Great Time
... doesn't want to fit in a box. Living up to their name, the band just wants to have a great time making the music they want. Tired of being advised to "pick a lane" by some of their industry peers, Great Time sets out to create music that celebrates their wide-ranging sound, incorporating genres like synth-pop, electronic, jazz, punk, rock and R&B.
Who are the "humans" behind "Great Time"...?
Jill: There’s three of us:
Jill Ryan on vocals/woodwinds,
Zack Hartmann on bass/guitar and
Donnie Spackman on drums/synths.
What was your inspiration for your release "80z Slo Jam"?
Jill: You know how sometimes song titles reflect their lyrics? Well this is not one of those songs - haha! The lyrics and melody for this track came after the drum beat and some of the synth parts. When I first started working on it with Zack and Donnie, the music reminded me of something industrial, kinda robotic but still groovin. Through words and soundscapes this song expresses a longing to escape from everyday frustrations like your shitty day job or an annoying roommate.
The live version of the song creates an amazing atmosphere, I guess you love to play live or am I wrong?
Jill: Thank you! You are correct - we love playing it live! Since our live show is super different from our recorded music, we really wanted to release a collection of songs from a performance of ours to show people how we translate our songs into the live setting.
The original studio recording of ‘80z Slo Jam’ uses a lot of industrial sounds and has a bit of a robotic feel which I love, but playing it live allows us to explore different timbres and soundscapes which bring out more of a raw and natural yet intense feeling. Plus it was so fun playing with Corey Bernhard (keys) and Mike Haldeman (guitar).
How would you describe your creative process?
Jill: Our creative process definitely takes many different forms. Sometimes our songs start with just a beat one of us makes on the computer, other times it starts as a guitar riff, or as a melody.
But we take that first idea and just work with it … and build around it collectively. Other times we jam and a song reveals itself that way.
What can our readers/listeners expect from your upcoming album?
Jill: If you’re a fan of artists and bands like Little Dragon, Hiatus Kaiyote, Moonchild, Caroline Polachek, Patrice Rushen, Paramore, Louis Cole, or Caroline Rose, you might like us! This upcoming album was filmed and recorded live in Philadelphia, so listeners will be hearing us play our songs live with friends Corey Bernhard on keys, Mike Haldeman on guitar and Philly horn section, Snacktime.
You’ll hear much more flute than is on our original recordings. And if you check us out on YouTube, folks that haven’t seen us live will get the chance to. :-)
Any chance to see you somewhere live on stage?
Jill: We just have a couple shows left this year both in Philadelphia.
November 4th at the Ukie Club w/ Sweet Pill & Gulfer.
And November 5th at Brooklyn Bowl - Philadelphia opening for the Spin Doctors!
This year, the most impressive artist for you is ....?
Jill: Honestly, so many of our peers have made such incredible art this year. Our friends altopalo - a band from Brooklyn - just put out an awesome record. We all saw them perform it live at Public Records last weekend and they blew us away!
Our Philly pals Sweet Pill also released a no skip record. We could go on and on about all our friends that constantly impress and inspire us.
What's next for you?
Jill: We’ve got some big news coming up in the new year, nothing we can announce just yet… but we’re stoked to get back into the studio and record a new album. Stay tuned!
