You’re Never Going To See Me Cry at Coney Island: A Preview of Good Old War at The Tractor Tavern on Thursday July 23rd

If you are an old fan of Good Old War every time you hear the introduction to their song Coney Island you probably feel a sense of nostalgia that makes you wish you were at an awful festival filled with terrible rides and fried food.

Good Old War has always had a way with words that makes you feel. Whether it’s nostalgia like in Coney Island off of their first album Only Way to Be Alone, or it’s a sad smitten feeling like in their song Not Quite Happiness off of their second latest album Come Back as Rain, Good Old War can paint you picture with every word they sing. On their first few albums the band was focused around Keith and Tom playing acoustic instruments and based on their unique vocal sound and their delicate touch with harmonies. This has changed a bit.

On the new album Broken Into Better Shape, you can still tell it’s Good Old War but the guitar is crunchier, the percussion is more produced, and the sound is more powerful. This creates a great backing to catchier choruses and a louder sound. The only band I can compare it to might be Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, not necessarily from a sound stand point, but from a transition standpoint. Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s are the only band that I know of that has confidently transitioned back and forth from full acoustic albums to heavy guitar and punk albums. Now, because Good Old War only just came out with their first heavier(I use this very timidly) album, I cannot be sure that it will be as hard of a transfer as Margot, but it is still very interesting.

Good Old War will be playing at The Tractor Tavern this coming Thursday, July 23rd with the openers Flagship a bit more of an electronic rock band, and Pete Hill a more folky artist. This should be a great way to set the stage for Good Old War to play a mix between their very folky old songs and their more rocky new songs. I do fully expect, however, the band to focus on their new album which was released in late June. I am a tad disappointed by this because I much more of a fan of their old music, just due to my own genre preference. Hopefully since they are playing at Tractor they will feel very folky and keep it a folky set.

Anyway KXSU recommends this show strongly as a great way to get your folk fix before Capitol Hill Block Party swoops in and tears up your ears with electronic, rap, and punk music. We love all of those three genres but we also want you to get your ears all limbered up with some nice full folk rock.

Marcus Shriver // A Bike Tire // KXSU Reportergoodoldwar

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