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When you hear the name, "The Good Hurt," what comes to mind? "We've gotten everything under the sun," says frontman James Lanman with a smile, "It's a mixed bag - everyone has their own ideas." Incidentally, the same can be said about the band's music, which solicits a varying spectrum of musical comparisons ranging from bands like Sublime, Dawes and Weezer to 1960's pop rock acts like, The Zombies.
The influence of California pop rock is prevalent but never dominant as the different influences from band member to band member blur the lines of a single source of influence. Between Drummer Aaron Ameen, Lead Guitarist Max Brockman (who both sing backup vocals) and Jesse Summers on the Bass - the musical influences of Alternative Rock, Classic Rock and Funk blend neatly with Lanman's jazzy 'milk and honey vocals.' All this coupled with Lanman's writing style which is derived as much from the school of Electronica (Lanman started his musical career as a DJ) as it is from the school of Motown - one of the genres of music exclusively played in his house growing up.
From their debut album, "You Are Here," their opening track and arguably one of the most emotionally weighted on the album, 'In Her Name,' recalls the early days of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lyrics such as "While good men fell to earth in fire, rain and lead, as mothers gently wept over their empty beds." in verses sets the stage for the chanting outro, "Before your eyes, before your years, before your eyes, before your years." The message is driven home as the whole song is ended with a middle eastern influenced vocal phrase sung by Lanman that adds just enough musical alienation to make the listener do a double-take and ask themselves what the song is really about. This is a common thread woven throughout their songs, at the least, they are great pop songs, at best, they're perhaps something a little deeper, poetic and thought provoking. |
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