A progressive force in the folk-pop world, Good Morning Bedlam has released their latest single, “Sticks and Stones,” on August 26th.
Good Morning Bedlam is no stranger to inserting themselves into the folk-pop and Americana scene. The group has been busy touring across the country, sharing their unique sound with fans new and old.
The band most recently dropped their full-length album, Lulu, back in February, to which they discussed with us this past winter. The band prides themselves on an ever-changing sound, and Isaak Elker, the band’s frontman has stated, “Rather than creating our music to fit a genre, we allow it to be an outpouring of our own stories and unique sound.”
Their new single, “Sticks and Stones,” is no different. With the desire to take their established folk sound and allow the influences of rock, pop, and even jazz to further inspire their music, the band has developed a sound all their own.
Aside from Isaak, the Minneapolis-based band consists of Victoria Elker (bass, vocals), Sophia Mae (violin, vocals), and Dawson Redenius (trumpet, keys).
We talked to Isaak about the new single, tour, what a dream gig looks like for the band, and more.
So we last chatted in January regarding your previous album, Lulu. How has the year treated you so far?
After releasing Lulu in February of this year, Good Morning Bedlam has seen a lot of exponential growth. The band has been extremely busy with a large festival season, a busy touring schedule, and a lot of new fans. We are so thankful for the year and can’t wait to see what’s in store next!
You just dropped your latest single, “Sticks and Stones.” What’s the inspiration and influence behind this track?
We felt very influenced by a lot more pop music for this song. We’ve wanted to try some more modern sounds for a long time, so we are trying to really step out of our comfort zone and try something new. It’s definitely more influenced by bands like Lake Street Dive, or The Head and the Heart. The themes of the song surround the idea of letting go of grudges, and learning to find joy out of difficult situations!
Speaking on that, I see you decided to lean more into an upbeat pop sound. Might this trend continue for future releases?
This single is definitely going deeper into the pop-folk sound that the band experimented with in Lulu. You’ll hear a lot more keys, trumpet, and big drums on this track! You can definitely expect to hear the band continuing in this direction. We love folk music and pop music and are incredibly interested to see where we can make those genres intersect.
Where was “Sticks and Stones” recorded and who helped it come to life?
Just like our last record, we recorded the track at Carpet Booth Studios and it was produced by Zach Zurn. He had a huge hand in helping us reach our vision of a much bigger more modern sound. This was also our new trumpet/keys player’s first time helping us write, and having those new textures to write with really helped us try some new things.
Might this be a lead single on an upcoming EP or LP, or is it a standalone single for now?
It is a stand-alone single for now, but we’ve begun writing again, so an EP/LP could be something we are looking at in the next year, so there is potential for “Sticks & Stones” to become part of that.
It looks like you are currently doing a run of regional shows: how’s that been going, and any notable tales from the road or upcoming shows you’re most looking forward to?
This summer has had the best show experiences of our career. The audiences have been so excited, our ticket sales are up, and we are having the time of our lives! The best part has been getting to meet so many new bands on the road.
What would a dream gig look like for GMB? Maybe a certain venue, opening for a certain artist, green room grub, etc…
Our dream show would be opening for Lake Street Dive and The Avett Brothers (with The Avett Brothers headlining). Just getting to get to be part of a lineup of bands that have inspired us from day one would be a dream come true. Let’s say it’s at Madison Square Garden as long as we are dreaming!
What else might GMB have in store for fall and frankly, the rest of the year?
We are going to be touring through October and then be playing about half the amount of shows per month November-February. We are going to take this time to rest from a wild touring year and begin writing the next GMB record. We are already cooking up some new song ideas so we CANNOT WAIT to start working on it!
