The Goodkings

The Goodkings are a rootsy, funky Austin band that has been compared to the Dave Matthews Band, the Black Crowes and the Old 97s. Their sound combines elements of indie rock, gospel, blues and folk to create toe-tapping songs that are topical, philosophical, catchy and down-to-earth.

The story of the Goodkings starts with a bicycle accident. Jeremy Goodking nearly got run over by a truck while biking to work one morning in March 2006 -- the crash sent him flying and left him with both arms broken. At the time, he was playing guitar with Austin vaudeville-pop group Dog Legs & Feet, and they had a wedding gig lined up for the following weekend. Needless to say, Jeremy didn't play it.

With casts on both arms, Jeremy was unable to play guitar for several weeks. Instead he focused on songwriting, delving into the catalog of original tunes that he had written over the past decade, stuffed into a drawer and forgotten. To his surprise, he found at least two or three albums' worth of good songs there, and ideas for dozens more. After the casts came off, Jeremy began performing solo shows at Austin coffeehouses and looking for a band.

In January 2007, he hooked up with bassist Steve Allen (formerly of Bedrock) and drummer Hector del Toro (formerly of the Randy Rogers band). The three immediately hit it off, and discovered that they shared what is known in the music industry as a "vibe." They are now "grooving," as the kids say, in various venues around Austin and planning to do some recording as soon as they get around to it.

In the meantime, you can find free demo mp3s at http://www.myspace.com/thegoodkings, http://www.mp3.com/artist/the-goodkings/ and http://music.download.com/jeremygoodking.

About the band:

Jeremy Goodking (vocals, guitar, harmonica) - Jeremy grew up backstage. His father played keyboards in a country-western dance band in Dallas, Texas, and Jeremy spent countless afternoons on the sidelines of band rehearsals, even tagging along on a summer tour. He started taking violin lessons at age 11, then switched to the guitar four years later. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996, he spent a few years traveling the world on the cheap, always with a guitar in hand - including stints in England, Japan, Europe, Central America, Malaysia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland and even Antarctica. In between travels he returned to Austin, recording albums and playing periodic shows with folk-pop ensemble Dog Legs & Feet. He now lives in Austin with his wife and son.

Hector del Toro (drums) - Hector grew up in Uvalde, Texas, and was first pictured with a drum (a Mickey Mouse snare) at the age of four. He started teaching himself to play drums around age 12 -- his first kit was a chair and a lamp, with sticks cut from a mop handle that he took from underneath the neighbor's house. When he was in the 8th grade, Hector saw an MTV broadcast of Guns N Roses Live at the Roxy - two hours of the rawest music that by the end had transformed him, and there was no looking back. His major influences are John Densmore, Carter Beauford, Stewart Copeland and Carlton Barrett. Hector has been in several bands, including Quixote Joe, Too Small Shoes and the Randy Rogers band, and has had a little experience sleeping on people's couches. He likes to drink Miller High Life and eat Hot'N Spicy Pork Skins. He was married in January 2007.

Steve Allen (bass guitar) - Steve, a native Texan, started playing guitar in 1968 and picked up the bass in 1972. He has been playing bass more or less full-time since 1974, and started learning to run sound for live shows at about the same time. He likes to play original music of all kinds and styles. Before joining the Goodkings, Steve played in Bedrock, a rhythm & blues/soul band, and has worked with singer/songwriters including Rebecca Cole and Scott Hawley. He also has an electronica side-project called Vessel. Steve is the former owner of a recording company, Funhouse Studio, and of a live sound company; he now runs Funhouse Music, an artist-management and production group focusing on Americana/Roots music. Steve has a 21-year-old son.