Arts & Culture
Good Grief at the Encore
Good Grief packs The Encore
The Pointer
nmeye177@uwsp.edu
The economic downturns of the last few years have changed the lives of many, and such is the case for Jarad Olson. Last summer, he took a job stocking shelves on the 5 a.m. shift at Shopko. The job was simply a survival tactic but it would also introduce Jarad to fellow Shopko employee Colin Bares. This chance meeting would set into motion a chain of events that would culminate with the forming of the band Good Grief. None of the lives involved have been the same since.
Students packed the Encore on Friday, Sept. 11 to see what Good Grief has become since that chance meeting a year ago. Dan Daniels and the Southern Gentlemen opened the show with their 50’s style rock getting the crowd dancing and effectively setting the stage for Good Grief.
Good Grief composed of Jesse Nowacyz on drums, Jarad Olson on bass, Dirk Gunderson on guitar and Colin Bares on guitar performed a full set of original music. As the band moved through their set, the crowd performed choreographed expressions of joy across the Encore floor. The turnout was rather large for an act not even a year old, and the guys in Good Grief couldn’t have been happier.
“It’s good. I don’t know how it happens; people hear of us,” said Gunderson. “It’s a pleasant surprise to see all those people and see them dancing and having fun.”
The band’s sound seems to easily get people out of their seat and dancing. On Friday night, there were even a few of the more bashful fans dancing in their chairs.
Their sound has been described by fans as “surfy,” “dancy” and just plain fun. The guys haven’t set out to do anything in particular and feel they are simply a rock and roll band.
“We’re a rock and roll band that’s trying to put forward new ideas,” said Olson.
Each member brings different influences to the band that gives it a diverse sound. The one thread that ties it all together is their love for pop music and rock and roll according to Gunderson.
“We all have an appreciation for rock and how it’s spawned all these different things,” said Nowaczyk. “We usually start out very simply and then draw influences from everything.”
The band feels like they are just starting to find a sound they can call their own as they begin to write songs more collaboratively.
“How it used to work, Colin and I would have songs that we had written or wrote for the band, now it’s more collaborative,” said Gunderson. “It feels more dynamic when people work together.”
Good Grief has to be doing something right, as 132 people showed up on Friday according to Centertainment Productions usher reports. The attention they have garnered has put the band in the forefront of a diverse Stevens Point music scene that is continually growing.
“The scene is great; I’ve seen everything: folk, noise rock,” said Gunderson, “Everyone’s really supportive of each other, and the community has really helped a lot with this band.”
For the members of Good Grief, the band has grown into something more than a hobby or an escape. Talking with them you get the feeling this is something they want to do and have to do to hold on to a sense of fulfillment.
“You have to do something right,” said Bares, “you think, I have this to say, the easiest way for me to get that out there is playing music.”
The band has no plans of giving up on pursuing their musical passions. Though Olson, Nowacyzk, and Gunderson are all pursuing degrees at UWSP, they still see the band as a main priority and arrange their schedules accordingly.
“I’m going to keep pursuing my passions and not really care about what I’m supposed to be doing, because I don’t want to waste my time,” said Gunderson.
How these guys find time to do anything is truly amazing. All of them have musical projects going on as well as Good Grief, to which they devote two nights a week. Nowacyzk and Olson have formed what could be called a sludge metal/math rock band called Blastoise, Gunderson writes songs under the solo moniker Marginal Noises and Bares released a solo e.p. this summer entitled “Abnormal Psychology” under his solo moniker Coral Riffs.
“I know there’s stuff that I want to say that’s doesn’t make sense coming from the mouth of Good Grief so you need another outlet,” said Bares.
The band has no plans of slowing down or dissolving once college is over and is slowly but surely turning their life over to their passion.
“Ideally, I would love this band to keep going on and to tour. I think we all want to keep doing this,” said Gunderson.
For more on Good Grief, check out myspace.com/reallygoodgrief.
