, I love you. How I'd missed the mighty Arcade Fire midget king.

EDIT 2:

So now I've offended the sight impaired and people with dwarfism. On a roll!

[MissingPerson]

There's just something so surreal about this:

[sbessiso]

I bet the Jigga one was doper

[MissingPerson]

I bet Beck smells like John Travolta.

Big fat John Travolta.