Welcome back to the Underground.
As we continue to pull back the curtain on the musicians driving Architects and Wanderers, it is time to spotlight the harmonic powerhouse of the band: Reggie Olsen, our resident keyboardist and lead female rock vocalist.
When the philosophical concepts get too tangled, or the rhythm section threatens to pull the track into complete chaos, Reggie is the anchor. She provides the lush, vintage warmth of Hammond organs, electric pianos, and sweeping synthesizers that give the Underground its distinct atmosphere. But beyond her instrumental prowess, her soaring, classic-rock-inspired vocals provide the emotional counterweight to the band’s heaviest ideological battles.
From the Desert to the Underground
Reggie grew up in the high desert of Taos, New Mexico, completely surrounded by stark landscapes and a deeply ingrained local art scene. She didn’t start on a pristine grand piano; her first instrument was a beat-up, secondhand electric organ she found at a swap meet. That gritty, desert-worn aesthetic still bleeds into her playing today, ensuring that even our most ethereal synthesizer parts have a layer of dust and distortion on them.
The Arcade Architect
Reggie’s fascination with keys and buttons doesn’t stop at the synthesizer. When she isn’t in the vocal booth, she is hunched over a workbench with a soldering iron. She is an avid restorer of vintage 1980s arcade cabinets, frequently repairing dead motherboards and rewiring joysticks to bring classic Galaga and Centipede machines back from the dead. That same meticulous, electrical engineering mindset is exactly how she builds her custom synth patches from scratch.
Studio Botany
Most musicians bring a notebook or a water bottle to their recording sessions. Reggie brings a terrarium. She cultivates a massive, thriving collection of carnivorous plants—Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and sundews—and sets them up around her keyboards whenever she tracks. She claims the slow, methodical, predatory nature of the plants keeps her grounded during the frantic, high-BPM energy of a session.
Reggie’s Essential Solo Vocal Tracks
While Reggie frequently trades verses or provides massive harmonies alongside Arthur, her solo vocal performances are where her raw power truly shines. There are times when the track demands a single, commanding presence, and Reggie delivers.
“Everything is Fire” (First Principles) Channeling the burning, relentless drive of Heraclitus. Reggie’s commanding vocals cut through the heavy distortion and driving drum machines to declare that the universe never sits still.
“Engine of the Cosmos (Aer)” (From Cosmos to Cave) A deeply atmospheric track where Reggie provides the breathing, pulsating vocal embodiment of Anaximenes’ theory of air as the universal substance, perfectly complementing her own sweeping keyboard arrangements.
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