Spotlight: Goon Finds Greener Pastures and A New Lineup on New LP ‘Hour of Green Evening’
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO THROWING THE PERFECT ALBUM LISTENING PARTY? — According to Goon’s Kenny Becker, it’s themed cupcakes.
“My wife Emily made these cupcakes that were frosted green, and she found these little red ladders from a hobby store online,” Becker says, vocalist and songwriter of Goon. “I think they’re called fairy ladders.”
Goon held the listening party the night before their latest album, Hour of Green Evening, dropped on July 15. Featuring a surprise acoustic set from the band, a listen-through of the LP, and, of course, cupcakes, the night was a celebration of a new beginning for the band.
“We’d never really done anything like [the listening party] before,” Becker says. “This year in general for us has been like, ‘Just keep doing stuff that we’ve never done before.’”
Hour of Green Evening was recorded after the band was dropped from their previous label, and with an entirely new lineup, save for Becker. Where some bands might have seen setbacks, Becker and co. saw a chance to channel the changes into one of their most cohesive musical statements.
“We went into wanting to make something that characterized or solidified this new chapter of the band, which is post-COVID, post-record label, new lineup,” Becker explains. “Different things but also the same things that Goon has kind of always been about.”
Even with a new coat of paint, Goon is still the same venerable So-Cal outfit that has shared stage time with heavy hitters, including Lucy Dacus and Granddaddy.
Much of Hour of Green Evening was recorded live over 10 days at Tropical Beauty in LA, which allowed the band’s new lineup dynamic shine through.
Bassist Tamara Simmons, who joined the band at the end of 2019, was originally a fan herself.
“I loved Goon so much,” she says. “They reminded me of the Dandy Warhols. You do that thing where you know people via music — you don’t have that personal connection, you kind of just know them. And then eventually Kenny and I became friends naturally.”
Though banter, music recommendations, and a mutual love of Walk Hard: The Story of Dewey Cox, Becker and Simmons were easy collaborators. They agree that bonding as a unit through non-musical avenues can be just as vital to the sound.
“When Tamara joins, we can’t play any shows, so the first thing we do with her in the band is just really post up in our rehearsal space like almost every day, just the four of us, and just run through all these new songs,” Becker says.
The lineup also includes Goon-regular Andy Polito on drums and Dillon Peralta on guitar.
As a record, Hour of Green Evening is a confident yet still easy-going ride awash with lovely sonic textures and general good vibes. Boisterous tracks such as the driving “Lyra” make for excellent prime cuts, but the quieter instrumentals such as “Maple Dawn” and “Pink and Orange” are just as rich.
“Reflecting on my own anxieties and depressive tendencies and trying to turn that into something more hopeful and positive — I think that’s a good overview,” Becker describes of the album.
The new tracks will finally get the full live treatment during Goon’s album release show at LA’s Lodge Room on Sept. 2. Supporting the band is the Reggie Watts and John Tejada combo, Wajatta and local band Draag, which Simmons dubbed their “best friends and musical creation soulmates.”
“Everything felt so new,” Becker says. “These new songs — they kind of sound like old Goon but they do feel like they’re going in a new direction. It’s just sort of like a ‘fuck it’ mentality.”
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