For our newest Band of the Week, we're stoked to bring you Goalkeeper from Philadelphia! This is a band that popped up on our radar a few months back, and we've been hooked since. Check out our interview with them below.
HU: First off, it's great to talk to you guys. Thanks for taking the time. For those who don’t know, who is Goalkeeper?
GK: Hey everyone! We are Goalkeeper from Philadelphia, PA! Pop punk band that started in the summer of 2016 made up of me, Marc Juliano (guitar), Ryan Beebe (bass/ vocals), and Cody Ritchie (drums)! We started when each of our three bands called it quits and we did a cover show together. We were all friends and after the show realized how much fun we had and decided to continue and form Goalkeeper.
HU: Where’d the name come from?
GK: It was just a name that one of us (I believe Ryan) threw out and we all instantly agreed on it. Also helps because we had certain goals we wanted to accomplish or "keep" so it fit kind of perfectly.
HU: Could you choose a favorite show you've played?
GK: That's difficult. One of our best shows was last December when we did our 3rd annual holiday show. So many people showed up and went absolutely wild! Plus that was on our tour with our friends In Bloom and I think that was our favorite tour to date.
Goalkeeper - "Graveyard" Music Video
HU: We love your new EP, Life in Slow Motion, can you tell us more about that release?
GK: So we got to record the EP in Nashville, TN at Pentavarit Studios. The producer was Kevin Mahoney from Hit the Lights, Will Pugh from Cartel engineered the EP, and Seb Barlow from Neck Deep did the mixing and mastering. The theme is right in the title! We really wanted to touch on a lot of topics we haven't touched on before. We tend to write about more positive moments but this EP we really wanted to focus on some of those not so pleasant moments. Really thinking about how sometimes life can just feel stuck in slow motion. The writing process was very much the same as before. Ryan and Cody bring songs to rehearsal and we work them out as a band, send the demos to the producer, and try to get as much of the song finished before the studio! We tend to get songs about 80% done before the studio so we allow ourselves space to make changes and overcome demoitis.
HU: What's your favorite and least favorite thing about being a part of the Philly music scene?
GK: Favorite thing is the vibrant music scene especially for pop punk. So many great bands paved the way and influenced bands like ours and that helps motivate us and push us to be better. Nothing bad about the scene! Everything is great and we are also in a really great area where we can play many different cities that are only a short drive a way.
HU: Who is a band that you've met through playing shows that we should all be listening to right now?
GK: That's super tough because we've played with so many! Some top bands are Look out Loretta, Eternal Boy, and Lotus Kid from Pittsburgh. FRND CRCL from New Jersey, and Midfield and Crashing from Philadelphia! Also check out some NY and Maryland bands such as The Everafter, 20 Something, One Life to Lead, and Early Retirement.
HU: How have you guys been handling the COVID-19 shutdown?
GK: It's honestly been going okay! We got to release our new EP "Life in Slow Motion", got a decent amount of practice in, and got to catch up on a lot of personal matters so when touring kicks back in that's all taken care of and we are ready to hit the road!
HU: If you could have Goalkeeper be direct support on tour for any band, who would it be?
GK: The obvious being blink-182 but I'd also say New Found Glory, State Champs, Neck Deep, Cartel, Hit the Lights, and The Wonder Years. Any of those would be sick!
Goalkeeper - "Sunshine" Music Video
HU: Do you guys have a favorite song to perform live? Is there a fan favorite live?
GK: We haven't gotten to play anything new other than "Just Say It" but we all know that "Graveyard" and "Black & Blue" will be a blast! We love playing "Left Lane" and "Sunshine" now since they both just have so much energy! Our fans also really seem to love "Sunshine", "Chances", "Left Lane" and when we do, our first song ever "Leftovers"! They always seem to go extra hard for those songs!
HU: Anything new coming up for Goalkeeper?
GK: We've got some ideas we are working on between merch, music, and videos so keep an eye out for that! Just a lot in conversation now since the release of the EP just happened!
HU: Thanks for taking the time guys!
GK: Thank you! This ruled and we really appreciate you thinking of us. Means more than you know!
There you have it... Goalkeeper! We added their new song "Black & Blue" to our Underground Punk playlist on Spotify as well. Make sure to follow the band (linked above) to stay on top of what they have going on. and to check out the rest of their music. Follow the Havoc Underground Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages for more underground music news!