Missoula's Hottest New Rawk Band

Sixteen Questions with The Missoula’s Good Neighbor Policy

By Colin Hickey, 7-14-07

The Good Neighbor Policy is quickly becoming one of Missoula’s hottest new bands. The band is: Thomas: Vocals, Guitar; James: Keyboard; Rob: Bass; Bethany: Cello; Abby: Violin; Pete: Drums.  All members are extremely talented and Thomas is one hell of a songwriter.  I sat down with Thomas via the interweb for a little Q&A. 

Q: Who came up with the name of the band? Are one of you a big fan of FDR?

A: James came up with the name back in high school while leafing through an American history textbook. We had class together.  love FDR, Polio can’t stop him.

Q: How did the band meet?

A: As a young boy from Iceland, Thomas dreamed of coming to the states...which eventually happened and then he met James in Austin, TX.  After James ran away to Montana, Thomas was left high and dry in the arid Texan desert. After making amends, Thomas voyaged to Montana and met Rob through a neighbor.  Rob pretty much hooked up the rest.

Q: How long have you been around and how many shows have you played?

A: We’ve been around for one year and have played about 40 shows so far.

Q: Sometimes you have different people playing the strings instruments what’s the deal with that?

A: The cello player, Bethany, is always with us....in our hearts.  But she’s still living....so...yeah.  Abby, the violinist, was busy scouting out universities so she couldn’t play all of the shows that we wanted her to.  She will actually be leaving us this August, which is regrettable.  She’ll be sorry.

Q: Who would you say are your biggest influences?

A: Queen, The Handsome Family, Magnolia Electric Co, (Smog), Will Oldham, Wilco, Nick Cave, Robert Zimmerman and Tom Waits.

Q: Does everyone in the band contribute to the writing of the songs or is it a Tom only thing?

A: Thomas writes the outlines and lyrics of the songs and the rest of the band fills in the gaps.

Q: Have you ever played out of town?

A: So far we have only gone to Bozeman, but we have plans to tour in the winter and next summer as well.  There has been some rumor around the studio that South by Southwest in Austin is a possibility as well.

Q: What are the long term goals for GNP?

A: We just want to play shows and make enough for rent.  Extras would be nice, but we basically just don’t want day jobs.
Don’t we all.
Q: If you could open up for any band dead or alive who would it be?

A: Queen with Freddie.
Great Answer.

Q: What is the best show you have played so far?

A: The Arrows to the Sun CD (seedy) release party at the Badlander was great.  Good friends....lots of people...free drinks.

Q: What is the strangest crowd reaction you have ever received?

A: We were the last band on a bill at the Badlander, played a thirty-minute set and left.  People got really pissed and we were waiting to be pummeled by the crowd.  It was late...we had to stop.
Wow that’s it?  Trust me it can get much worse.

Q: I noticed that Habbilis Records is “managing” you guys. When is the record coming out?

A: We expect it to come out some time in September.  Keep your ear to the ground.

Q: Blake and Camron from Habbilis seem to be the nicest guys in the world. Is that just a front or are they really big jerks in the studio?

A: No, they are really nice guys and can even be too accommodating in the studio.  Anything we mentioned, they worked their asses off to make happen.

Q: What would your last meal be if you were on death row?

A: Collectively we would feast on Cornish pasties stuffed with lobster and a bottle of the freshest wine we could find....and 6 straws.

Q: What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon growing up?

A: Rob was too busy memorizing the state capitals, but Thomas watched X-men, Life with Louie, The Tick and Bobby’s World.
Cute.
Q: Darryl ate 100 peanut butter cups in five days. Each day he ate six more than he ate the previous day. How many peanut butter cups did
Darryl eat on the first day?

A: The answer is 8.  Is that all you got?!
Wow impressive. Eight was the correct answer.

Find out more about GNP at their Myspace Page.

Upcoming GNP shows.
August 4th @ The Badlander w/ The Quiet Ones, Jason Weiland
August 23rd @ The Badlander w/ Chris Black

Colin Hickey is New West’s Events Editor. Keep an eye out for his “MVP Events” or check here to find your own: www.MissoulaEvents.net.

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