Utah indie rock band, The Band Gooch discuss their latest single, musical influences, fulfilling their dream to pursue music, and what’s next for them
By Emily May
Salt Lake City indie rock/punk band The Band Gooch consists of brothers Jared and Jordan Gooch. Creating a buzz with their recent single “Stuck With You”, an aggressive play off of not wanting to fall into the societal norm of a mundane life, the brothers will be releasing their debut album Modern High next month, a follow up to their 2018 self-titled EP. The two began writing music after creating a song for Jared’s wedding, forming their band and fulfilling their lifelong dream of pursuing music. With a wide range of influences ranging from Green Day, Blink 182, Enya, Brad Paisley, Collective Soul, Metallica and Lorn Huron, the brothers are always finding new inspirations to draw from. The band recently released their latest single “Modern High”, the title track from their upcoming album. An anthem about modern society, the song reflects the pressure to stay relevant and look good on social media and speaks of how people’s obsession with likes and follows can separate them from real life. Tim Robertson (bass) and Taylor Wilson (drums) round perform live with the brothers to round out the band. The Band Gooch will be playing an album release show on July 20th at The Velour in Provo, Utah. With plans to write more music and to evolve and grow as a band, the brothers are excited to keep writing and improving as musicians. You can follow the band and stay up-to-date with all album new and upcoming tour dates, as well as stream and purchase their music, via the following links. Check out “Stuck With You” and “Modern High” below.
Website– https://www.thebandgooch.com/?fbclid=IwAR00iewcv-e-gVQeHX62CiQ_F22IuZE44Hzdpaymvswoyok9VRb98vTTSYU
Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/thebandgooch/
Instagram– https://www.instagram.com/thebandgooch/
Twitter– https://twitter.com/thebandgooch
SoundCloud– https://soundcloud.com/user-248036697
Spotify– https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IkWMVKzlICjfi54MdDrje?si=YrexI3UFS5K87kuRDVGwFQ
iTunes/Apple Music– https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-band-gooch/1459808953
YouTube– https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbGKc6JgyRB45Ui4RCnUUMw?view_as=subscriber
What can you tell me about your single “Stuck With You”?
Stuck With You is a short aggressive song basically about not wanting to be like certain people. The idea came several years ago at a very boring party. Every conversation with every person seemed like it was the exact same. And it wasn’t just at that party, it was at like every party in that part of town with every person around. Everyone was going to school, studying the same thing, and working the same jobs at practically the same companies. Life seemed so boring, like everyone was just conforming to this one way of life, that was hardly a life at all. Wake up, school, work, school, work and repeat over and over and over again. Where is the fun in that? Where is the passion, the joy, excitement, the life? I mean I know some people are genuinely passionate about business management and communications, and they live and die by that alone. But if we are being honest with ourselves, most of us are not. We are passionate about pretty much everything else. In this day and age there is literally unlimited opportunity to do anything. This song is a short, aggressive song about not being boring, not conforming, and being your best.
You will be releasing your debut full-length album soon! What can people expect from the album? Having released a self-titled EP last year, did you approach the writing and recording of your full-length album differently?
I think we have evolved as musicians, and I think you will hear that in the album. I don’t think we approached it too differently than the ep. We mainly try to write songs from the heart and keep them pure. That is the biggest thing for us. We want our music to be felt, not just heard. As far as what people can expect, I’d say they can expect a revolution! Rock music to us is pure, it’s alive, it breathes, it is positive, it connects us, it is us at our core. It pushes us to be happier and better. It is a revolution.
Jared and Jordan- Being brothers, what has it been like being in a band together? Do you ever have sibling quarrels?
Absolutely 100%. We have absolutely fought. It’s actually slightly easier that way because we understand each other. We grew up together, so we basically grew up competing, playing and definitely fighting a lot together. So when we have arguments or disagreements, no matter how mad we are, or how big the fight, we know that we will still be there at the end of the day for each other. That is priceless in any organization, not just a band.
Your sound draws from pop-punk and alt-rock. Who would you count as your main musical influences? Who are you currently listening to?
They range from all kinds of genres and we are always drawing up new inspiration.
We do have some constants, though. First would definitely be Green Day. The have a sound that is so massive, and feels so good it’s like being home. Their live sound is insane, their presence is unmatched and when you watch them you feel like you are part of a massive family.
Second is tough because that’s where we have our personal influences. For myself (Jared) I would put Brad Paisley, Enya and Collective Soul in there. I love all their sound. Brad Paisley in my opinion is an amazing one one of the most underrated guitarists ever. Enya’s music is the definition of feeling not hearing, and Collective Soul is a solid rock band with genuinely good music.
For me (Jordan), two others that come to mind are Metallica and Lord Huron. Obviously very different. I love Metallica because their riffs and overall guitar work is awesome. They are definitely one of the best metal bands ever. Their overall songwriting and composition is excellent as well. They are the epitome of a hard rock band. Lord Huron is awesome because of the way they layer different sound elements and melodies in their songs, it gives it a ton of emotion. Another thing they do well is create such an immersive environment. Each album has a totally different story setting and storyline, and the way they use every possible element to immerse you into that story line is amazing.
Did you grown up in a musical/creative household? When did you first realize your love for music and know it was something you wanted to pursue?
No not really. I mean our family listened to music but no one really played it. We had a piano in the living room we would mess around with but that’s about it. We spent most our time in sports. We both grew up playing soccer competitively through college. I think we both knew we wanted to play an instrument, specifically the guitar at an early age. I (Jared) have always been super intrigued by guitars. Everything about them has always been so fascinating to me. The way they look, sound and feel has always been oddly interesting. I had always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, but it wasn’t until one of my longest friends Broox Jenson lent me a Squire guitar when I was 16 that I actually learned how to play. There was one day after school where I came and sat down and played Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) for like 9 hours straight until I had it perfect. After that my dad got me my first guitar, blondie who is a 1974 Guild for Christmas. I play her every day, and every song that you will hear was written on her. Shortly after he got Jordan his first ever guitar, which is the exact same one only 2 years older.
You’ve said that music is more than just sound, that it’s a higher level of communication that’s meant to inspire motivate, elevate and bring people together. What message are you hoping to convey through your music?
Punk to us has always been a message of freedom, not just straight anarchy and destruction, but actual freedom. It’s your life, live how you want. That’s the message. Live your life how you want, no one cares. Don’t get bogged down by what everyone else is doing or expects of you, that sucks. You’re not them, so F**K them. You want to move away, move. You want to date that person, go for it. You want to start a business, blog, band, whatever it is you want to do, do it! Don’t let other peoples lives control yours! People base their lives way too much off of other people, what they are doing, what they expect and how they can make other people happy. The world needs you to be who you were meant to be, not what is cool or most accepted by the world. At the end of the day, God made you who you are, all of your perfect imperfections have a purpose. So live your life how you want, be your best self and you will figure it out along the way.
Jared- You wrote a song to sing for your wife at your wedding, which led you and Jordan starting the band. I read that this is your first band! You’ve said that you and Jordan had dreamed of pursuing music for a while but have always been shy about it and nervous to tell people what you wanted and love until now. What inspired the two of you to finally go for it, start a band and live out your dream?
Well, growing up as long as I can remember when I would go to sleep at night, or driving in the car, or just daydreaming at school, I would listen to my favorite songs and imagine myself playing them in front of my school. When I came home from my mission, I realized that that dream had passed, and that I either had to forget it, or dream much bigger. I chose the ladder. When I was in high school, I had a history teacher who not a lot of people liked, but who I admired very much. One day he told us why he became a history teacher and a track coach. He said someone asked him a while ago “If you had nothing to do all day every day, what would you spend your time doing?” He told us he’d read history books and run, so he became a history teacher and a track coach. I thought that was amazing. So I asked myself that question, now I have a band and a wife.
What can you tell me about your other band mates that play live with you? How did you meet them and come to have them in your band?
Tim Robertson on the bass. Tim I have known for a very long time, since kindergarten actually. We went to the same elementary school, and then when we got older we played on the same club soccer team. He is one of the most genuine, nice people I’ve ever met. We lost contact after high school for several years until about two weeks before our very first show we ran into him at guitar center. I think the day after we found ourselves needing a bassist, and fortunately for us Tim agreed to play. His energy is literally insane, he is SO fun to have on stage for us and the crowd.
Taylor Wilson on the drums. I met Taylor at my second job home from my mission. He was on Broox’s team (the guy who gave me the squire) and we instantly connected. Taylor is the best musician in the band without a doubt. We found ourselves needing a drummer and Broox called me and said “Hey, I jammed with Taylor recently and he is way good at the drums. I showed him your music and he loved it, you should invite him to play”. So I called him and again, very fortunately for us he agreed. Not only does he play drums, he is a master guitarist and pianist and can sing. On top of that, he is again an amazing guy. We could not have asked for better people to have in the band with us.
What is the music scene like right now in Salt Lake City? Do you feel like it is a supportive environment for musicians? Who are some of your favorite bands coming out of Salt Lake City right now?
The music scene here is pretty good. It is a small community for sure. I think it is always difficult building up a solid and supportive fan base, however I think there are a lot of really great people here who love live music. There are also some awesome bands here. One of our favorites is a band we have played with a couple times called Harbor Patrol. They sound amazing, they play amazing live and are awesome people. Another band I’d have to say is Mmend. Pretty much every member in that band was a neighbor of ours growing up. Mason Winter and Dallin Orr are both really great friends of ours. They started in high school and played at talent shows and other small things. They have always been super good and have a very unique sound.
You will be playing your CD release show at Velour Live on July 20th! What can people expect from the show? Do you have anything special planned?
Yes absolutely. This will be our biggest show yet. We are lucky to have Pick Pocket and Paper Elephant joining us on stage. I highly recommend you check them out. They are both awesome bands with some seriously good music. We have A LOT of exciting things planned. Come to the show.
What’s next for the band? What are your goals going forward?
More music. We plan to evolve and grow as a band completely. This album is the first of many, and after writing and recording this album we’ve learned a lot both about songwriting and production. We are constantly writing songs and are more excited than ever to keep writing, and getting better. Music to us is not just a hobby, passion or something we want to do. It is who we are.
