The publicized history of 4 Way Street reads a little like a down-market version of The Thorns’ collaborative genesis. As the story goes, 4 Way Street’s Jim Boggia, Ben Arnold, Scott Bricklin and Joseph Parsons came together at the request of an industry pal — in this case, Bruce Warren, program director for Philadelphia public-radio powerhouse WXPN. Warren purportedly asked Arnold, a well-regarded Philly singer-songwriter, to assemble a regional supergroup of sorts for the station’s annual Singer-Songwriter Festival.
All of which makes for nice copy, but the reality is far less cut-and-dry. Well before Warren’s brainstorm, the four actually came together by coincidence during an open-mic night at a Philly-area club. All were friends and infrequent collaborators, so it didn’t take much coaxing to get them onstage together.
“It started out as more of a celebration — a party with our friends,” says Arnold, who’s enjoyed some regional success as a solo artist in the years since recording an obscure debut for Sony in 1995. “We really dug the way our voices sounded together.”
By the time they’d heard about the Thorns project, 4 Way Street were busy preparing their Sanctuary label debut, the self-produced Pretzel Park. “[Thorns producer] Brendan [O’Brien] asked us if we were interested, but we said nah,” Arnold quips.
With its multi-part harmonies and obvious affection for the earnest, streamlined folk rock that overtook FM frequencies in breezy abundance during the ’70s, it’s no surprise the band shares its name with a Crosby, Stills and Nash album.
A mix of collaborative material and reworked solo tunes from each member, Pretzel Park has the loosely entwined feel of a true creative democracy. Arnold’s hangdog Petty-isms rub up against Boggia’s Beatles-by-way-of Hall & Oates pop soulfulness — which, in turn, collide affably with Bricklin’s chameleon-like rock instincts and Parsons’ weightier folk flourishes. And while the album’s lack of cohesiveness can be as much of a distraction as its occasional detours into the middle of the road, 4 Way Street mostly bypasses the bland implications of its name.