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THE GOOD NORTH
Do not go gently
By JONATHAN DONALDSON
del.ico.us
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The first time I ever heard of The Good North was after The Strokes' first stateside show in 2001. As I walked out onto Lansdowne Street, a hand passed me a flyer: "The Good North, check us out." I remember thinking that it took gumption, but was actually a really good idea. "I think that was the knock against us, that we thought we were rock stars before our time," says singer Luke O'Neil [Disclaimer: Luke is a longtime Dig cohort and former music editor, though we make no apologies for his awesome music.—Ed.]. The Good North had the audacity to think beyond the Boston scene in their active years (2001-2006), and, unfortunately for their detractors, they could back it up. "It's a sad but all too familiar tale in Boston—of a band that had what it took to make it and didn't quite get there," says David Virr of the Middle East, who has certainly seen a lot. "They had a good run and it will be nice to see them give it one more go."
For as much as they accomplished between opening for big-league bands like Ted Leo, Grandaddy and Idlewild, and recording a full length and an EP with the likes of Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, Boys Like Girls), The Good North crashed hard. "I don't think when we played our last show we were really ready for it to be our last," says O'Neil. As the band edged closer to 30, the grind began to take its toll, until guitarist Johnny Healey finally left The Good North for a television production job in California. Although the band soldiered on, a big part of the good friction had come from O'Neil's post-hardcore/emo singing and Healey's post-punk meets Brit-pop guitar work. "We sort of met in the middle," says O'Neil. "There never was or never will be anything about the blues or country, or rhythm and blues. It was never a concern." The result was a band that sparkled with energy and connected harder with their audience than the typical shy-boy pop band. "Luke's stage presence was always a big part of it," recalls Virr. "Intense and melodic at the same time isn't easily accomplished, but The Good North had it down pretty much from day one."
Now on the verge of a reunion show, their first in three years, the band has a chance to look back. "Who the hell was this guy singing all of this sentimental shit?" laughs O'Neil. "The songs are a part of you." Healey looks back on the times spent offstage: "I think some of the best times we spent together in the band were in the van. We had a rule of no music, which was pretty strange for a bunch of musicians—we would just run sketch-comedy bits." Healey is now back in Boston and the band has just finished mixing their posthumous EP, Don't Look At Me, which they plan to make available as a free download from their website. The bittersweet reality is that this EP represents some of their best work, from the driving pulsations of "Words Stop Making Sounds" to the gorgeous harmonies of "Where Were You Tonight." Just for a minute, forget—and then remember—that they were one of ours.
Given a different set of circumstances, it easily could have been The Good North onstage and The Strokes handing out flyers that night.
THE GOOD NORTH
WITH TAXPAYER, THE INFORMATION, THICK AS THIEVES, BARNICLE
SATURDAY 6.27.09
MIDDLE EAST DOWNSTAIRS
480 MASS. AVE., CENTRAL SQ. CAMBRIDGE
617.931.2000
8PM/18+/$10
MIDEASTCLUB.COM
THEGOODNORTH.COM
