Goodbye June

Straight up rock & roll isn’t dead, it’s just returned to the fringes and outskirts where it can find its organic roots all over again. Goodbye June understands all that: cousins who came together to cope with the death of lead guitarist Tyler Baker’s brother. That thrash, slash, churn, burn rages through grief as their catharsis fuels every note they play. Passion is something there’s no shortage of with Goodbye June. Raised in West Tennessee and Southern Indiana, the cousins made a decision to chase a dream – and proceed no matter the cost. If not reckless, the reality of struggling to get by gives the lacerating, guitar-driven music a grittiness that’s nothing short of broken glass. Having moved to a pre-gentrified Nashville in 2009, the threesome dug in and started slugging it out. Focusing on writing songs, mastering their instruments and really stripping away the sludgy build-up so many bands think is important, they hit upon the essence of their uniquely aggressive sound. They played out. They toured incessantly. They placed hard-hitting songs on Madden 17, as well as NFL and ESPN broadcasts. With the EP Danger in the Morning, their focus was strengthened and their indie label Cotton Valley Music found a partner in Interscope. Goodbye June realized their strength lay in stripping down. God, girls, guitars. What’s a poor boy to do – as the Stones once barked – but play in a rock & roll band? For GoodbyeJune, it’s more than that. More than the catharsis of losing close family, the band has figured out how to distill being young and wide open to life – and how to connect to their roots without straining.