James: What bands have you been listening to, and what bands have really influenced you a lot and a second part to this, you can answer this whenever, if you could play a show with any two bands, who would they be?
Will: Well, even though I only have a one-slot CD player, I’ve got five CDs that I really listen to. Okay, lately its been Ben Folds, Moak, I don’t know if anybody knows who they are – do you know who Moak is?
James: No…
Will: Moak’s the best. Moak, Ben Folds, a lot of Coldplay, Coldplay live, Ben Folds live, and occasionally Coheed and AFI, and I like other stuff too, like Brand New… take it John…
Jo: Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of blues, actually.
James : Any specific artists?
Jo: I got a three disc pack for Christmas of just various Blues artist. I really like Stevie Ray Vaughan, [he’s an] awesome guitarist – I wish I could be like him. Well, I’ve also been listening to Blues Travelers, listening to a lot of different stuff, and I really like AFI, and love their new CD. I’m a sell-out.
Za: God.
Tr: I like all of their old CDs except for their new one. And, I’ve been listening to a lot of Boys Night Out, Senses Fail, Early November, as far as individual people as influences, I’d say Jeff Rickley from Thursday, Rivers Cuomo definitely even though…
Za: RIVERS!
Tr: Even though he’s not the kind of vocalist that I am, really, he’s got a different spectrum but he’s still one of the biggest influences on me.
Za: Will’s got an addition…
Wi: The Fogg brothers, anyone know who they are?
James : No.
Tr: I’ve been listening to a lot of Hyll 5…Oh, I got the new Atmosphere CD too. It’s good for a laugh.
Ja: I got the Allman Brother CDs and Stevie Ray for Christmas.
Tr: Stevie Ray who?
Ja: Then, Will got me the Steve Miller band CD. I like that a lot. I go to sleep to Santana every night. I like the new Blink album, though.
Jo: I love the new Blink album.
Tr: Ugh.
Jo: Its’ a good album..
Za: Ugh. Sighs from the hardcore one.
Ja: And for a little bit of that amazing guitarist-slash-bassist I listen to Victor Wooten a lot.
Jo: That’s some crazy stuff.
Ja: Yea.
Jo: Bela Fleck.
Ja: And then some Eric Clapton, I like some Eric Clapton.
Za: I think if I had five CDs that I’ve been playing the last week, I listened to Senses Fail CD a lot just because I like them, I just like their style. I listen to the new Early November, even though it is not that great, there are still some tracks on there that I like a lot. I’ve been listening to Don Henley a lot, the Police. Who else… Hidden in Plain View, they are on Drive-Thru and are really really good. I’m a sucker for Blink 182, they are my favorite, I don’t know, I’ve liked them for a long time and I’ve stick with them.
As far as one person that has influenced me, I would have to say Mark Hoppus from Blink 182. Just because he has cool stories, and I like the style of bass he plays.
James : Do we want to go to the greatest bands question now, or what?
Jo: Let’s each name one band.
Za: Nah, two.
James: We have time to cover two bands.
Za: That means I won!
Wi: I’ll name a goddamn music festival if I want, deal with it! Coldplay, because they’ve got some nice pitched guitars that I like, and Oasis from five years ago, so that way we would play a stadium.
Tr: The former Taking Back Sunday, and Brand New.
Jo: That was T-diddy.
Ja: I would probably play Stoned, for a…
Tr: Stoned? I’d like to play stoned!
Ja: I’d like to play with the Rolling Stones, because they are huge.
Tr: And they are so big it takes up Jake’s two bands!
Ja: I’d like to play somewhere where you can get the crowd going.
Za: John, go ahead man.
Jo: I’d like to play with AFI, but I don’t think that they would like us. I would just like to have AFI’s crowd. They might like us…
Za: Davey said that he likes Simple Plan.
James: Is that actually liking in the band sense or the full on gay-sex sense?
Za: Probably both, maybe. Pierre’s hot. I say that I want to play with the Ramones, that would be really cool.
Wi : Zach, they are dead.
Za: You said Oasis from like five years ago.
Wi : They aren’t all dead though!
Za : I’m saying the Ramones back in the 1980’s, I think that would be very cool. If I could go back and play on the Pop Disaster tour, that would be very awesome. If I had to pick a small-stage band, I would have to say Matchbook Romance.
James: Where do you see the Good Life going in the next ten years, would you move to a major if you had the chance, or is a move to a label like Drive-Thru out of the question?
Jo: I don’t really know where the band is going in ten years, but I would definitely sign to a label like Drive-Thru. I’d love to play with the Drive-Thru bands. I like all the Drive-Thru bands except for Steeltrain.
Tr: We are going to send this interview to Drive-Thru and it is going to say that we don’t like Steeltrain.
Jo: They’re good musicians, though.
Tr: What was the first part of the question? In the next few years, John is going to go to DePauw in the same town, most likely. So if he does stay here, it gives us another year definitely, if not well then, nevermind. In the next year, I see us staying together, and after that, the band might be a summer thing for a while. I would guess that we would find projects in college.
Za: I don’t know.
Tr: You don’t think you are going to find anyone to play music with in college?
Jo: Did you go already?
Tr: Wait, what was the second part of the question? Getting signed? I would sign in a second, just about anything.
Wi: I would sell my genitals to Drive- Thru.
Za: He would sign to Roc-A-Fella records with Jay-Z.
Tr: I would. I wouldn’t, well I would play rap if they signed me. I’d do anything.
Wi: I would do a sheep. Ten years, John is living with his mom, Zach’s living with his mom, Trevors..
Tr: an engineer making millions.
Wi: an engineer making cabinets. He’s going to build our stage.
Sorry about the delay with the second part. School had just started and consumed any available time I have had. The final part will be up soon, and make sure to check out The Good Life and Guilty By Association 6 PM, February 28th, 2004, at Greencastle High School.