October 19th, 2013
I set my day off with a kickass performance by goodbyemotel at the Rockwood Music Hall. If you haven’t heard these guys (full disclosure: I knew nothing about them 24 hours ago prior to the show), you should. It’s their third performance at CMJ – the annual week-long musical marathon showcasing up-and-coming musicians from all different genres. I think CMJ is awesome – it gives the artists a chance to meet each other and exchange ideas. And everybody can have a good time.
The show was at a fairly small venue but goodbyemotel sounded great. The lead singer, Gustaf, was singing with force, passion and feeling.
The energy of the band was above what you would expect on a Saturday afternoon. “Sidewalk”, a song that has never been played before, was one of my favorites. The keyboard added space and dimension to the songs, and the skillful use of backup vocals created richness and depth. I also loved the softness of the drums when the drummer switched to played mallets on one of the songs.
Overall, it was a great show, worth waking up early for sure. AND I got their new EP “People” with a badass artwork.
After the show I chatted with Gustaf and Dave and found out that originally from Australia, Goodbyemotel just finished their US tour, which was very successful and fun, the only bad thing about it was .. food. As the lead singer joked, “it was too quick, too fast … I need to fast now”
Goodbyemotel also toured Japan, where they had a very receptive reception of their 4D Live Experience – a synchronized video projection that creates a unique audiu-visual experience. Mixing music and film comes naturally to these guys – collectively they have a solid background in video production.
It’s not surprising as their musical influences include Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros, Radiohead and range of other bands.
Look out for goodbyemotel and go check out their show at the Rockwood Music Hall on November 6th at 10pm. They’re also online at ReverbNation, Facebook and Twitter @goodbyemotel_.
Here is a video from their performance at Rockwood Music Hall.
And the official video for their single “Set it off”, featuring scenes from their 4D live shows.
If you want your upcoming show covered on Flowers In A Gun email martkawaii@gmail.com
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Tom, just fixed it – can you check now?