In the 15 years since graduating from Amherst, Rani Arbo '90 has led many lives. She is a whirlwind of talent and energy-her eclectic resumé is proof. Arbo is a singer, a fiddler, a writer, an editor and a manager of her band, Daisy Mayhem, which Arts and Ideas New Haven described as "young, hip [with a] chemistry that's electric." Rob Williams of Vermont Guardian praised her for her "expressive alto" and her "elegant and sinewy" fiddle. Scott Altarick of The Boston Globe said her fiddle was "shimmering with sly wit and mystery." Arbo tours 60 days out of the year with Daisy Mayhem-with a two-year-old, no less-and somehow still finds time to do freelance writing and editing. Perhaps more striking than her diverse interests and talents is Arbo's passion and love for everything she's done.

After Amherst

After graduation, Arbo, like most Amherst students, expected a stable future with a steady job. "I didn't think I was going to do this," said Arbo. "I did the nine-to-five job for awhile." Her path to Daisy Mayhem was, at best, unconventional. Arbo graduated with a major in geology (though she never worked in the field). After being disappointed by not getting any of the magazine internships to which she applied, Arbo took the admission office's Green Dean position and worked with the Career Center and Community Outreach for two years. "It was nice to be at Amherst and give something back," said Arbo. Still, her real interest was in writing, and she found a job at an up–and–coming magazine in Northampton called Family Fun. Arbo describes her time with the publication as a "great learning experience."

While working as a Green Dean and as a full–time writer and editor for Family Fun, Arbo also moonlighted with a bluegrass-oriented band called Salamander Crossing.

Finding the music

Arbo became interested in music at an early age, singing in choirs and playing classical cello in high school. She brought this passion with her to Amherst where she sang in the concert choir and the Five College Early Music Collegium.

Though she briefly abandoned string instruments, a concert in Buckley Recital Hall reeled her back in. Arbo was energized by a folk violin concert starring a teenager named Alison Krauss. "I'd never seen anyone play like that before," she said. Inspired to go back to playing, Arbo borrowed a violin from the music department after promising to take good care of it and promptly took it with her to a geology field expedition. "I played the violin in our tents, much to the chagrin of my advisor, because I really wasn't that good," said Arbo.

With more and more practice, Arbo got better. Through the years, Salamander Crossing also improved and began to get more gigs. Though playing in the band was recreational at first, Arbo realized that it would be hard to keep a full-time job with the band's growing number of gigs. "1996 was a real turning point," said Arbo, who then decided to stop working full-time and start touring with her group. "I realized that I wanted to tour now, while I was young, and not when I was 50 or 60. It was the right time to take a risk."

It was a hard decision for Arbo, who loved her job at Family Fun. "It was a good job and could really have been a career for me," she said. "Common sense told me to stay. I've never been as good at music as I've wanted to be, and I hate practicing."

But Arbo is not one to take the easy way out. "Writing and other intellectual pursuits have always come easily," she said. "Amherst was definitely not a breeze, but it was a challenge I was used to." Arbo thought that it was time to embrace a "scary" challenge-one that was unfamiliar and that held unknown outcomes.

From swing music to folk pop

Arbo's music is like her resumé-eclectic, full of life and unclassifiable. After Salamander Crossing broke up in 1999, Arbo created Daisy Mayhem, a four-person group that includes one of Arbo's former bandmates, bassist Andrew Kinsey, husband Scott Kessel on percussion and Anand Nayak on guitar. Daisy Mayhem's music ranges from bluegrass, to swing, to folk pop and its most recent CD, "Gambling Eden," has been a big success. Steve Edge from Rogue Folk Review described the album as being "difficult to praise highly enough" and "intoxicating." Danielle Dreilinger from Northeast Performer has praised the group for "[making] every song a celebration." Arbo also handles all of the management decisions for the group, including their bookings, what to play, how to play it and how to promote their concerts and CDs. Daisy Mayhem has played music festivals, coffee houses and various colleges-bookings as varied as their music.

Arbo somehow makes all of this-touring, concerts and writing-look natural and effortless. "I would miss writing if I didn't do it at least part time," said Arbo. "You just need to hold your head up-and also be able to put it down. Having a baby takes away all the free time you didn't know you had, but it also helps you reorganize and recognize what's really important."

The past and the future

What Arbo found most important from her Amherst education was the "stellar" teaching. "Don't worry about what you're going to do in life, and about all the practical stuff," said Arbo. "It's too early for that. Even if you have no idea what you're going to do, just take classes with great professors who are passionate about what they do. Even if you're not particularly interested in the subject matter, the interaction with someone who's very passionate about what they do can help you learn about what you're passionate about. "

What's next for this multi–talented singer, writer and fiddler? "There are a lot of other things I want to do," she said "I'd like to get my master's degree in writing and maybe teach writing to younger kids in high school or middle school. And I'm not done with music. There's a lot of musical stuff I'd like to do too."

Whatever is in store for Arbo, one can be certain that an auspicious future looms ahead. Arbo has an uncanny knack of being successful at everything she tries, and having fun in the process. Like the professors she admired while at Amherst, Arbo provides an inspiration to those students who want to follow their dreams.