by Lauren Rosier
photos by Natalie Escobedo
The year of 2015 has definitely been a rollercoaster ride for indie folk band, Good Old War. Changing from a trio to a duo and releasing their fourth LP, Broken Into Better Shape, it’s been one heck of a ride.
The making of the LP was a completely different experience than the previous releases. Former drummer Tim Arnold still had an influence on the writing of the record, but had taken time off to relocate to Atlanta to be with his family. This record was both a learning and growing experience for Keith Goodwin and Dan Schwartz. For this record, the guys put together a pledge campaign to involve their fans in the record-making process.
“It was a fun experience connecting with our fans and giving an inside look at how the record was being made,” Goodwin describes. “We played house shows, made personalized voicemails, and gave Skype concerts among many other things. I felt like it brought us closer to our listeners.”
If you listen back to the band’s previous albums, Broken Into Better Shape has a completely different sound, but still is able to maintain the band’s signature like-butter harmonies. Perhaps it’s because the guys had a different experience in the creation of this record than the previous three.
“On the first three records we were mostly trying to capture the sound of the live band. This time around we didn’t know what the band sounded like because Tim wasn’t there,” Goodwin explains. “This gave us an excuse to try a lot of new things and really get every idea out so we could discover a new sound. Every song is its own little world. It was a blast to make.”
This past fall the guys spent time on the road supporting Kodaline. They have some upcoming holiday shows in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York with The Voice season 9 winner, Sawyer Fredericks, supporting.
It’s been a pretty good year for Goodwin and Schwartz even with all the changes in their lives, especially with the release of the new record and having songs like “Never Gonna See Me Cry” featured on the TV show, Blood & Oil.
“It’s been emotional on so many levels. We are grateful for all of the love and support from our fans. We were glad to connect with them on a new level. It was a joyful challenge creating the album and getting on without Tim though it was sad to see him go and not have him around. Hopefully he will return at some point,” Goodwin acknowledges.
“Operating as a two piece is completely different and we are still getting used to it. It’s sort of like starting from scratch as far as what the band should sound like but all of the songs still come from the same place.”
Catch the guys perform at Union Transfer on December 18th with Sawyer Fredericks.
