Late Winter (January 2012) Edition 

Scott: I think we stand out because we do our own thing and do not sound like anyone else. I think that there are always a lot of bands that are great at what they do – but you can immediately say that they sound just like band XYZ.

Steve: Ditto for me regarding originality. The music provides something for every taste. Think of it as a rock smorgasbord.

Isaac: Why should music fans listen to your music? Describe what they are going to get when they listen to your music?

Paul: Hearing loss!!

 

Marko: They should listen or else we will come to their homes and play out on their lawns at midnight! Seriously, I believe the songs all tell a great short story and have the ability to make you want to re-listen many times over.

Scott: I think that we craft songs that are very listenable – It is like all the power pop songs that you like to hear – with a harder edge, and some very unexpected curves thrown in. We try to create stuff that is interesting to play - and hear...

Steve: While the music is straightforward, we have really worked hard to perfect little nuances that set it apart from formulaic music. You might call these nuances riffs, hooks, noodling, sound effects or even gimmicks, but they are the elements that takes our music a notch or two beyond what similar bands have to offer. We think your tympanic membranes will be pleasantly surprised.

Isaac: Briefly describe your humble beginnings that led you to where you are at musically now.

Marko: We all have different beginnings - from Scott's child prodigy playing and songwriting development with groups to a Steve G pounding the skins in his folks basement with the headphones on and hooking up with a college buddy, to Marko's annexation into a band due to his association with said buddies, fast forward to the drafting of Paul through an Ad for a needed guitarist to form Go Time! with the three remaining members of another Chicago band.

Paul: I started learning riffs and solos off classic rock radio. Now I’m passing them off as my own.

Scott: Marko said it well. I am just very lucky to be playing with this group of people – they force me to be better at what I am doing – and not just settle for OK.

Steve: Well, I vaguely recall banging on pots and pans with wooden spoons in the bathtub when I was three. Four decades later I have lucked out and fallen in with, and learned from, numerous talented musicians over the years - from this band, previous bands and many others we have jammed with or just shared ideas.

Isaac: You have some strong iconic influences. Of these influences, which artist/band do you relate to the most and why?

Marko: Probably the artist that have created their own niche yet sometimes didn't make the biggest splash in the musical pool for various reasons, personal choice or circumstances i.e.Robert Pollard(Guided By Voices), Alex Chilton etc.

Scott: I think that we are influenced by things we happen to like. Both Guided by Voices and Chilton for sure are huge influences. I think that their independent spirit embodies what we do also. I would not discount the replacements – who are also mid-westerners. We have been labeled with similarities to The Smithereens, Matthew Sweet, and Hoodoo Gurus – and I have no problem with any of these. All 3 are solid songwriters with a slightly unconventional approach to pure power pop writing.

Steve: I've personally been influenced by classic rock bands growing up, with a special affection for Cheap Trick. For whatever reason, their music really resonates with me musically and lyrically. However, I also have a great love for 60s bands - the music was so wonderfully raw and experimental back then. It seemed much more heartfelt and personal for the artists and their fans. I think I was born a decade too late, actually. I believe that experimental edginess carries through on many GO TIME! recordings.

Isaac: Do you feel that Indie music gets the respect it deserves? Why or why not?

Paul: Many people will never know that music outside of commercial radio exists, but I think it gets more than it used to, and it's not immune to elitism and herd mentality. But, it's a big umbrella and includes a lot of great art - unless it's elitist to refer to it as 'art'.

Marko: Yes... it does get respect today. It is a really different animal due to the proliferation of outlets for music, especially the Internet. So although it still requires self-promotion to the max you can be heard and be seen much easier than before.

Scott: I think anyone who gets out there – creates – works on a craft – and believes in what they are doing deserves credit. Realistically – a lot of musicians never are able to get things off the ground – and never get their stuff heard. It is not easy – it is creativity – meets business – meet marketing. I salute anyone who can do it - again it is not easy even though there are more outlets than use to be. Unfortunately, many people don’t take the chance to step outside popular music to experience some of these great indie bands (their loss).

Steve: I think Indie has become an excellent avenue for bands that may never have gotten their music heard to become commercially viable. It also gives struggling bands a fighting chance at fame and fortune. But as Scott pointed out, even Indie bands need the time and resources to properly market themselves, while attempting to churn out music people want to hear. Unless you can get that sweet gig, a foot in the door or the right person listening to your demo, you are still just one band in a sea of millions.

Isaac: If you could change one thing about the music business, what would it be and why?

Marko: We might say as a group, that finding paying gigs for original music should be a lot easier, but there are only so many venues and many bands, but I think primarily the music business could use an injection of UNIQUENESS that is promoted through the major outlets of radio and the Internet instead of the tired lets copy that formula over and over method that currently exists.

Paul: It's cool that it's easy to make music, but it's hard to get people who are overloaded with information to pay attention to what you are doing.

Scott: There is a lot of competition out there – but it is healthier that people can be heard. I wish getting live gigs in our geographic area was easier.

Steve: The bathrooms at the clubs. Many are horrendous. But seriously, I will second Scott's assessment that getting gigs outside the city is tough. Suburban clubs tend to be looking for cover bands and that's not our shtick.

Isaac: Do you think in the near future that DIY artists/bands will be the norm and big record companies will be very limited?

 

Marko: There will most assuredly always be more and more DIY artists in this electronic age, but the ultimate Business of Music, like all businesses, need to make MONEY to function, so the big record companies will never go away.

Scott : I would agree – you will see the huge mega stars – U2, Brittany Spears, Springsteen, on major labels – and most of the rest DIY. It is healthier for bands to be on a DIY basis – I don’t think they have the same external pressures, allowing them to remain creative.

Steve: Hopefully, someday the Indie "road to success" will be the norm rather than the exception. However, the record companies still have the mega financial backing and marketing machines to foster the career of the next American Idol. So, whether we like it or not, they will continue to be a huge influencer in the music industry.

Isaac: What type of feedbacks have you been receiving about your music from fans and music critics?

Marko: Go Time! has gotten great reviews both personally and professionally since we started. The reviewers need to categorize things by nature so we get a kick out of the comparisons. Cheap Trick, Guided by Voices...real guy rock for real people (what?!) Our sound is a little bit of a lot of things but when people tell us it sounds great that’s all that matters.

Scott: Luckily, it has been good. It sometimes makes you wonder – why is this good or bad? I have learned over the years not to let it get to me. Overall, I have to be thankful to all media, press, radio that has supported us thus far, and thank them.

Steve: My kids prefer Ke$ha and Justin Bieber, so what can I say? So far, our first two recordings ("Speak" and "Hit It") have gotten an abundance of positive feedback from friends, fans and critics. We take less positive feedback to heart and use those critiques to continually work toward making our music even better.

Isaac: If you knew that you would never gain fame and fortune with what you are doing now, would you continue to make music? Explain.

Paul: It hasn't stopped me yet. I feel lucky if people still like what we're doing, even if I have to keep going to the day job.

Marko: Up until now, we haven't gained fame nor fortune but making music is a lifetime gig, hopefully we can gain some notoriety at least and leave some songs we can be proud to listen to years from now..

Scott: Every time I get to play out with the other 3, record a new song, get radio play, a good review, etc. — it is a success. I would like the fame and fortune – but feel we have a lot of vital years in front of us – and we can still get there. If we stay on the path – we will make it.

Steve: Certainly. I'm having too much fun to quit now. Fame and fortune would be the icing on the cake, but having the opportunity to record and play out is still a gas.

Isaac: How do you handle negative feedback or negative energy about your music?

Scott: I do not let it affect me – I use to when I was younger – and then realized that for every negative – there are several positive comments. Not everyone can like everything. It quite often happens that you get a reviewer (who personally likes dance music) and gets your record (that is nothing like that) and they can’t separate themselves from their personal taste – this is obviously going to affect your review. I do think it can be good to take the negative feedback to review and examine what you’re doing at times however – and make things better.

Marko: We use it to change ourselves for the better. You have to or else the band will shrivel up and die. Like all things we do when there are enough positive thoughts and comments (and there are) we build on that and try to reconsider our approach to making music with any negative feedback.

Paul: Rude Photoshop Art!

Steve: If the negative feedback is deserved, you use it to build on and get better. If it's not deserved, you let it go - everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it's misguided.

Isaac: What role do your family and friends play in the equation of your pursuant of a music career?

Marko: It is a very big role indeed! Family and friends feedback is at times uplifting and other times very grounding (don't quit your day job!) Time constraints for practice and performing can limit productivity as well as creativity. Thank God Scott's brain doesn't take many vacations!

Scott: My family and friends are very supportive. They are really good to all of us. I thank all of them for putting up with us.

Steve: My wife has been supportive in allowing me to "pursue the dream" for many years. It does take away from family life at times, so I am grateful. Friends are your best critics, in that they are brutally honest. If you play a sub-par show or flub something, they will not be shy about letting you know about it.

Isaac: What is the best site/s that you can be found on the Internet?

Go Time!:

www.gotimeband.com

www.facebook/gotimeband

www.myspace/gotimeband1

Isaac: The floor is yours; final words…..

Marko: All we ask is give Go Time! a listen and see if you like what you hear...spend some time supporting the bands and artists that create original music and inspire them to keep creating..

Scott: We also want to thank you for your support Isaac and this interview (as well as the past interview) – and your support of local music. It is important for people to make the masses aware of new music they might not otherwise find.

Steve: This weekend, go to a club where three (possibly four or five) bands are playing that you have never heard of and give them a listen. I guarantee you'll be (mostly) pleasantly surprised and if not, you've still had a good time with your friends. If GO TIME! is playing, bring at least 10 friends with you.