WHY EVERYBODY SHOULD LOVE GOOD OLD WAR

It seems that every decade so far in the age of rock and roll had its sink or swim moment when everybody thought that music "as we know it" was fast approaching its end. It always survived, but barely. In the aftermath we are left with embarrassing skid-marks that we carry with us, as a preventative. I'll give a few examples. We saw the end of big band when swing was ironed out into rock and roll. We saw disco undermine the efforts of the legends. And we saw hair metal pervert...well, everything, one bulge at a time. Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake introduced the cookie cutter to pop music, and Fred Durst simply did not help to stop it. That should make us completely aware of what to do and what not to do, right? Well, wrong. Some of us understand this. Some of us understand the importance of the drum solo, the windmill, and the acoustic guitar. But others, however, completely throw caution to the wind in the face of popularity. With that ideal in mind, the rest of us are once again contemplating the existence of the musical apocalypse. What's going to happen when Weezy gets out of jail? Are we left to hope that Rihanna will pursue an acting career? Do people really think Ke$ha is good?

There was always hope, though. And there still is. There is always sincere music circulating through the ears of the curious. It is up to everybody- the casual listener, the critic, or the diehard collector- to find the newest great music and shove it into the spotlight. Sometime in the summer of 2009, through happenstance, I came across a band called Good Old War. Almost immediately I had this crystalizing moment in the middle of my head that mashed my brains together in a way that sort of said, "Holy shit, are all three of these guys incredible in front of the mic?" Now, I got sort of lucky. I checked out their myspace early on, but as I am far too often never paying full attention to the seven things I'm doing at once, I only heard the crisping of the acoustic guitar and a hurried pulse, but it was nothing I hadn't half-heard before. I happened to see them live by accident a couple of weeks later. I was on assignment, shooting at the Rock On! Band Camp concert and Indie-Fest at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (http://www.rockoncamp.org, send your kids). The camp ended after a week of classes, lessons, and raw, organic jam sessions with a display of all of their incredible hard work. Afterwards, the annual Indie-Fest commenced with Art Decade (www.artdecade.bandcamp.com) and, somehow, Good Old War. I was one of the few allowed in the theater for sound checks, and once the three mysterious figures hit center stage and began to sing, my hamstrings tensed up, my jugular veins tightened, and I fought the urge to turn to my friend beside me and yell "what the fuck?"

Since that glorious evening with the gents, I have returned to their live show twice more. I've gotten the pleasure of seeing them twice acoustic, which allows the band ample freedom to dance, engage in banter, and even come into the crowd and form a very pleasant circular formation that allows soon-to-be-fan sheep to diffuse towards the back, and us regulars to gravitate and sing harmony. If you're lucky, you might even get asked to hold their beer. Last week, however, I made a voyage with my brother to see them in Rutland, VT. I was excited, seeing as though both he and I have been obsessing over their newest release, "Good Old War," and this would be the first time I was able to see the band in full costume. They were the opening act, so their set was shortened, to my dismay. But what they lacked in time, they made up for in just being Good Old War. They played the classics, including "Window," "Coney Island," and "Weak Man," which was a treat in itself, but I was DYING to hear the new stuff. My patience was rewarded, as they played my absolute favorite, "Woody's Hood Boogie Woogie" with many others. To those of you who are familiar with these tunes, aren't they great? To those of you who aren't, stop wasting time.

WHY EVERYBODY SHOULD LOVE THIS BAND: Do you love your family? Does a blue sky look pretty? Are you ever in a good mood? Of course. Those are simple questions for the average person. Having answered all those questions positively probably means that, although there are dark days, you generally have an easy spirit. The kind of spirit that comes through in the way you laugh, socialize and deal with daily tasks. You probably rely on good friends, nice weather, and, of course, great music to make your day worth remembering tomorrow. And every single second of Good Old War's music  does just that. It reminds you that existing while you have the opportunity completely overshadows the mystery of what comes after. You put your headphones on and you can feel the joy in their voices, or the laughter in their instruments. You may think that what I'm writing is completely gooey and flowery, but trust me. Listening to Good Old War should shoot straight to the top of your bucket list.

I'd like to detail a few brighter lights within Good Old War's two records. Now, each song is classic. But a few stand just a bit taller and are special in every sense of the word. "Just Another Day" mounts a canvas and paints on it beautifully warm colors, eventually resembling the best day you've ever had. "Looking out my front door/ In the morning/ I see the light/ After noon I'm in the backyard/ Passing the time/ But when I said/ Goodbye to sunshine/ I call on some of my friends/ See you soon/ Under the moonlight." I still have clear memories of hearing this song played three feet in front of me in Boston. It was dark and I was in the front of that tightly packed circular formation. My roommate Steve was holding Tim's beer and I was feeling the hair on the back of my neck and the top of my arms stand straight up. I recorded it on my phone and still listen to it all the time.

Included in the same record (Only Way to Be Alone) as "Just Another Day" is a song called "Window." It has the same yellow glow to it, but it mixes more colors and in a much more hard working way. This song works towards something, musically and lyrically. Musically, the guys belt in three part harmony over a healthy, determined guitar part that eventually blossoms into the egotistical maniac that it didn't always want you to see. A pounding kick drum on 1, 2, 3 and 4 shouts for attention at the start of the bridge and climaxes into a double-time kick and snare groove fit for the hokiest of deep-south banjo jams. The song ends just as softly as it began, with a breathy melody the suggests the most peaceful of good mornings and the most peaceful of goodnights.

But no song that Good Old War has ever clenched my shirt collar quite like "Woody's Hood Boogie Woogie." The song is obviously a boogie-woogie, dancing among a familiar rhythm that we all heard in songs like "I Want Candy." What sets Good Old War apart from Aaron Carter, though, is talent and everything else ever. The upbeat, whistle-while-you-work feeling of this song is perfectly contrasted with some of the saddest lyrics I've ever digested. The song studies a young, inexperienced couple who learn of a tragedy and can do nothing else but pray to God that it never happens to them. "I just can't believe he lost his lover and his child/ Both in the same day/ Now his baby's going to heaven and his wife has lost her mind/ Oh it's a damn shame/ Let's go drinking/ I'm hoping that won't happen to us." Take Good Old War's advice: Count your blessings and enjoy the ones you love. Evil is double-jointed.

Take my advice, too. Listen to this band. I guarantee you that very quickly you'll have a bluebird on your shoulder singing along with you. I will end this love letter to Keith, Dan and Tim with a numeric review. 5 out of 5 stars, for both "Only Way to Be Alone" and "Good Old War."

"Only Way to Be Alone," 2008

"Good Old War," 2010