"mEMOries" Part 27 feat. Tragwag

9 years ago, back on the old site, we did start a series called mEMOries. It was all about asking new Emo-bands or other scene affiliates about their all time favourite (Midwest-)Emo-record. It was about nostalgia. And it was about connecting the new with the old. I had big plans for this series, wanted to collect 20 parts and then release some sort of a sampler with an XL-booklet attached, that features all of the text pieces...

...after 7 parts the series was buried, when the end of borderline fuckup 1.0 was on the horizon. I'm still in love with the idea and tried my best to start a relaunch in 2021, but it mainly was a chore. However, I got back on track somehow, with a lot of support by some lovely people. Now, here's part 27 for your reading pleasure!

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// The band/author // Tragwag

"TRAGWAG is a band but also a guy". The long-running project (started in 2006!) switched between being a full-band and a guy with his guitar over its lifespan. Currently it seems like Tyler Bisson is once again on his own, but with the help by some friends he is able to create a "full-band-experience", as you can hear on his latest outing "How nothing works". For "mEMOries" Part 27 Tyler picked a record from the time when he was pretty new to releasing his own music...

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// The record // Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy

Release: 2008 // Label: DIY

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Tyler on "Into Lake Griffy" by Good Luck

In high school I was a smiling, easily over-excited drummer kid who just wanted to play music with his friends. After obsessing over Descendents, Minor Threat, Black Flag, and other intro punk stuff, these friends encouraged me to start digging into lesser-known bands—Against Me!, The Ergs.

"Into Lake Griffy" burst onto that punk-leaning anything-goes DIY scene in 2008 and I had never heard anything like it. By this time my friend group had merged with some other kids in town who played music, and they got us into Emo and Screamo. While not clearly fitting the emo mold themselves, Good Luck drew inspiration from emo’s first waves and heavily influenced its 2010s revival.

The album is musically impressive but approachable. You can hear the room they recorded the drums in. You can hear non-auto-tuned vocal harmonies, the power and warmth of multiple voices combining in a real-life space. The scrappy punk spirit of the songs pulls you in—when Matt sings “Oh the feeling/it’s spreading up to the ceiling/when the band plays everyone’s favorite song”, you feel it.

"Into Lake Griffy" is a singular record in my collection, but I see it in the context of the greater Emo world. It shares the bright intensity of Algernon Cadwallader, the singalongs and earnest lyrics of The Hotelier, the complex songwriting of Mock Orange and Del Paxton.

Good Luck stands out to me like a challenge. Play this syncopated drum part with driving punk energy, pair this tappy guitar shredding with unexpected bass lines. Get this technical and see if your songs still have heart, if they still get people of all ages and backgrounds singing along.

It’s a dare I have yet to live up to.

Good Luck might not be an Emo band, but they’re a band every Emo fan should know.

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"mEMOries" Part 1 feat. Mosey Jones
"mEMOries" Part 2 feat. Daniel Becker (Time as a Color Records, Amid the Old Wounds)
"mEMOries" Part 3 feat. Former States 
"mEMOries" Part 4 feat. Edie Quinn (Middle-Man Records, Coma Regalia)
"mEMOries" Part 5 feat. Human Hands 
"mEMOries" Part 6 feat. Alex Miles (Is this Thing on?)
"mEMOries" Part 7 feat. Boys' Club
"mEMOries" Part 8 feat. Keith Latinen (Mt. Oriander, Parting) 
"mEMOries" Part 9 feat. Villain of the War 
"mEMOries" Part 10 feat. John Szuch (Deep Elm Records)
"mEMOries" Part 11 feat. Flight Mode 
"mEMOries" Part 12 feat. Comic Sans
"mEMOries" Part 13 feat. Joe C (What Price Wonderland?, Plaids, Zochor)
"mEMOries" Part 14 feat. Mentah 
"mEMOries" Part 15 feat. Walking Race
"mEMOries" Part 16 feat. Against Realism
"mEMOries" Part 17 feat. Klaus Axmann (Goddamn Records) 
"mEMOries" Part 18 feat. Atlanta Arrival 
"mEMOries" Part 19 feat. Mary's Letter
"mEMOries" Part 20 feat. Sinking 
"mEMOries" Part 21 feat. Lakes
"mEMOries" Part 22 feat. Downhaul
"mEMOries" Part 23 feat. About Leaving
"mEMOries" Part 24 feat. The Arrival Note
"mEMOries" Part 25 feat. Letterpress 
"mEMOries" Part 26 feat. Mr. Princess