Love bands that are just going for it, who have a vision and are comfortable within their ranks. Good Co. sounds like that kind of band and we are happy to be a part of their journey releasing some new material! Catch them in a somewhat acoustic setting on the patio stage at The Cove on Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 5-8pm. Details and reservations here: web link

Seamus Cowan: This is our first time having your group at The Cove. Exciting times! It sounds like you have really hit the ground running since forming a band, Good Co. Touring and everything! How did it all come together?

Cody Allen James: Coyote and I were living in Toronto for years but when COVID hit, it didn’t make much sense being in the city anymore while paying such high rent. I moved back to Kingston and started to work on some of the “country” acoustic songs we had laying around as we weren’t sure if being in a full band was really doable anymore. I played a few solo shows once restrictions were lifted, recorded some demos and put out a call to see who would want to play some music together. That's when I was referred to Dan Killen. Dan and I knew each other from the hardcore scene and I always thought he was a rock solid drummer. Coyote, Dan and I started jamming together, writing more and playing some shows. We hired our cousin John Kennelly to play guitar for some gigs, but it was quickly proven that John lived a bit too far away for it to be practical. Coyote and I are in another band called, The Mature Themes, and we played with a band called The Roughs. Mike was the guitar player for that band. We were super impressed with his playing and approached him straight away. We hired Mike on the spot over a beer and went on tour 2 weeks later. Now we’ve traveled half this country and recorded a full-length record together.

Q: I understand you and your bass player Coyote Williams have a brotherly bond writing tunes! What's it like writing tunes together for you? Does it give a song a bigger picture that you both have to become a part of?

Cody: Coyote and I have been writing songs together basically our whole lives. We have the same values when it comes to songwriting: don’t phone any of the lyrics in, take your time writing melody and always have one part that stands out. We’re big song structure buffs too… Haha! In short, I don’t know what writing a song is like without checking in with him first and vice versa.

Q: Fronting hardcore bands in Toronto is a bit of a change from your current state of affairs. Did you find that your mindset was pointed in a wildly different direction during COVID?

Cody: It absolutely was! I’ve always been into country music, but when the pandemic happened and halted my other projects, it was much easier to write songs using an acoustic guitar.

Q: I love the sounds of your influences! The whole "Alt-Country/Rock 'n Roll" thing is so appealing to me too! There is a kind of rebellious, punk underbelly to it. It's the aesthetic that is different. What makes it work for you?

Cody: I think that’s just it. The aesthetics may change, but that undercurrent remains. I think, especially nowadays, they go hand-in-hand because no one is playing gatekeeper for country music anymore. Its reach has broadened and many new voices and perspectives are starting to emerge from the genre. People of colour and queer folk are now operating at the forefront of country music and that’s such a breath of fresh air, especially in a genre that doesn’t have the greatest track record of inclusivity.

Q: I'm sure you are excited about the release of your new record and having it under your belt. Recorded at The Bathouse, it must have been fun channeling some of that Hip spirit. What plans do you have for it and will you tour?

Cody: We actually recorded a single a few years ago at Bathhouse for QR The Band’s compilation album of local artists, but we never officially released that track. We were still very fresh and hadn't quite yet found our sound. We have since recorded our album at The Oscillitarium in Scarborough, Ontario with Tobin Hopwood using all vintage gear and mostly done live off the floor. We dropped our first single “Night/Day” last week on Thursday, September 12th and celebrated by playing the Horseshoe Tavern with Espanola and The Pink Stones. We have a video waiting in the wings that was created by Bernadine Van Renne that we can’t wait to release as well! It was all hand drawn and stop-motion. With our release, we changed our name to just Good Co. and have a new line of merch that will drop with the album along with some vinyl. We plan to do release shows in a few major cities which will probably lead to a tour of Ontario/Quebec. We’ve also been talking to some folks about touring out to Newfoundland at some point, but we’ll have to see. Grants are hard to get and being an independent band, everything costs so much. So if anybody reading this wants to give us a bunch of money we’ll be more than happy to tour the world. Haha! Posted: Sep 19, 2024 Originally Published: Sep 18, 2024