My Goodness
Tractor Tavern, Ballard, WA
02.05.15
Overtaking the blacked-out stage of Ballard’s Tractor Tavern to the opening strains of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” Seattle’s own My Goodness immediately plummeted into “Check Your Bones” from their 2014 LP Shiver + Shake. The much talked about album has garnered the relatively young group some serious props over the last year, many calling them out as a band to watch. And watch you should, as their live show is just as captivating as their heavy blues-rock sound.
Lead vocalist/guitarist Joel Schneider and drummer Andy Lum play fiercely raw rock anthems audibly influenced by the Seattle rock they grew up on, and with the recent addition of touring bassist Cody Votolato, the threesome put on an intense show. It’s as if The Black Keys and Thrice had a baby, but My Goodness’s sound also feels completely unique. Schneider’s impressively adept vocal range, from the bluesy vibrato on “Bottle,” to his full-throated screamo fits, was full-force all night.
Winging it on the set list for this homecoming show, the band went with “what felt good” and the lineup didn’t disappoint. The searing performance covered most of their catalogue, along with a charismatic cover of Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” The night was full of hardcore attitude, with Lum gulping from a bottle of wine, Votolato spitting across the stage and kicking over a cymbal, and Schneider’s easy swagger – the three have magnetism in bounds.
That talent is going to take them places; along with the fact they truly seem to be enjoying themselves up on that stage. It’s hard to argue with a band that rips through music that instrumentally brash with grins on their face. This feeling of impending success is apparent on the stellar new album, like they finally found the right fit. Produced by esteemed Seattle producer Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Blind Melon), Shiver + Shake is pivotal for My Goodness, the diverse track list deserving of repeat listens.
Local up-and-comers Dude York started the party with their raw pop-punk, followed by Crash Kings, an L.A. three-piece rock outfit that replaces a guitar with a whammy bar on a triple-threat keyboard setup. Crash Kings’ instrumentalism was impressive and surprising and the perfect lead-in for the night’s headliners.
Set to play Boise, Idaho’s Treefort Fest and the Sasquatch! Music Festival over Memorial Day weekend, My Goodness is quickly making their way. If you haven’t already, cop the album here: iTunes | Amazon | Best Buy.
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
My Goodness
Crash Kings
