Artist Spotlight: Goodnight, Texas
Courtesy of Bradley Cox
The Appalachian Preservation Project is proud to present Goodnight, Texas as this week’s artist spotlight.
How did Goodnight, Texas come together as a band? How long have you been together?
The two of us (Avi and Patrick) met in San Francisco at the Bazaar Cafe, where Avi was playing a show, and when Patrick had just moved to town. We started co-hosting an open mic together at the Brainwash Cafe, which brilliantly combined laundry machines, food, beer, and performance space, and we started to learn each other’s songs. We really kicked the band into gear when Patrick moved to North Carolina.
What are the backgrounds of each of the members?
Patrick comes from a small Northeastern state called New Jersey. He played piano, guitar, and clarinet from an early age and played, studied, and listened to all kinds of music throughout his institutional educational years. He’s a child of the 90’s and of his dad’s record collection.
Avi grew up in Southern California, but his family hails from Western Maryland and West Virginia. His mother went to Woodstock and got him into blues and folk and rock music at a young age. His brothers Steve and Lary got him into The Beatles and The Rolling Stones respectively.
What is the inspiration behind the name Goodnight, Texas?
Exactly halfway (mile for mile as the van drives) between our houses in San Francisco and Chapel Hill sits an unincorporated town called Goodnight, Texas (population sub 50). We were trying to find our middle ground, as it were.
What artists are currently inspiring the band?
Madison Cunningham, Andy Shauf, Sierra Ferrell, Sir Woman, John Craigie, Kelly McFarling, LoFi Beats To Relax/Study To.
How would you describe the band's sound/style?
Some genre names we’ve played with include “garage appalachian” and “heavy bluegrass.” We have a banjo and a mandolin, but we don’t play like a traditional bluegrass band. We come from more of a folk, rock, even metal place, and there’s more than a little bit of country in there.
How do you hope your music impacts people?
We hope that people listen to the lyrics and get immersed in the stories we’re trying to tell. We try to be very dynamic, both on record and in live performance, to draw people in and then work up to a frenzy. We’ve got two main songwriters and we think the yin and yang approach gives our listeners a constant variety and contrast to always be renewed and surprised by.
What life experiences inform your music?
Patrick - an example for me would be my move from San Francisco to North Carolina, both great places, but a major move always takes a big adjustment and it let to the song “California, You’re A Hole in My Heart,” which kind of just became a lament about never being able to reverse the flow of time.
Avi - Growing up in a family with a detailed genealogical record that kept an enormous amount of items from the past had me interested in history from a young age. Also the loss of my father to cancer has always been a source of reflection that I find rising up occasionally in my songwriting and poetry, even when I don’t intend to. Working a day job for the band Metallica for the last 15 years and watching those guys continue to challenge themselves and have fun doing it after so long as a band renews my excitement in working on my own band, and reminds me that the collaborative challenges we face are no different at any level. They write songs in a very different way than I have ever considered and I find that incredibly inspiring. Being in their headquarters itself is inspiring. I’ve written a few Goodnight, Texas songs of mine over the years in downtime working there on whatever guitars were sitting around.
What is the importance of collaborating and engaging with other musicians?
It’s very easy to get stuck in your own world and forget what is possible outside of it, so any chance to expand your awareness of creativity is an opportunity worth taking. We’ve been extremely lucky to be part of a great community of musicians in the Bay Area and around the country, and getting back on the road more and more post covid has been broadening that community even more.
Are you currently touring? Where can people find your show dates?
We’re ramping up for a big summer! Very excited to get back to some favorite places and some new ones. https://hiwearegoodnighttexashowareyou.com/tour
Are you working on a recording project? If so, tell me about it.
We recently laid down a pair of songs at Brothers Chinese Recording in Oakland, which is one of the very few times we’ve ventured out of our home recording studios. We’re very excited about how those are shaping up and we’ve got a bunch more coming down the pipeline for later this year and next year.
