Credit Sam Laponis

Alternative band from Los, Angeles; Good Terms announced a spring tour supporting Youth Foundation that starts May 28th, 2025 in Sacramento! Click here to buy a ticket! Don’t wait! Buy a ticket and support both Good Terms and Youth Foundation!

Upcoming Tour Dates:

5/28 – Sacramento, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post

5/29 – Fresno, CA @ Strummer’s

5/31 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction

6/1 – Mesa, AZ @ The Underground

6/3 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tulips

6/4 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Underground

6/6 – Atlanta, GA @ Altar

6/7 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings

6/8 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery

6/10 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club

6/12 – Amityville, NY @ Amityville Music Hall

6/13 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground

6/14 – Buffalo, NY @ Rec Room

6/15 – Asbury Park, NJ @ House Of Independents

6/17 – Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups

6/18 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme

6/19 – Milwaukee, WI @ X-Ray Arcade

6/21 – Denver, CO @ HQ

6/22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby

 “We’re so pumped to hit the road with Youth Fountain! We’re hitting a bunch of cities we’ve always wanted to hit, playing for friends haven’t seen for a long time. Our new songs are so much fun to play; I’m excited to get the Youth Fountain crowd circling pitting! I also have a birthday landing on this tour, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate. Gonna be a Hell Yeah Brother way to kick off the summer.” –Brian McShea (Vocals)

Brian McShea (Vocals) answered some of my questions below about who they are as a band and what we expect from them in 2025!

Interviewer: As a person who hasn’t listened to the band until recently; can you give me insight about your sound and a little description of how the band came to be?
   

Brian McShea: It’s a long story – we’ve been friends since we were kids! From high school jazz band to college dorms to sharing apartments when we first moved to LA, we’ve always wanted to do our own thing. We’ve all had various jobs in the music industry, but there ain’t nothing like writing a song with your friends and then playing it in a bunch of rock clubs. Zach was the first to go all in; he quit his job as Social Media Manager for a record label and started writing the first Good Terms songs. I (Brian) moved to Los Angeles doing event band work, but was always looking to do an original band, and Ivan’s spent several years as a touring professional at the highest level, and he’s always been a part of the writing process. Then it was easy to round it out with our longtime friends Geo and Brendan.
   Pop-punk and emo was an obvious starting place for us; it was the part of the beginning of our each of our lives as musicians. But we all like a pretty broad range of music, from heavier stuff like hardcore and metalcore to poppier stuff, to just seemingly unrelated stuff like jazz and Americana. Over time, we’ve let those things into the band little by little; honestly we’re just not able to resist. It helps that Zach, Ivan, and I have such distinctive voices as guitar players and songwriters; you can usually tell who wrote which song or which part.

Interviewer: After listening to your cover of “Call Me” originally created by Blondie; is there a reason why the band decided to do a cover of this classic?

Brian McShea: “Call Me” was part of Musora’s “Covers” series on YouTube. They invited us to play in their Vancouver studio, which was such a treat for us, but they told us they were going to surprise us with a cover request. We flew our stuff to Vancouver, got all set up in their studio with the cameras rolling, and then they played us “Call Me” by Blondie. It was such a unique experience; there’s no way to prepare for that. We only had an afternoon to completely arrange and record a take of it, so we did a lot of “yes and”ing to make it happen. Everyone brought their A-game; Zach wrote the breakdown, Geo had so many ideas, Ivan Brendan and I were rolling with all the punches trying to make sure everything fit. When we left the studio, we weren’t really sure if we’d nailed it, but we definitely gave it an honest try. Our audience has shown a lot of love though, so I guess we did something right.

Interviewer:  Taking some time to listen to your band; your album Burn Out is phenomenal and it gives me vibes of a band that put everything they had into creating it. Are there specific tracks on there that have the most meaning to you guys?

Brian McShea:   I mean, all of them do, for sure. When we call ourselves an emo band, we’re really referring to how dig we deep for every song. If I had to pick 3 songs highlight thought, I’d have to pick “Mirror Mirror,” “High Right Now,’ and “Cough.”
   “Cough” was just such a turning point (no pun intended for our old fans) for us; it was our first breakdown to really get us attention on social media. I was so nervous when putting it out; it’s so vulnerable and dark compared to our previous material. But now when I play it, I get to hear people singing it back to me, which is a goal I’d literally written down for this band.
   “High Right Now” just came so naturally; Ivan and I worked on it initially thinking it wouldn’t go anywhere because it was too poppy. But the guys loved it, so we went all in, adding synths an disco drumbeat, and eventually Ivan’s shredding solo. We were lucky with the fans on that one too; we thought it would be forgotten about, but it’s the highest-streamed album cut.
   “Mirror Mirror” is our most ambitious song, both from an arrangement perspective and a songwriting perspective. It was the first song we worked on all in the room together instead of one-by-one in front of a computer, and of course, the 2 1/2 minute guitar solo with a key change jazz fusion section was a big risk. But really, Zach’s writing on “Mirror Mirror” is so nuanced and masterful; it took a lot of work from him, not just in songwriting skill, but in living his life and growing and changing. It’s one of our biggest accomplishments.

Interviewer:  You guys are going on tour at the end of May; what are fans expecting from the band on this tour? Can you tell us about your stage presence?

Brian McShea: Fans in the front row can expect to get wet! Most of our fans know it’s a high energy show, lots of jumping, spinning, breakdowns, solos, high notes, you name it. I’m gonna be demanding some circle pits, some sing-alongs, and maybe giving away some shirts if we can afford it! We’re also playing a brand new song we’re releasing right before tour starts. We’re confident the fans will dig it; it’s a catchy pop-punk song with a gnarly breakdown, and plenty of surprises.

Interviewer: Are we expecting more music in 2025?  

Brian McShea: Hell yeah brother! We got a couple more songs we’re trying to put before the year’s over. There’s always a Google Drive folder filled with like 30 potential songs, and we’ve picked some bangers for this year. Hope ya’ll like guitar riffs and big choruses!

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