We are five, with Kim Goodhue on vocals and autoharp; Geoff Goodhue, vocals, guitar and mandolin; Nick Vandenberg, vocals, string bass, and guitar; Ryan Goodhue on keyboard and hand drums, and Derek Hayden, on drum set. Our repertoire covers American “roots” country, Appalachian, bluegrass, Southern gospel, contemporary folk, traditional Celtic, Irish “pub” songs, and original compositions. We emphasize close two- and three-part harmonies, polished instrumental arrangements, and sincere, energetic delivery.
We started out in 2002 as a duo, with Geoff and Kim playing a lot of old timey type songs — pre-bluegrass, mountain, brothers’ duets by the Louvin Brothers, Stanley Brothers, and others like them — along with a few originals, some folk, parlor songs, and some Grateful Dead/Old and In the Way material. We played at a few festivals, churches, restaurants, and in 2002 at a special music reunion concert at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where Geoff and Kim are alumni. Around March of 2006, Geoff and Kim were joined by younger son, Ryan, on piano and hand drums; then, three years later, by Nick and Derek. We have been playing happily as a quintet since then.
Kim has played traditional music since high school and was a finalist in the 2005 national autoharp championship at the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering in Pennsylvania. Geoff co-founded Lobster Clinic, a popular jazz/rock group that was voted America’s best high school rock group in an Internet poll in 2000. Geoff earned a degree in music performance from Ohio University, where he was a member of several jazz ensembles and folk/country groups, including Realbillie Jive with John D. Hutchison. Geoff has performed in the New England area with bluegrass and folk groups and currently teaches guitar and percussion. Nick, too, has a music performance degree in percussion from Ohio University. A multi-talented instrumentalist, Nick is also a prolific songwriter, whose compositions inspire the band. Ryan has concentrated since childhood on piano, keyboard, and percussion, has played in orchestra competitions, and is a student in the music program at Northeastern University. Derek, our drummer, is currently enrolled as a music percussion student at the University of Massachusetts. The Goodhues have two CDs, Short Time Here . . . Long Time Gone (2005), with Geoff and Kim as a duo, and Root & Branch, which was released in June 2007.
The Goodhues Band has been featured at worship services at a number of churches in the Boston area, at private functions, area festivals (Yankee Homecoming in Newburyport, Mass.; Boxford, Mass. Music Festival 2005, 2008, and 2009, Essex Music Festival 2006; 25th annual Bread & Roses Festival, Lawrence, 2009), at area pubs and restaurants, at the Crossroads Coffeehouse in North Andover, and the Me&Thee Coffeehouse in Marblehead in 2009. We seek engagements wherever traditional acoustic music is played — at pubs, restaurants, coffeehouses, churches, music festivals, community events, and private functions.
Contact: Kim or Geoff Goodhue at 978 887-8348
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