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Good Comeback


Band: Good Comeback

Members: Jordan Abel, vocals; Van Eisenhour, bass; Josh Perry, drums; Matt Siple, guitar; Dustin Thornton, guitar

Who we talked to: Abel, 26

How did you guys meet/ How long have you been performing together? My guitarist Dustin Thornton and my drummer, Josh Perry, were good friends since high school. They were writing music together - just instrumental tracks. They were just recording them and putting them up on pages (web) and stuff for people to take a listen. They didn't have a vocalist at the time. They put an ad out, and I gratefully accepted and . . . ended up becoming the vocalist. Dustin and Josh also knew of a bassist (named Van who) also went to West York (Area High School). We were looking for one more guitarist and we know Matty Siple, and basically, that's where we are today.

How did you come up with the name? In about seventh or eighth grade, (Dustin and Josh) had a band . . . that was also called Good Comeback. They kind of wanted to stick to that name because they liked it.

You guys released an EP July 12. Do you want to talk about that? We first started with a (two-song) demo that we handed out for free. We are a pop-punk/hardcore band. It's a lot of up-beat stuff. (Our new release) is a four-track EP with an intro, and it all came together . . . at our own homes. We have professional equipment. It definitely saved us a lot of money to do it that way. We (had) a few pre-sale order CDs . . . at our (first show June 7 at The Depot). We haven't really played out. We have three or four shows booked.

Describe your sound and style. The lyrics are pretty much very positive. (They) kind of speak about breaking away from the norm. We're not really a religious band. I don't really think religion has a part in (our) music itself. It's a great thing, but we're just a band trying to have a positive message (that's) helping people get through hard times.

Who are your influences? Two of (our top) influences would be A Day to Remember, which is a pop-punk band, and New Found Glory.

Like any other local bands? A lot of my friends play out in local bars, and they play cover songs and stuff like that. I tried to steer away from that in this band, which is going to be an all-original band. The main point is networking and to meet up with new bands (and) establish relationships. I think that's very important.

What is the biggest challenge you face? In a lot of bands I've been in previously, age was a factor, and (this band gets) along very, very greatly. A couple of challenges . . . would be (that) everyone has different influences of how they want . . . to sound like. Just marriage alone to one person is hard enough, but you've got . . . five different people (with whom you have to) establish good music while keeping a good relationship. I think that's about the hardest thing.

How do you guys like to unwind? I think we blow off a lot of steam in the music that we play now. There is a lot of aggression in our music. There's not a lot of hate or anything. The anger we used (is) in a constructive way. In our downtime . . . when we're done practice and stuff . . . a beer definitely helps. Honestly, sometimes just picking up an acoustic guitar (helps by) just kind of starting out from scratch and seeing what you can come up with in 10 minutes with everyone contributing. You get a feel for everyone else's viewpoint.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next year or so? Our goal in the next year would definitely be just to play locally. I think a lot of times bands set their goals too high and end up disappointed. The most important thing is just being able to express yourself through the music. I think when you try to set a goal that you just want to be . . . famous (that) takes away from what's important. I think the most important thing is to do what you love and play that music.

Is it hard to balance promotion and booking for the band yourselves? We're still an unsigned band since we just basically started, like, two months ago. I've had people (who) doubt original bands and say, "You'll never really get anywhere." But one of the lines in our songs says, "people who doubt your dreams have given up on their own." We have to book our own shows right now. We don't really have a manager. We try to divide it up. I was a public relations major from York College, so I try to do the best I can at making contacts. Everyone in this band has done their part above and beyond what they're asked to do.

- Erin McCracken, FlipSide staff

Online

For details about Good Comeback and its EP, visit www.facebook.com/goodcomeback.

Listen to the interview at www.flipsidepa.com.

Read more meet-the-artist interviews at www.flipsidepa.com/musicdirectory.