Pleased To Meet Me: Rob Good / The Goods
The Goods: by Corey Poluk
Oakland power pop band The Goods return with Don’t Spoil the Fun, their first full-length album. The Band’s blend of bright guitars, fuzz-drenched hooks, and honest storytelling, has manifested a record that balances classic influences with a distinctly modern heart. Don’t Spoil the Fun is available now… on Dandy Boy Records.
Introduce yourself... (Where are you from, what band do you play in etc..)
Rob Good from Oakland - I sing and play guitar in The Goods.
Why do you play music?
RG: Music is really the only thing I’ve ever been seriously interested in. It’s something that brings me a lot of joy, and it’s a space in which I can be creative and find meaning.
What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band?
RG: Green Day was the band that inspired me to pick up the guitar as a kid, and I’m a lifelong Beatles-obsessive.
What’s a favourite book or film?
RG: Batman: The Movie (1966)
Do you prefer the recording process or performing live?
RG: I probably feel most at home in the recording studio - I love production and the process of crafting a recording. I have a studio of my own where The Goods, and I occasionally record other Dandy Boy bands. It’s my happy place.
What would be a dream collaboration?
RG: I’m very lucky in that I already get to collaborate with some of my favourite artists - Yea-Ming Chen, Bobby Martinez, Joel Cusumano… the list goes on. I’d love to collaborate with anyone who is open and kind and can teach me something new.
Describe a favourite album.
RG: Abbey Road is probably the best sounding record of all time, and I find the songwriting and production endlessly fascinating and inspiring.
What's your favourite local haunt?
RG: You can often find me at Montecristo Taqueria in Berkeley - the food is amazing and they’re open late which means I end up there after many shows and rehearsals.
What's your strangest experience while performing live?
RG: I once played the after-after party at a festival in Vancouver, BC. We took the stage at 2am after I’d been napping for a couple hours - I was still half-asleep and it felt very surreal.
If I were pursuing anything other than music it would be...
RG: It’s honestly difficult to imagine pursuing anything else… I’m afraid I have a one-track mind and it’s all music.
What are some of your favourite aspects of being a musician in Oakland?
RG: I feel like our circle of Oakland artists just kinda flies under the radar and pursues our own musical interests, absent of a sense of trying to “be” anything in particular. The artists I admire here are so varied and no two bands sound alike.
If you weren’t playing music in Oakland where would you be?
RG: San Leandro?
Any sage advice for young musicians?
RG: Never stop learning. Figure out how your favorite songs are constructed - the chords, the melodies, the arrangements. Try to crack the code, and actively listen to how everything is put together.