Good Old War at the Bowery Ballroom

Keith Goodwin

Vocalists/guitarists Keith Goodwin and Tim Arnold grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and recorded several EPs in a band called Days Away. Around 2005, the band dissolved and Arnold began playing with former Unlikely Cowboy drummer/accordionist Dan Schwartz from nearby Cheltenham. Goodwin eventually approached the pair about backing him on some solo dates. They performed covers at Philadelphia-area bars and backed Circa Survive's Anthony Green in the studio and on tour. Composing songs and developing three-part harmonies, Goodwin, Arnold, and Schwartz in 2008 became Good Old War, creating the band name from portions of the three musicians' surnames. Arnold left the band in 2014 to move to Atlanta, Georgia, raise a family, and gain sobriety, and rejoined the band in 2016. After four albums and two EPS, Good Old War recorded a three-part series of EPS; the most recent entry, Part of Us, was released on December 7, 2018.

Good Old War headlined at the Bowery Ballroom tonight, effusively marrying folk and pop into a celebratory sound. Long on bubbly bounce and charismatic charm, the trio's light Americana music reverberated joy-filled and worry-free states of being, even though the lyrics were not all celebratory. The natural setbacks of human life seemed to become the ushers of optimism in the world of Good Old War. Whimsical arrangements, light melodies and tight vocal harmonies provided the wavelengths that carried the positive sentiments. For the encore, the three vocalists harmonized from the center of the audience, backed by only Arnold's acoustic guitar. Maybe Good Old War is the antidote needed during troubled times.

Visit Good Old War at www.goodoldwar.com.