THE GOODS GONE are a two piece modern British rock and roll band who describe their unique sound as “melodic, kaleidoscopic waves of sound that will elevate you to a Zen state”. I first met Lead Vocalist Ryan Sams when he was playing drums in another band and I was immediately impressed with his unique playing style. Its not often that the drummer in the band is the main attribute, but as soon as I heard this boy, I knew he had something special!
Fast forward a few months and I was delighted to discover that Ryan had moved on to create a band to fulfil and satisfy his own musical visions and that’s when The Goods Gone was born.
I saw The Goods Gone at one of their very early (if not their first) live audience gig. There was a bit of drama on the night in that the bands drummer at the time had had to call off the gig last minute due to a burst eardrum. This didn’t phase Ryan however, he got up on that stage with his guitar and his microphone and performed a blinding set as the lead vocalist, lead guitar and drummer with a kick drum and high top all in one. It was an amazing feat as not only did he keep perfect time and rhythm on both instruments but he also managed to sing in perfect harmony whilst remembering the words – now if that isn’t a sign of pure talent, I don’t know what is! If he was nervous he certainly didn’t show it.
Ryan is joined in the band by the equally phenomenal Jake Blake on bass and backing vocals. Jake’s first language is a keys and rhythm guitar player so the way he so perfectly and precisely picked up the skill to play bass in The Goods Gone pays testament to the talent that these guys have to offer.
The Goods Gone have had a couple of band readjustments of late, but that hasn’t stopped them enjoying recognition and success. They’ve performed as part of the renowned Seaside Sessions with their videos being the most watched and streamed videos of all time in the series.
The Songbird was delighted to catch up with the lads recently for a little chat.
Hello and welcome! Please tell us a little bit about yourselves. Who are you, what’s your role within the band and how did you all meet/form?
Ryan: Jake (Blake) and I met via a mutual friend. I think we started the band in/around February. We’ve had several line-up changes as our expectations are pretty high – we are looking for 100% commitment from people, nothing less.
Jake: I’m the Bassist for The Good’s Gone, I am quite new to the bass guitar, but I have played keyboards and rhythm guitar for over 30 years.
Who/What are your musical influences? What sort of genre would you consider your music to be?
Ryan: My biggest influences are The Beatles, The La’s, The Who, The Kinks and The Verve, as well as some recent bands like Temples, Catfish & The Bottlemen, our good friends Rudy Warnan & The Heavy Weather, New Nervous Kind etc. I’m also influenced by film music, James Bond theme songs especially.
Jake: My biggest influences are The Beatles, The Kinks, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Manic Street Preachers, to name but a few, our genre I feel isn’t an easy one to pigeon hole, we have a raw edge sometimes, and a trippy psychedelic side too.
What’s your favourite song of yours and why?
Ryan: Currently my favourite song of ours is ‘Come On!’ which is the title track of our upcoming debut EP. I like it because it really represents what we’re about. It’s full of hooks, very melodic, it embraces the past and the present, and it also goes from Major to Minor in a really satisfying way.
I also like ‘Columbian Gold‘ which was composed Jake. It sounds like a cross between The Verve and Reef at first, but then in the middle it switches to a heavy ‘Radar Love’ kind of vibe.
Jake: In The Middle Of The Night, written by Ryan, I enjoy playing this one, as the bassline keeps me on my toes.
What do you consider the best lyric you’ve ever written to be?
Ryan: that’s a really difficult question. I like the message in the song ‘Live Your Dream’ :
“When you gonna live your dream? Wake up, don’t let the day go by, Nobody else is in your tree, Get on with it before you die”
And then chorus is
“no one knows how it feels to walk in your shoes, no one knows how it feels”
I like it because I think it’s something that we can all relate to. It’s essentially saying “look, we’ve all got our own internal battles that we have to fight, but no matter what you’ve got to keep chasing whatever it is that you want to do in life. Otherwise there’s no point being here.
Jake “A loaded gun with a broken trigger, won’t shoot anything that moves”, from a song of mine called “Keep In Time”.
What’s your favourite song of all time by any other band/artist and why?
Ryan: Probably ‘Fall At Your Feet’ by Crowded House – the chorus just knocks me out every time I hear it.
Jake: Street Spirit by Radiohead, I don’t know why, but this song gives me the shivers (in a good way)
What are you listening to at the moment?
Ryan: ‘Jesus Etc’ by Wilco, I’m listening to that song on repeat at the moment. I’m also listening to rough mixes of stuff that we’re working on.
Jake: You All Look The Same To Me by Archive, also revisiting some songs I wrote a few years ago.
What’s going on with you at the moment? Do you have any gigs planed or upcoming events?
Ryan: We are mainly working on our upcoming EP, we’re doing the artwork ourselves. I’m also working on an acoustic EP which will be our first release. The ‘Come On!’ EP will hopefully be out around mid-November. Both EPs will be on Spotify, which will enable us to apply for a lot more bigger things (as a Spotify link is needed to complete quite a few online Festival application forms, as well as the BBC introducing form).
Jake: As Ryan has said, we are busy recording at the moment, but we’ve been doing a couple of gigs including one at Poco Loco in Chatham recently.
What’s been the best gig you’ve played so far and what would be your dream gig to play?
Ryan: So far, I would have to say that our best gig was supporting Rudy Warman & The Heavy Weather at Ramsgate Music Hall.
My dream gig would be to support Lee Mavers anywhere – if he ever decides to come back!
Jake: Best gig for me would also be the Rudy Warman support, a dream gig for me would be to play Glastonbury.
Who would you most like to share a stage with (past or present)?
Ryan: I sound like a broken record, but again Lee Mavers. If he ever needs a drummer I’m there – as long as The Good’s Gone can open the show! Drums is actually my main instrument, I’ve been playing 17 years and I’ve actually recorded all of the drums for our upcoming debut EP. The Good’s Gone is my first band as a singer-songwriter.
Jake: Radiohead
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being in a band?
Ryan: The best thing about being in a band for me is working on our recordings, gigging, and just generally looking forward to the what the future has in store for us.
I can’t think of anything negative about being in a band. It’s all fun and games to me.
Jake: The best thing for me, is the buzz I get when new songs come together and the magic happens, the only negative is, it can sometimes be tricky working out when we can all meet up to rehearse and record, herding cats springs to mind.
What three words best sum you up as a band?
Ryan: Melodic, authentic, natural
Jake: Creative, Fresh, Inspiring.
FOLLOW THE GOODS GONE ON SOCIAL MEDIA HERE
Instagram: the_goods_gone
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/the_goods_gone
Twitter: @TheGoodsGone1
Website: We haven’t got one yet, but we will do after the EP is finished!
Finally, we’d like to say a big Thank You to The Goods Gone for finding the time and talking to The Songbird xx
The songbird 