Here at MAGNET, we’re proud to share our hometown of Philadelphia with a great many awesome bands, and Good Old War is one of them. For just being three people, Keith Goodwin, Tim Arnold and Dan Schwartz create a pretty big sound with their impressive vocal harmonies and jangly folk/pop guitar riffs. The band just issued its third full-length, Come Back As Rain (Sargent House), and is currently supporting the release with a North American tour all spring. Check out the mix tape the guys made for us below.
“Calling Me Names” (download):
Harry Nillsson “What’ll I Do?”
Goodwin: The arrangement is like a gorgeous dark and starry night. The melody is haunting and beautiful. It makes me look back at some lonesome nights and see them as romantic instead of tragic. Video
Louie Armstrong “What A Wonderful World”
Goodwin: I think it’s one of the best songs ever written. Video
Etta James “At Last”
Goodwin: Incredible vocal performance. Video
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis “Polly Put The Kettle On”
Goodwin: Great family band performing a solid rock ‘n’ roll song. Kitty’s harmonica skills are great, and the sisters sing so well together. Video
Anthony Green “James’ Song”
Goodwin: Simple heartfelt song about his son. Video
The Beatles “Blackbird”
Schwartz: The chords in this tune are these perfect little two-part harmonies, and Paul McCartney sings a brilliantly simple melody over them. It’s proof that, if the song is good enough, all you need is an acoustic guitar, and a voice. But you can also throw in a metronome, and some bird sound effects if you’re a Beatle. Video
Peter Gabriel “Solsbury Hill”
Schwartz: The feel of this song is so cool. It’s a pop song in an odd time signature, and it’s so danceable still. Not to mention that it’s a drop dead gorgeous melody with beautiful lyrics. It’s also an amazing driving song. Video
Tom Petty “Runnin’ Down A Dream”
Schwartz: Speaking of driving songs. This is one of the ultimates. It’s even about driving. The opening riff is so classic that’s it’s hard to imagine there was a time it didn’t exist. I like the nod to Del Shannon in the first verse. There aren’t many better songwriters than Tom Petty in my opinion. His words are deep, his melodies are incredible, and his changes are deceptively tricky when you look closer. Plus Mike Campbell on guitar is just so good. Video
Dr. Dog “The Old Days”
Schwartz: Dr. Dog can make a sound that’s both familiar and brand new all at once. The banjo for the verses with that almost hip-hop drum beat, the big singalong chorus with great chord changes, the saloon piano bridge, the clever lyrics … Video
Led Zeppelin “Ten Years Gone”
Schwartz: This was one of the first songs I figured out how to play on my own. Since then, it has always been a part of my playing. The idea of playing chords and melody at the same time on the guitar opened up huge doors for me. Jimmy Page wrote so much incredible music. This was also the first time I got those music chills. It was at the end, when the guitar harmonies kick in. Video
Meat Loaf “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”
Arnold: This song makes me think of sitting in the living room as a young boy and my mother cranking it up and doing impromptu aerobics. I cant help that I love this song; it is something I cant excape. I also never got the whole baseball thing until much later. Video
Little Feat “Fatman In The Bathtub”
Arnold: This groove is so deep in the pocket and different. I always wanted to be as good as Richie Hayward. Video
Frank Zappa “RDNZL”
Arnold: This song blows my mind. One of the first times I was seriously amazed by a composition and the skill level of the people playing it. My father raised me on Zappa, and it still blows me away. Not to mention it was played differently every time live. Video
The Shirelles “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”
Arnold: One of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard. Reminds me of family trips to the Jersey shore. The oldies will always be golden. Video
Aphex Twin “Flim”
Arnold: A good example of how versatile Richard D James is. He is on a different level when it comes to electronic music. Video
