We had the opportunity to interview electronic-alt group Good in the Dark! Good in the Dark hail from Harrisburg, PA and Chicago, IL and have a sound that's bound to make you want to move. They’re musically tight, vocally fantastic, and will be playing SXSW this year, so needless to say you've gotta check 'em out! But first check out what they had to say in our Artist Spotlight interview!
1. How did you come to pursue music and how long have you been at it?
"My parents are both musical (drums for my dad, voice and flute for my mom), so it’s been around me as long as I can remember. I studied voice and piano from a young age and added bass guitar lessons as a teenager, eventually teaching myself guitar and forming bands in high school. In college I started putting out records of my own and I’ve spent my 20's onward recording, performing, and touring with various projects. I make a living by teaching piano, bass, guitar, and songwriting lessons."
2. Could you walk us through your process of writing music?
"Most of our songs start with me finding a bass riff or keyboard hook, something danceable. Once in a while I’ll start with a chord progression I like on the piano. I’ll tease it out into an A and B section, map out a simple kick-snare pattern, and send it over to our drummer Carlos. He helps to flesh out the beat, adds synth and production ideas, and we spend a lot of time talking about structure and where the song wants to go. In the meantime, I’ll work on the lyrics and melody and when the demo is ready we’ll bring in our guitarist Grant to add layers of sound. Lately Carlos has been coming up with beats and bass lines and sending them over to me, which is great - it breaks me out of my habits to start with someone else’s idea and jump into melodies and lyrics right away."
3. What artists have inspired you in your career?
"For this project we look to bands that put together dance music and really intelligent songwriting, bands that make you move and think. Aesthetically, anything that combines elements of disco and glam with punk and grit is a win. We love New Order, LCD Soundsystem, Talking Heads, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metric, Yacht, Le Tigre…"
4. Do you have any favorite music gear (guitars, amps, effects pedals, keyboards, etc.) that you love to use? If so, what’s the story on them?
"I’m obsessed with short-scale Fender Mustang basses. I haven’t played any other kind in almost ten years. They fit my frame and hands so much better (no more tendonitis!) and I adore the feel and tone. I’m also a big fan of the Roland JDXI synth I use onstage as a keyboard and vocoder; it has a library of digital and analog tones, which is so cool."
5. Can you describe the vibe at your live shows? Also, what do you enjoy most about a venue when you do a show?
"Our vibe is very much a dance party. We want people up on their feet moving around. The best thing a venue can do for us is push any tables and chairs out of the way and make sure there’s plenty of open space on the dance floor!"
6. What is one thing that you want the public to know about your music?
"We’re very much steeped in the DIY ethos and it really is us doing everything back here - writing, recording, booking shows, planning tours, making merch, growing social media and web presence… it’s a lot of hats to wear! We do it because we love it, but we’re certainly open to the idea of taking things to the next level with a record label or management."
7. Do you have any upcoming projects you would like fans to know about?
"We have a March tour that will take us through Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis before heading down to SXSW in Austin, and our second record along with several music videos will be released late spring/early summer!"