The album title, then, is a nod to alocal tradition that gives an apt suggestion of The Goodnight Loving’s rusticsound, a grab bag of early, jangly rock ’n’ roll, twangy rockabilly andsoda-fountain pop. The group keeps their songs to two or three minutes, andtheir four members tag-team singing and songwriting duties, which gives theirrecords the loose, spontaneous feel of a jukebox, where a surfy instrumentalcould be followed by a dusty country tune.
“From the beginning, we all wanted tokeep our approach really open, allowing everybody to contribute songs indifferent styles, though it can be kind of tricky to sequence albums with allthese different styles,” keyboardist/singer Andrew Harris admits.
Their first full-length for thePortland punk label Dirtnap Recordsthey previously released most of theircatalog on Milwaukee’s Dusty MedicalTheGoodnight Loving Supper Club is set to be the highest-profile record yetfrom the group, but it was recorded with the same informal spirit as their lastcouple.
“There are several songs on this recordwhere there are only two or three of us playing on it,” Harris says. “It justsort of worked out that way because we were all learning a lot of the songs inthe studio and coming up with parts on the way. It was probably a lot more funand more of a creative process for us than if we’d had all the parts worked outin advance.”
The Goodnight Loving plays a 9 p.m.album release show on Saturday, July 17, at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn with HeadOn Electric, Sticks N Stones and The Get Drunk DJs.
About Radio Summer Camp: The GoodnightLoving record release performance is one of more than 20 shows this week bookedunder the umbrella of WMSE’s four-day, multi-venue Radio Summer Camp musicfestival.
Individual tickets are available forany given show, but a $25 pass, available at wmse.org, grants admission to allof them, including concerts by Band of Horses, Liars, Neon Indian, Zola Jesus,Lightning Bolt, John Doe, Codebreaker and Def Harmonic at venues including theTurner Hall Ballroom, the Rave, Shank Hall, the Miramar Theatre, StoneflyBrewery, Cactus Club, Sugar Maple and the Borg Ward.
The festival ends its second yearSunday, July 18, with WMSE’s Backyard BBQ, a free grill-out and concert inCathedral Square Park featuring blues, rockabilly and country music fromSouthern Culture on the Skids, .357 String Band and The Carolina ChocolateDrops, and vittles for both vegans and omnivores from Maxie’s Southern Comfortand the Palomino.