Brisbane band Good Will Remedy, who feature members of local legends Pharaoh’s Playground and The BUZZkillers, will launch their debut album with a hometown show in December.
With song craft an integral aspect of Good Will Remedy, the four-piece peddle a brand of 'honest, southern fried, alt-country Americana'. Frontman William Lebihan introduces us to the band.
Roll call! Who's who in Good Will Remedy?
William Lebihan, lead vocal/ bass; Mitch Reid, guitars/ vocals; Dave Newman, guitars/ vocals; Rob Penman, drums.
Who came up with the name, and why?
I came up with it… it is always a difficult thing but after throwing a number of ideas around this popped out; it definitely captures the essence of what the band is about and provides that southern-country-rock-type slant! We hope? Does it?
Describe your sound?
Southern fried, blues, country rock; or more eloquently: awash with strong songwriting and performance craft with an honest, southern-fried feel tinged with an alt.countryesque Americana styling. Do you like that?
You've all played in other Brisbane bands over the years. Why did you decide to form Good Will Remedy?
I had a bunch of songs that I started working through with Mitch in a more acoustic format; we eventually involved Rob on drums and the songs seemed to grow from there. Adding Dave to the line-up has definitely rounded it out perfectly in my mind. I have always wanted to play in a band with two guitars (most of my previous bands were trios) and both Mitch and Dave are really working well together, top musos and top guys too.
I enjoy the creative and performance process and love to continually challenge myself and improve; and in my mind the best way to do that is work with and involve other like-minded musicians: others that also enjoy the creative process, but fully respect the aspect of the song being king. There are loads of great, great players out there, but few, in my mind, who play the song first and their instruments second; if that makes sense.
And what is different about this band compared to previous ones you've been in?
More song-based, thinking more about the performance side, everyone has a similar idea as to style and band sound; very little ego problems in that ideas are shared liberally and are accepted graciously, and all members work on ideas outside of the practice room and actively participate in the management of the band with respect to gigs, promo etc. Sounds simple, but it is not always the case.
With members having been in other bands over the years, do you think Good Will Remedy has an edge over bands with younger members or who are just starting in the industry?
Not sure if there is an edge; experience brings a lot of confidence in abilities and trusting of instinct but we still record every practice session and review songs, ideas, feels that way. The downside can be the dampening of that gung ho, don’t care what people think type attitude that is a real positive with artists just starting out.
How are you all feeling ahead of launching your self-titled debut album?
Genuinely excited, we are really proud of the record and have received fantastic feedback already. Performing at the New Globe Theatre is always great as it’s a terrific venue for artists and punters; and add to that good friends Violets In Damascus and Roo joining the bill: what’s not to like!
What do you have planned for the launch show at New Globe Theatre?
Well it's a chance of a lifetime. We have decided to do an afternoon show starting at 2pm to allow people to make the most of their weekend and leave their evening free. We have friends Violets In Damascus and Roo joining us and under 18s with an accompanied adult receive free entry.
We have a lot of friends and their families who are always keen to get along to a show for one reason or another can’t make it, so we thought why not make it a little easier for these guys as well. The venue has been really supportive with respect to this.
How are you preparing for the show?
We are writing a bit of new material, which is always fun and we will incorporate some into the set. We also have a couple of live, on-air radio performances to sort our selves out for. But in general, just making sure our set flows well and working hard to make sure our performances are good on the day. No fancy stuff. Just rehearsal, record, review and repeat.
Will you be heading out on tour for the album?
Yes, we would love to. We have the possibility of some shows in Northern NSW early 2017 and we are really looking forward to that. With all members being so busy in other projects and life in general we need to plan a head a wee bit.
But we are looking to play in other areas wherever and whenever possible, and to be honest the record and the style is genuinely accessible and add to the fact the songs can be performed in full band or acoustic mode, we have a few possibilities and can be quite flexible. The guys in the band are fantastic musicians that can easily adapt if and when required; exciting stuff really.
What are the future plans for the band?
Enjoy the launch, plan some other shows early 2017 and continue to get our music and performance in front of as many people and their ears as possible and increase/ improve our writing as a band.
Brisbane has a real, community feel within the music scene at the moment so we are keen to support this as much as possible whether it be as Good Will Remedy or as a punter supporting others artists. We are looking to record an EP next year too. I am really keen to tap into the vibe and direction of the band at the minute and we have half a dozen new songs, which I would love to get down... after that world domination. What else!
Good Will Remedy launch their self-titled album at New Globe Theatre (Brisbane) on Sunday 4 December from 2pm.
