About a month ago, in between watching epic fail compilations and playing Candy Crush Saga, I found an awesome band on the internet, and being the curious George that I am, I decided to investigate. What I found was an eclectic mix of old school meets new sound with a distinctive vibe reminiscent of a modern take on the Mersey Sound. All the hooks were there to give you that energy we’ve all come to love so well when a classic yet uplifting chorus comes after styled first verse and each song can captivate you in a unique yet nostalgic way. What never becomes apparent, however, is that this band is not a veteran act. They are at that point in their career where they are still cutting their teeth in the music scene. Another thing that might not be apparent is that scene is Tokyo, Japan. Yes, that bastion of technology has unleashed the power of the indie artist and that power is good. Or should I say goood. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet The Goood Things.
If The Good Things are your thing, please check out their Bandcamp page and listen to their new EP. You can purchase the EP and name your price!All proceeds go toward recording new material!
I talk with Mike, lead vocalist of The Good Things, in the audio interview embedded above. Enjoy!
ABOUT THE GOOOD THINGS:
The Goood Things is a 4-piece based in Tokyo playing throwback summer time rock’n’roll (all year round) and features Tosh (guitar), Mike (keys/vox), Kayo (bass) and Fuji (drums). Three members are Japanese but the dominant language spoken in the band is drunk Kiwi-English, while Mike – Aussie brought up in Germany – adds to the confusion with his where-the-devil-is-that-from kind of drawl.
But lets rewind the clock a bit. Long before The Goood Things formed in 2013 there was a Tokyo-based 3-piece band called Sunset Drive. Tosh was the guitarist and they took their energetic indie rock on tours of Europe and Japan, releasing 2 EPs and basically setting the benchmark way high for English-singing bands in Tokyo. When their lead singer Al went back to New Zealand, Tosh got rock’n’roll withdrawals and called Mike.
When Mike got the call he was singing (and still is) in The Mootekkis a garage rock 5 piece that has also released 2 CDs and toured New York back in 2012. Mike’s answer was “for sure” and Kayo – who used to play bass in a chicks band called Rubiks cube with Mike’s girlfriend, Ayumi – joined soon after. Drummer, Fuji, was playing in a jam band called Fontrio and jumped at the chance to start something new.
In July 2014, they released their debut self-titled EP at Shibuya’s The Game with Tokyo scene-settin bands Jimmy Binks and the Shakehorns, The Watanabes and Icon Girl Pistols. An estimated 150 people came down to celebrate and naturally the beers and tequila flowed. With a monthly residency at Shibuya’s Ruby Room and their EP to feature on Shinjuku Tower Records listening booth from October-December, this lot are just getting started.
MEMBERS:
Mike (vocals/keys)
Tosh (guitar)
Kayo (bass)
Fuji (drums)
LINKS:
http://www.facebook.com/theGooodThingsJP
http://twitter.com/GooodThings
http://itunes.apple.com/album/the-goood-things-ep/id904305956
http://thegooodthings.bandcamp.com
