An apt band name as we head into silly season. Gather round for today’s Band of the Day, for some Good Times & Company…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are all from central Illinois. Various small farm towns, but we are all living in Springfield, Illinois now.
How did you meet?
Me (Clint, guitar and vocals) and Shad (bass) went to high school together and, being from a small community, everybody knows everybody. Once I heard he was starting to play bass when I was 15, I rode my bike over to his house and the rest is history. We have been playing in bands together ever since. We met Kyle (drums) and Keagan (guitar) through mutual musician friends in the Springfield scene.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Almost 4 years now I believe.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
I started a solo acoustic project and named it Good Times because I wanted a simple, easy to digest name that conveyed my goal as a musician. I just wanted people to come out and have a good time. Then when I added more musicians to become full band, the project became Good Times & Company.
What are your influences?
Life. But our musical influences as far as bands go would be The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, The Doors, The 1975, Royal Blood, Highly Suspect, The Kooks, Ceramic Animal, Mac Demarco, Cage the Elephant, The Beatles, Franz Ferdinand, Queens of the Stone Age, Beck, Sticky Fingers, DMAs, SKEGGS, Radiohead, and many, many more.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music is alternative/indie rock’n’roll done our way. We have so many influences as a group, so each song contains something different. Our uniqueness stems from our writing process. We always write from a place of truth, nothing is ever forced. Everything we do is part of a natural process of expression, so our sound comes out as something you wouldn’t confuse with another band. Being in the Midwest certainly adds something to the sound. The slight twang in my voice comes from being raised in the country, the driving powerful bass tones and unique riffs come from our years of playing in metal bands. Being from essentially the middle of nowhere allows us to write and not be influenced by music or trends happening in cultural hubs like LA or NYC, so our product is unique and entirely our own. When you hear it, you know it’s us.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Most things I have written are an abstract approach to expressing something without allowing transparency. Escapism, drugs, romance, anger, fun, sadness, people, places… most things a human being can feel has been touched on in an abstract approach. Beck is a big influence on me lyrically. More recently Shad has written lyrics that are close to his personal life, and Keagan has written some of them as well here and there. For example, the chorus and second verse in ‘Dropping Anchor’ Keagan brought to the table. It’s about a girl he was fascinated with.
However, with this new album we are writing, there is a theme I will describe as “spacey”. Space references, the concept of multiple unseen dimensions, the feeling of being lost in space are some examples of the latest themes. Also, I have gone into writing lyrics that are very personal to my own life for the new album, so it feels therapeutic to deliver them live and share with the world, even if they can’t “decode” it. I like to let the listener come up with their own interpretations of what the song may be about, even if they are nowhere close to what it means to me. I have had people tell me they know what a song is about and how it has helped them get through a tough time in life, even though their definition is not the same as mine. Art is subjective, and to me that’s a beautiful thing.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Our live show is fun! We get up there and run around and head bang and slam beers like crazy. It’s just a really fun time and we try to play every show like it’s our last. It’s very much a time for us to let loose and vent via our craft. I have no idea how many shows we have played. There have been a lot of shows in the past 4 years!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
One time we were playing a show in my hometown, and someone had sent a bouquet of flowers to Keagan while he was onstage. The sender was anonymous, so we found out that night he had a stalker! So that was extra special. Also, one time a guy showed up in a full Star Wars Jedi costume, and another guy in a hot dog suit. It was not Halloween. That was something to see!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
I’m not a “gear head” or anything, but we play mainly out of Orange Cabs. We love the dynamic tone you can get out of those. I play an Epiphone and I know Keagan alternates guitars, but I have no idea what they even are. And I know literally nothing about drums. I’m always more concerned with writing than gear. Shad is always updating his rig though.
What are your plans for 2018?
Well, since it’s almost over I’d say playing a few more killer shows and fine tuning this new album. We will probably post some more acoustic videos of us playing new songs to tease everybody for 2019! This year has been absolutely crazy though.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
The Dixie Narcos are an incredible band from around here. I would love to have them open for us. A band called Feel is a group we have played with a few times and supporting them is always awesome. They have a very professional energetic live show.
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