Goalkeeper, made up of vocalist and bassist Ryan Beebe, guitarist Marc Juliano, and drummer Cody Ritchie, is an up and coming pop-punk band from Philadelphia. Their new EP Life In Slow Motion is being released on September 25th. This album has really shown how much a pop-punk band can grow from their original sound. I sat down with Marc to talk about the new EP, being in an active band during the pandemic, and what the future holds from here.
On Friday July 24th, you’re releasing the first single off of Life In Slow Motion titled “Happy”, it must feel strange to release new music during a pandemic, how do you feel about it?
I think just releasing music is exciting for us. It’s been a long time since our last EP came out so it’s refreshing for us to finally release a new song. The impact of the teaser has been incredible, so it just makes us more excited to share it with everyone regardless.
Are you nervous it won’t be as wide received or do you think it’ll benefit Goalkeeper because more people aren’t doing much currently?
I don’t think I’m too nervous about it not being received. I think people being less busy will help us reach more people with our music because we aren’t distracted as much with daily activities such as work. There’s definitely the worry that maybe we will come and go quickly because we aren’t out there playing shows and touring but we did our best to create a release strategy that we hope gives people music consistently enough that also expands over a few months of this pandemic. My biggest hope is that people just like the music and want to listen and share it around. We worked hard to push ourselves on all fronts and we hope that sticks out and keeps everyone’s attention.
You were supposed to play FEST this year which has now moved to 2021, are you excited? How does it feel to be put on such a well-known festival?
Oh, we are beyond excited! It’s a real bummer that we aren’t able to play this year, but we are remaining optimistic and understand that safety is the most important thing right now for everyone. This is one of the few real fests we’ve been added to so it’s incredibly gratifying for us as a growing band. We are hoping this can lead to bigger and bigger opportunities for us! Plus, we get to play with so many of our favorite bands and we’ve heard that FEST weekend is an experience unlike anything else. So yeah, so we are ecstatic!
Your new EP is coming out this September, how was the process of creating the record?
The process of the EP was fairly similar to the previous releases. We did some more pre-production and had our producer Kevin more involved in the months leading up. Even with that, it was still just us three getting into our rehearsal space and working out songs. I think this was a little more stressful but good stress because of who we were working with and it’s our first release under the label, so we wanted to make a good impression. It also touches on a lot of different emotions that we haven’t approached as seriously before lyrically, and musically; it was a challenge, but I think it made us better musicians and songwriters for sure. How does the new record differ from Bad Times Don’t Last? I think the lyrical content and the music is what sticks out as being different. Ryan and Cody really touched on a lot of subjects that we haven’t touched on as seriously before. Musically, we used a lot of different techniques and progressions that for us, go outside of what we normally do. It was awesome being able to incorporate different genres of music as well. It’s still very much a pop punk record, but throughout the songs we got to utilize techniques from different genres that we feel really helped craft these songs. Do you think this album shows growth to Goalkeeper? and if so in what ways? 100%. This EP is way more technical musically and again, touches on different subjects for us. We are known for being a positive band, but it was awesome to be able to approach some different feelings and emotions we were going through that maybe weren’t so positive. Still very much Goalkeeper but a little bit more mature across the board. Be ready for the same lame jokes live though!
What’s your favorite song on the new record? and why?
My personal favorite is a song called “Black & Blue”. It’s very punk at its core but has a lot of lines that Ryan and Cody were able to write that just give me the chills every time. This was a song that I got to use a lot of different techniques musically and touch on some different genres as well. I really got to challenge myself on making certain parts pop on guitar. Plus, Cody and Ryan also absolutely kill it with their instruments. Additionally, this is the song that for me, I feel saved the EP as well. We were really struggling with writer’s block and songs just weren’t coming together. So, we retreated to Ryan’s place down the Jersey shore for the weekend to get away. That’s where this song grew and became the real deal. I also just think that it’s a super high energy song from start to finish.
Looking back, on the last couple of years of Goalkeeper, what are you most proud of that you’ve accomplished?
That we’ve been able to stay together and grow. One thing we made sure we did was grow with the band and look at the long term instead of the short term. In the beginning we really didn’t have our sights set further than being a local band with some songs. I think a lot of bands start this way and it allows them to be more genuine because there isn’t this preconceived goal or mission other than to have fun. Because of that we’ve been able to accomplish goals (no pun intended) that continuously allowed the band to grow at a pace that suited us three collectively. Now we are at the point where we are looking to play 100+ shows a year and tour around the country and maybe even some other countries! I don’t think this could have happened if we didn’t grow the band the way we did and continuously make sure we were all on the same page and had the same goals throughout.
What’s your favorite show you’ve played to date?
Well it was going to be direct support for Bowling for Soup but of course that didn’t happen. Stupid COVID. But probably the Sleep On It show back in March. Yeah, the lineup was sick with Bearings, Between You & Me, and Neverkept, but it was our first big show with Live Nation that we didn’t need to presale. The show still sold out and we had well over 100 people there for us. Not only that, but people were screaming our lyrics, moshing, and crowd surfing. It made us feel like we actually belonged on that stage which has been a goal for us our whole lives going to concerts and watching bands play on some of these stages. Seeing that we have made that much of an impact for people where they want to come see us is absolutely wild and humbling.
Okay, so I always love to end an interview with some fun questions, just so the audience can learn a little more about just you instead of just the band. So, what is your perfect lineup where Goalkeeper would open the show?
Easy. Blink-182, New Found Glory, The Menzingers, and Four Year Strong. I would die and throw up like Cody does most sets.
What’s your favorite show you’ve ever attended?
The Four Year Strong holiday show back in 2011 in Lancaster, PA. It was my first time seeing FYS who has been my favorite band for a long time but I was also introduced to bands I’ve never heard of. These bands were Transit, Set Your Goals, Diamond, and Balance and Composure. My first small club show and my first time moshing and crowd surfing as well. Lots of firsts.
What musician would you love to collaborate with?
Believe it or not, I would love to work with Deryck Whibley from Sum 41. I watch a lot of his studio breakdowns and he’s a genius with song writing.
What’s the moment that you knew you wanted to play music?
That’s tricky. When I first heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers I knew I wanted to play guitar again. I previously gave it up because I was bored just learning classic rock songs like Free Falling and Smoke on the Water. However, the idea of playing live petrified me so I was just happy covering songs in my room and jamming around. I tried writing and couldn’t figure it out so I took some theory lessons which made me less afraid to write songs and play live because I feel like I had an idea of what I was doing and wouldn’t embarrass myself. But the moment I knew I wanted to play pop punk and went on that mission was in 2010 when I saw my first pop punk show. It was the Glamor Kills tour with All Time Low, We the Kings, Every Avenue, and Friday Night Boys. Admittedly, at the time I thought pop punk was lame because I wanted to play metal and I was only there because my girlfriend at the time wanted to go. But when ATL came out and just destroyed the place I immediately fell in love with pop punk and playing live and knew that’s what I wanted to do.
And, last but certainly not least if you have one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
I immediately have to say thank you and I don’t think I could say it enough to really get across how happy and appreciative I am. It’s incredible that people genuinely like our songs, want to come to our shows, and want to buy our merch. Aside from that, I just hope that not only our music, but us three personally have made positive impacts on our fans and friends’ lives as they did for us. That’s our main goal and I hope we are accomplishing that. So thank you and we love you so, so much.
It was so great getting to know the real Goalkeeper and getting a little more personal with Marc. I personally have already listened to the record and it’s 100% going to be on my top list for the year. I cannot wait for everyone else to be able to hear the record in its entirety.
If you haven’t checked out Goalkeeper yet please do so and if you like what you hear pre-save the new EP at this link.
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