Editor’s note: This article is part of a series called New Music Mondays, where we endeavour to feature new music by musicians from the Greater Sudbury area each Monday. If you’re an area musician and would like us to profile your work, email us at [email protected].
Sudbury band Good Vibes — a.k.a. singer-songwriter Ryan McIntosh, drummer Dan Moir and singer-bassist Patrick Wright — normally plays cover tunes at local bars and a few out-of-town gigs.
But when the pandemic happened and gigs almost became something of the past, the band started working on its own original music.
“We didn’t see much more interest for a band that posts covers on YouTube,” said Wright in a recent interview with Sudbury.com. “We decided to make something of our own, and attempt the experiment. So far it’s been great. It’s been a lot of fun.”
The trio isolated themselves in a lakeside cottage this past summer, and recorded some of their new tunes. They’ve already released two of those tracks so far in 2021, with the intention of releasing another two this year.
You can listen to the two songs they’ve already released, “I’m the Problem” and “Serendipity,” below:
“I’m the Problem” is an upbeat indie rock tune about an all-too-familiar situation, where love grows stale as the protagonist realizes he’s at fault.
Wright said “Serendipity” is “a little bit more chill,” and is about working hard to try to find your peace through all the things you accomplish in life.
McIntosh is the band’s idea man, writing most of the tunes, although Moir and Wright both chipped in to improve the final product in their own way. Moir took care of the recording, mixing and mastering.
While Good Vibes was created as a cover band, its members have all written original music before — they’ve all been involved in different bands in the past.
“It was definitely the first time we wrote anything as a three-piece unit, and obviously it worked super well — the chemistry, the listening, the understanding,” Wright said.
“Everything around the project was very natural, and the end result is very much reflective of that, I find.
Speaking to Sudbury.com late this winter, Wright said Good Vibes had received great feedback about “I’m the Problem” (released in February), and was looking forward to the release of “Serendipity” at the beginning of March.
He said the band definitely has more song ideas, so if people are enjoying the music, they could release more tracks and maybe even an album one day.
Having played a total of two in-person gigs (and those behind plexiglass) since the COVID-19 pandemic began a year ago, Wright said Good Vibes is definitely missing playing for an audience.
“We’re also definitely looking forward to trying out these original songs when we actually get out to the stage,” he said.
“It’s one thing to send it out to people on social media and get all the positive comments, and another to see people physically react to it and actually get into the songs you’ve put all that time into.”
The two original tracks released to date by Good Vibes are available on all major streaming platforms. Learn more about the band on their Facebook page.
