Interview: Good Hustles

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Harv - My dad got me into music and I would be a lost soul without any passion of enjoyment in my life!
Nath - My grandad was a rock n roll guitarist in the 60s/70s and played in a band called Anthony Dares Progress. When I was 8 he bought my brother and I guitars for Christmas and began teaching us. I have absolutely no idea what I’d be doing if I hadn’t been introduced to music back then, I’d rather not imagine it 😂
Will - "Probably a science guy or an engineer or an entrepreneur I’d be."
Mort - My dad force-fed me The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen growing up so I always wanted to be in a band, luckily I ended up meeting the lads! Without music I would probably have ended up as a mediocre stand-up comedian.

What do you like to do when your not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Thankfully we were all friends before becoming a band, so we still get to hang out as mates and drink, game, and scream at each other while playing Minigolf

How long has your band been around?

Good Hustles started in 2018, with the current lineup starting in 2020.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We are currently based in Nottingham, and all met through the live music and open mic scene here.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you.

It started as a dumb in-joke after Will acted like a gym teacher and gave everyone fistbumps after a rehearsal like "Good hustle out there guys!" - in the end it felt right to have something playful and fun as our name.

Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.

I think the best live show we ever played was at Night and Day in Manchester, the sound was perfect and we were absolutely on fire, but we were opening for an Oasis-style band and were absolutely not accepted by the crowd! Quickest we've ever cleared out of a gig.

Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you haven't already?

Anywhere where Marc Reeves is doing the sound tech! I'm sure we have a bucket list between us of venues we want to play, Deaf Institute in Manchester is definitely on there, Rock City Nottingham too. I'd love to play the 02 in Birmingham, I saw Watsky and his band there years ago and would love a show as rowdy as that.

If you could play any show with any lineup who would be on the ticket?

Aha I'd have to pick a band for each member and I think we'd be slightly overshadowed by The Killers (Harv), Radiohead (Will), Muse (Nath) and Motion City Soundtrack (Mort)

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band?

If you love it, go for it. Accept criticism where criticism is due, and never disregard an idea because it might be too difficult or outlandish.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

"Lads, you don't have to say yes to EVERY gig."

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why? 

I think either Smile or Apes from the new EP. We were sat on Smile for years until it finally clicked, and Apes came together so quickly because we were all on the same page about how it should sound. Those two stand out as times we held our own as a band.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

We have some newer tracks that are a complete blast, but Heart Attack would be my pick. As for requests, Make a Move is definitely the most requested!

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

One of us will get an idea as stupid o'clock at night and share it to the group chat, if it lands we jam it together as soon as possible and record the process as we go. The biggest challenge is making sure everyone is happy with the sound as things come together.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

We love telling stories through our songs, but ultimately the takeaway we want people to have is that life goes on, and you'll always have people who will love you for who you are, even if you haven't met them yet.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Of course, especially when someone is dead set on as aspect of a track that the others don't think is working. We've worked hard to make sure we communicate affectively and not to let ego get in the way of a good idea.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that's coming up?

We have an 8 track EP called Apes which is out on the 25th of February, and a tour with Slackrr coming up at the start of March!