Good Co

Recently we stretched our legs and headed over to Chop Suey to check out Speakeasy Electro Swing Seattle, the monthly electro swing club night. Electro swing is a genre that walks a particularly fine line, marrying traditional swing music and electronic sounds.

We saw The Debaucherauntes, Sepiatoninc, and the burlesque deliciousness of Boom Boom L’Roux and the crowd was like nothing we’ve ever seen. It was the perfect collision of EDM and swing dancing, with LED hula hoops spinning at the same time as an incredibly talented young man was skillfully twirling a young woman in a circle skirt around the floor to the thrill of the rest of the dancers. Oh, and of course the drunken Santas. Many, many drunk Santas and other holiday mainstays were romping around the venue.

But rewind just a few hours into that Saturday, and you’d have found DMNW sitting in the green room with Carey Rayburn, founding member of Seattle’s only electro swing band, Good Co. We talked about the band’s roots, the excitement and struggle of building the e-swing scene in the Pacific Northwest, and the future of this fledgling genre.

THE FIRST ELECTRO SWING BAND IN SEATTLE
Carey Rayburn is a young, energetic guy who wasted no time in filling us in on his background. He studied the trumpet and immense amounts of classic jazz at the University of Washington and graduated in 2010. He tried to pretend it was a long time ago, but we called him out; he’s a spry grasshopper yet.

Rayburn explained that he’s always digged electronica, and mentioned (with a notable tone of nostalgia) Daft Punk‘s Discovery. After graduating from UW, Rayburn decided to put together an electro swing album with a bunch of friends.

“It got a really great response from everybody we knew and they said ‘Hey, when are you guys playing?’ and I thought “Shit! I have to make a band now!”

Good Co uses electronic bass and drum lines and practices plenty of improvisation and freeform measures.Rayburn shared that he’s not a fan of “super-arranged big band albums”. They take inspiration from the greats -Cab Calloway, Louie Armstrong- but don’t like to play themselves into a corner. Rayburn explained it like this: “I like my jazz to have a little bit of dirt on it and not be so clean”.

Being a live band in an electro world is not easy. Rayburn shared with us how challenging it is to walk the line between electro and swing. He said it’s been really interesting to find out who will receive Good Co well. He laughed as he shared some of the responses that they’ve had as they’ve pursued more involvement in the electronic world.

“A whole band? You mean with people who play instruments?!”

We could feel the tension with which the fine line Good Co walks has been drawn taught. He pointed at the popularity of DJs who play instruments, like Griz, to further drive his point home, with a twinge of frustration in his voice.

“A DJ who plays sax is awesome, but a six piece band is too much.”

Rayburn summed up his thoughts on the reception that Good Co has had in the music community by stressing that he’d prefer that people hate them or love them over people who just don’t care. It takes a lot of courage to play and produce music, however you do it. It takes a great deal more courage to push the boundaries of the genres that you love. It’s worth commending a “love me or hate me” attitude, especially in the electronic music community, which is on occasion criticized for being less about the music and more about the party. (For the record, it is most definitely about the music.)

SPEAKEASY ELECTRO SWING: A CLUB FOR E-SWING LOVERS
Electro swing is unique from much of the electronic music world because its growth has been fueled by the establishment of clubs, often without a physical location. The very first electro swing club, aptly named Electro Swing Club, was founded in London in 2009. Speakeasy Electro Swing Club was originally established in Montreal, Canada, and has since put down roots in cities around the world: Oslo, Portland, Vancouver, Seattle, and Mexico City, to name a few.

Carey partnered with Val Rudy, the founder or the Vancouver, B.C., branch of Speakeasy Electro Swing, to establish a branch of Speakeasy Electro Swing here in Seattle. The events that Speakeasy Electro Swing puts on are not just about the music. They may include a variety of bands and DJs, burlesque acts, circus performers, dancers, and they’re open to more. Rayburn mentioned doing a steampunk night, almost in passing, and we jumped on the idea. Rayburn smiled and explained why they’d been wary of steampunk in the past: ““They’re a tricky bunch, those steampunk folks. They’ll either love you or say ‘Mmm, that’s not steampunk’”. Speakeasy nights draw from many crowds; they see people from the Burner community, electronic music lovers, and yes, even swing dancers.

Unfortunately, it is harder to draw swing dancers out than you might think. Rayburn pointed out that swing dancers typically have a specific definition of swing music. They also like breaks between songs, and a mixture of slow and fast music, to make dancing more enjoyable.

HARD WORK AND AN ELECTRO SWING PAYOFF
When asked about the changes to the electro swing scene in Seattle that he’d like to see, Carey said they would love to make the monthly nights successful. He shared that it’s been challenging to get enough traction for a monthly night (right now they’re putting on nights every few months), but that’s the goal. Eventually, they’d love to have touring bands coming from all over the world to make monthly events bigger, like Montreal’s Speakeasy events, which can draw upwards of 400 people out.

In addition to cultivating the electro swing at large, Good Co is putting the finishing touches on another album. “Everything is done except for the live horns,” Carey announced proudly. And next spring (2016), Good Co will be touring Europe. Things are really starting to pop. Rayburn is confident that the Seattle electro swing scene will develop at its own pace and into its own, special style.

“Italy is now really starting to pop. Italy, France, England and Germany… they’re all a little bit different.”

We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Good Co, and for electro swing here in the Northwest. To keep abreast of future happenings, be sure to like Good Co and Speakeasy Electro Swing Seattle on Facebook. - Dance Music NW

On October 25 at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency, the band Good Co will play as part of Steamcon V, Seattle’s celebration of a Victorian-era science fiction aesthetic. While Good Co is not a Steampunk band specifically, its model of Electro Swing fits with the ideals of Steampunk fans by incorporating retro sound samples, specifically those from the swing and jazz eras, into a modern context.

Electro Swing started as a sparse few offerings on albums based in other genres. The style grew in popularity as some artists began to model the majority of their offerings on jazz and swing samples. Electro Swing is more popular in Europe, as exemplified by performers like Caravan Palace, who have shared the stage with Good Co at Neumo’s in Seattle. Good Co is the only practicing Electro Swing band in the United States, founder Carey Rayburn explains: “Sampling laws are less restrictive in Europe, so it’s easier for artists to use those samples in their music. One of our goals for the US is to not only build our band’s popularity, but also to make more people aware of Electro Swing here in the States; to bring Electro Swing over here. It’s the kind of music that, once people discover it, they find that they love it.”

Singer Sasha Nollman describes the music as “Cab Calloway meets Daft Punk.” This description reflects Electro Swing’s combination of American jazz music with electronic sounds to create what Rayburn calls “life-affirming music.” Their shows are described as high-energy, with a strong element of crowd interaction. Rayburn clarifies that the music is not old-fashioned: “As soon as you hear the music you see that it’s really modern music with some retro references and materials.” A sample of Electro Swing can be found through the free album offered here. Rayburn also helps produce a regular Electro Swing night; information on this and Good Co performance dates can be found on the band’s website. - Examiner.com

Hey there gang, Mollie's gotten a hold of a pre-release copy of Good Co's sophomore release “The Kicker,” the band's Kickstarter funded second album of electroswing music, and I must say, you're definitely going to want this disc. Especially if you like brass and horn sections.

First up, a little background. Good Co is an electroswing band from Seattle, fronted by Carey Rayburn. Carey has played with and provided horns for Abney Park in the past, and Captain Robert of Abney Park provided a couple of guest vocal tracks for the band's first disc, “Electro Swing for the Masses.” Jody Ellen of Abney Park provides backin vocals for this disc. Good Co played Portland last Independence Day weekend at GEARCon 2013, where I got to meet the band, a finer bunch of ladies and chaps you'll never find! They'll be headlining GEARCon 2014 this year, also on Independence Day weekend, if you'd like to check them out live.

Jody Ellen and Sasha Nollman provide vocals for this disc, along with Carey and Micahel Faltasek, and this disc is even better than their first album. The first track, “Through the Door,” is a mid-tempo almost-traditional swing number with great horn hook, and sultry, suck-you-into-the-sound-and-make-you-wanna-dance vocals of Sasha Nollman.

Track #2, the title track “The Kicker,” is a little more electrified and remixed, and a little more mellow, with more sultry vocals by Sasha, and is a great song to jitterbug to at a somewhat less frenetic pace, or at the very least getting your head bobbing in time as you swing your pocketwatch or snap your fingers. The horn work stands out, and this is definitely a favorite track on the album.

There's a few instrumentals on the disc as well, “Lou's New Suit,” “Chinatown Strut,” and “Pulled Pork.” Lou's New Suit sounds like a slightly remixed classic swing piece that again, is great to jitterbug to, with fantastic trumpet work from Carey and just an overall fantastic horn section, “Chinatown Strut” is another favorite on the disc, evoking an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom feel of opium dens and the 1930's, although as a friend remarked to me, the backbeat also was evocative of and reminded him of the song “Prince Ali” from the Disney Aladdin soundtrack. Either way, you'll want to strut on the dance floor yourself when you hear it. “Pulled Pork” combines the sound of classic bluegrass harmonica playing with beatbox styling and bass, and is a piece that must be heard to be fully appreciated.

“There at All” is an electroswing piece with sampled vocals that sounds like an unearthed 78 record with creepy child vocals and a horn section, and would be great for a vintage halloween party. It's got some great solo saxophone work by Darrow Hunt and featuring guitar work by Alessio Costagliola from SwinGrowers.

“Getaway” is a mellow, margarita fueled, summer beach piece with vocals by Sasha Nollman that will make you want to kick back in a deck chair with a Corona and enjoy the sunshine and the trombones. Unfortunately, this is Portland, not Hawaii, so you'll have to wait for that kind of weather until July.

If you're a fan of Thomas Dolby's “She Blinded Me with Science” or Murray Head's “One Night in Bangkok,” you're going to love Carey Rayburn's vocals on “Paper Tiger.” It's got a solid beat that is hard to resist, great trumpet solo, and it's hard to resist dancing to it as I write this, wishing I had a partner to swing with.

Proving the versatility and variety of electroswing, “In the Water” is a remixed and swung version of a traditional Gospel tune, with vocals by Sasha Nollman, and some really upbeat organ stylings that you'll want to shake a tailfeather to, James Brown style.

The disc also includes secret bonus track - I won't spill the beans, but I will say you're going to dig it!

This is a highly enjoyable disc, and many of the tracks instantly grabbed me and stuck in my brain, the sign (to me) of great music. I listen to a lot of albums in a lot of different genres, and while many of them may be good music, and good technical performances, the music is bland and forgettable. Good Co's music sticks with you and stays, and you'll find yourself humming or thinking of the various tracks in your head long after you've turned off the CD.

Good Co is having a release party March 14th in Seattle, at Lo-Fi Performance Gallery, 429 Eastlake Avenue. You can find more information about the band and the album at their website, http://www.goodcomusic.com. They'll be performing in Portland July 5 at GEARCon 2014, and information about that event can be found at http://www.pdxgearcon.com.

Be Sure to listen to the Whitechapel Circus as I'll be playing more tracks from this disc in the next few weeks, and maybe think about picking up your own copy! If you do, be sure to tell 'em that Dirty Mollie sent you! - KPSU

The electro swing band Good Co. more than lives up to their name. “Good” is an understatement in describing this album, which ranges from sample-heavy dancehouse electric jazz swing to Cake-esque eclectic ballads to classicly crooned house band dance numbers that sound like they’re being spun on the needle of a stately wood & brass phonograph. “Company” is a more fitting description, with a band member roster so long that you have to take a bathroom break halfway through. The result of this amassing of talent? Pure entertainment. They have managed to come together to do what so many before them have failed to do: create something really amazing.

Their debut album, “Electro Swing for the Masses,” came out on August 3rd. What stands out above everything else is that this album is really fun. You can just picture the band sitting around the studio having a great time. It’s upbeat and toe-tapping; it’s hard to listen to without bobbing your head a bit. It’s also a bit addictive. It’s one of those rare albums that you leave on, repeating it over and over without skipping any songs. When it’s not on you find yourself humming it, and sometimes spontaneously breaking out into song to the bewilderment of strangers.

If you like your music tame and tidy, then this isn’t for you. If, however, your mouth waters at the thought of instrument-heavy speak-easy jazz blended with harmony-bending scratch-record electric boogaloo, then waste no more time not owning this album, available at Good Co.’s website: http://www.goodcomusic.com/ - Steampunk Magazine

Good Co is a band this is sure to put a smile on your voice and make you feel simply dandy. Good Co’s album “Electro Swing for the Masses” is a unique blend of new meets old, with some charismatic beats and care free attitude that comes in the form of swing era music and electronic percussive samples. The straight-forward lyrics are sung with smoky, laid back vocals. The arrangements of the horn sections are groovy and will surely garner some dance floor traffic.

“Tumbling Down” is a classy and cool track in which the vocalists lament over heart break and lost love, almost to the point of the blues. As previously stated, the music is quite juxtaposed to the subject matter. “Tumbling Down.” is an upbeat, finger snapping song with great vocal melodies and brilliant structure. This is simple song writing at it’s finest.

“Zebra Donkey” is a heavy collage of horns, piano, guitars with a steady pulsing drum track beneath. Later in the track, we’re graced with a great lounge act drum line. This music is straight out of the forties, but given a modern day feel with the aid of samples. In spots, it made me think of guys like Fatboy Slim, albeit with a smaller production budget and greater musical integrity.

Good Co is downright satisfying. They really play on the classic swing era of music and the guys add their own special ingredients to give it a super fresh feel. Crooning and dance fans alike will be equally rapt to what Good Co has to offer. I would personally love to see a live performance from these guys in the future, because I’m quite sure the live sound will easily trump the album sound. The production is great for what it is, but I think big swing music should be experienced in a live setting.

“Electro Swing for the Masses” is a fun, pleasant album that warrants numerous replays. I’m curious to see what they have up their sleeve for their next batch of songs. - independentmusicpromotions.com

I’m a little surprised that it’s taken this long for a self-proclaimed electro-swing release to come out of Seattle.

I know plenty of locals who love the swing/big band era (love & respect to the folks at Lucifer’s Lounge) and the city is packed to the gills with talented musicians who know their way around both vintage sounds and current musical styles, but Good Co got there first and more power to ‘em.

Overall I find Electro Swing for the Masses to be a fun, infectious collection of tunes shot through with a perkiness that brings a smile to my face and lifts my heart. This is life affirming dance music.

The crew is helmed by Carey Rayburn (folks may know him from his work with another notable local crew: Abney Park. He even brings those airship pirates along for the ride on the album’s take on “St James”) and he’s put together a solid (and large) collection of musicians to get he sound out.

The general feeling of the numbers on this set is remarkably organic. Sure there is the frequent implication/affection of sampling and the beats are often handed down from electro side of the equation but the end result is more contemporary swing than it is retro-minded electronica.

If you’re looking for the big, booming dance floor beats that usually signify electro-swing you’re going to be thwarted here. Electro Swing for the Masses is more laid back than that, more… well cool in the classic hipster parlance. For me this is a good thing, I love dancing but most dance music doesn’t hold my attention when I’m not on the disco floor. Good Co do, and as such get a lot more play from me. Perhaps it’s partly due to the range of sounds sparkling across this CD, up to and including the 60s funk influenced “WSD”.

I’ve also got to give them extra points for the minimalist, but d*mned sexy, album cover.

Recommended. - Sepiachord

Good Co touts themselves as the one and only Electro Swing band in the United States. This might very well be the case, but the tracks on their new album “The Kicker” are a distillation of many different threads that weave in and out of other popular genres. This is, unequivocally, a good thing.
So, “What is Electro Swing?” you may be asking yourself, much like I did when my Surly Nerd pals asked me to review this album. To answer this query, it seemed the logical first step was to give the record itself a first listen. The “swing” half of the genre is heavily apparent. Sassy jazz vocals, lots of brass and big band arrangements have been lovingly sampled. On the other side of the coin is the “electro” half, wherein the very swingin’ 1940s big band instrumentation gets chopped and rearranged with a healthy dose of synths and electronic percussion layered throughout. And sure enough, with a quick look at good ‘ol Wikipedia, it seems like Good Co is successfully articulating the genre:

Electro swing is a musical genre fusing swing styles with contemporary production techniques including house, hip hop, EDM and more. Contemporary artists of the genre incorporate loops, samples, melodies and styles from the swing, jazz and big band era (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro_swing).
What you hear is usually dancy and impressively high energy, given that swing music is hardly sedate to begin with. On “The Kicker”, the samples are well chosen and the digital production is deftly executed. It may not be “new”-new, but it’s new in the way our generation strives for novelty, and it’s certainly fun.


A little taste of Electro Swing at its finest

“Through the Door”, the first track, hooks you into the sound and introduces the varied elements that form the core of the album. A jittery horn intro drops you right into a thumping, two-step swing beat that would feel at home on any dance track. When the vocals command you to “swing, swing”, one is happy to oblige.

Skewing toward nostalgia-drenched while remaining modern enough to be novel is no small feat.

For me, the two aspects that mark Good Co as exceptional within this fairly narrow genre are the live horn players and original vocals. Slipping back and forth between the very timeworn sound of old swing records and crisp new horn sections helps stitch together a convincing connection between disparate elements.

“Lou’s New Suit” has some impressive horn work. It is refreshing to hear a clarinet solo–and it’s quite a good one, at that. Too much material from the 30’s and your record begins to simply sound like a dj’s remix project, not so much a band with its own members and ideas. Good Co cleverly avoids this pitfall. The sonic digital collages that DJs create are amazing in their own right, but even Daft Punk reached a point–leading up to the production of “Random Access Memories”–where they wanted to mix in plenty of flesh and blood musicians.


The mash-up culture that has flourished in the last few decades is an inevitable reaction to so much accumulated history of art and music. The 90’s swing revival leaned more heavily toward homage than evolution, but the legacy that movement left persists. Entirely unique elements of music remain elusive, but the right approach, with a clever mix of otherwise unrelated styles, synthesizes a new material that transcends its original components. Dubstep is a kind of remix logical extremity that I’m surprised artists were able to follow and still be successful. But it’s a solid formula. You’re on the right path when the sum is greater than the parts.

Given how much I enjoyed this record, my only reservations arise when the preciousness of the swing era pastiche overreach and turn things a bit too twee. For instance, “Paper Tiger” is a fun exercise in cheeky storytelling, but I doubt I’ll be eager to hear it again outside of a live show. That said, it’s a minor bump in an otherwise remarkably smooth and entertaining ride.

I can’t sign off without mentioning that I played this record over my bar’s sound system afterhours. Though the choice was, ostensibly, so that I could listen to it a few times in different settings, it won my co-workers over quite thoroughly. Not a bad sign for a record, I have to say.

We do feel like we are in good company listening to this album
Our ears are in good company listening to this album

You can find out more about Good Co by visiting their website. They can also be found on Facebook and Soundcloud. When Cory isn’t being tied to a chair and forced to write reviews for our site, he can be found all around Houston playing music for one of the several bands he is in. Look forward to more reviews from him in the future. - The Surly Nerd