The Goodnight Fields

"Dear Laurie" inspired by Daniel's story - Rejected Unkown

The Goodnight Fields are a poppy indie-folk-rock quartet from Muncie, Indiana, and the “Sincerely, Yours EP” is the follow-up to their acclaimed debut “Hang On”, released earlier this year. It’s a quick turnaround, but any concerns that they might succumb to the well-known musical ailment; ‘sophomore slump syndrome’ is quickly dispelled. In fact, their songwriting has matured considerably over the short intervening period, and lots of promise has turned into something altogether more concrete, and just as enjoyable.

First track “Something To Be Desired” with Suzanne Dennis on vocals (Dennis and Blake Mohler share vocals) is a slow-burn tale of potential heartbreak, and will remind some listeners of the more vulnerable solo records of Natalie Merchant. On “Through My Hands” Mohler sings, and the tumbling melody and vari-pitched vocal hooks makes for an exhilarating ride. “Undone” provides the centrepiece, and its power lies in the band’s propensity towards building tension, a song that finds strength in failure and Dennis’ emotive delivery. Nice guitar solo from Mohler, too. Penultimate track, “Twist And Turn” is country music as envisaged by Fleetwood Mac, before signing off with “We'll Be Alright”, which encapsulates the desperate but hopeful nature of much of the band’s output.
www.thegoodnightfields.com
Rob F. - Leicester Bangs

File Under: Boy/girl folk pop
From: Indiana (actually, I think all or most of them went to the same college as mah boo.)
For Fans of: A much folkier Tilly and the Wall, anything I've heard Haley Williams sing acoustically, Guster, dating seriously in college, Ben Folds' sadder songs, Magnetic Fields, thin leather bracelets or necklaces with one artsy bead you either picked up at an art fair or made yourself at summer camp or an elective class, sensitive lesbros.
Bonus: The four-piece just released a new EP, Sincerely, Yours, which they are making available to download for free via their Bandcamp page. Apparently they're also going to be releasing one free song to download every two weeks. That's right, Christmas is coming early this year. Also, oddly enough, their cute little drummer, Bianca, kind of looks like my girlfriend. There must be something about Muncie, Indiana! - After Ellen

I took some time to check out this album from the Goodnight Fields. They have such a strong message in their music, and it's my music suggestion for you today. The music is lighthearted, and the vocals are delivered in an easy way. I like the variety of male and female vocals as well that give the music that added depth. Depth is a great adjective to use for this music. Hope you'll give it a listen, and tell the Goodnight Fields what you think! - Music Music Music

Writing lyrically driven, emotionally-powered pop-rock numbers, The Goodnight Fields have turned to music amidst the everyday hustle and bustle of life as Ball State students.

Blake Mohler, a sophomore cellular and molecular biology major, dabbled around with writing and playing music in high school, but it wasn’t until he came to college that he truly discovered his drive to create.

“I’d written some songs in high school and kind of gotten into it, but I really thought that I wanted to go into a career in musical theater. Once I got involved in the school music here, that shut me down,” Mohler said. “I started focusing on my major in science and I really was hating that, and so all of a sudden something snapped in me and I started writing music again.”

Mohler met up with sophomores Suzanne Dennis (vocalist, fashion merchandising major) and Dale Sutton (drummer, psychology major), but the band was still without a bassist due to some complications.

“We needed a new bass player, so we put out these posters with Uncle Sam pointing to people saying, ‘We want you to be our new bass player.’ For some reason it spoke to Pat [Hannon],” Mohler said. “He was the first guy that answered our ad. Pat seriously played half a song and we were like, ‘Pat’s in the band.’”

As the primary songwriter, Mohler builds his songs on a foundation of life-inspired lyrics.

“When it comes down to it, I like stuff that’s catchy, of course. I really like music that’s brutally honest and doesn’t have much to hide. So that’s the reason I love Guster, because I feel like all their music is super brutally honest,” Mohler said. “The bands that influence me are the ones I make connections with, so I really try to bring that out in the music. People are going to listen and be like, ‘Holy crap, that song was really sad but I get it. For some reason, even though it was sad, it makes me feel better to know that someone else went through that.’”

Despite having a different taste in music, bassist/keyboardist Hannon, freshman music education major, tries as hard as possible to add an innovative dimension with his bass lines.

“It’s funny because the music that I listen to all the time is completely different than all their stuff. I love Guster too, it’d be a sin for me not to. But I love Muse and Red Hot Chili Peppers and all that stuff,” Hannon said. “The way I see it, bass has become one of the most underappreciated instruments [around], just because most modern music has no depth to the lines at all. It’s just one note, over and over. I try my hardest in every song to make it as interesting as possible.”

Mohler is encouraging Dennis to author some of her own emotionally anecdotal lyrics.

“I think that’s the reason that I like the way Blake writes too, because I’m the same way about that. Lyrics are really important to us and we want to say what’s on our mind and what people will relate to from our lives. That connection is a really big deal for us,” Dennis said. “I came back to my room one day and I was pissed. I just sat down and all these lyrics just came pouring out.”

The group was recently asked to open for Lifehouse on their Nov. 11 stop at Milwaukee’s The Rave (1700 capacity). Having advertised themselves via ReverbNation, the band experienced the capabilities of online music networking.

“It’s really a great time to be a musician right now because the Internet makes everything accessible for everybody,” Mohler said. “You don’t have to rely on a really great record deal or the best manager in the world to know people, because honestly if people in the music industry are curious enough, they go online and see what’s out there.”

At first, Mohler was tentative on playing the gig because it was on a Thursday night.

“Blake was like, ‘I don’t know… It’s kind of far away. I don’t want to miss class for this.’ I was like, ‘We’re going to open for Lifehouse. Shut up’,” Hannon said.

Although the Goodnight Fields only played on a smaller stage, seen as fans entered The Rave, the experience was still very surreal.

“Before we even moved our stuff in, we walked in and Lifehouse was doing their sound check and we just watched them,” Dennis said. “I was like, ‘They’re right there. We’re just chillin’ before the show.’”

The other band members were just as moved by the experience.

“We were pretty much awestruck. I was looking at all the posters on the wall, and I was like, ‘Three out of every four of these bands I’ve idolized and they’ve played here’,” Mohler said.

The band even sold one of their self-recorded EP’s, titled “Sounds from Gilbert Street,” to the guitarist in American Idol winner Kris Allen’s band.

The Goodnight Fields’ EP is available for free download on their Facebook page and ReverbNation. The band will also be playing tonight at 10 p.m. at the Silo with When, Not If. - Ball State Daily News

The Goodnight Fields are a four-piece indie-folk-rock band from Muncie, Indiana, with some exceptional pop songs, and a loose, raggedy style of presentation. Full of energy and vim, and a DIY aesthetic which I always find appealing, they rip into their material like a C86 band channeling The Byrds and Velvet Underground but with a contemporary roots edge which brings to mind a tattered and frayed Mumfords. They’re right on track for some sort of breakthrough, and “Hang On” is littered with songs that could attract a substantial audience.

Led by Blake Mohler who writes, sings and plays guitar, he’s joined by Suzanne Dennis on vocals and rhythm section, Bianca Russelburg on drums and Pat Hannon on bass and keyboards. As mentioned previously, there’s no shortage of good songs: “Human” opens proceedings, and it’s a hook-fest, and the first sign that Mohler and Dennis’ voices are well matched. Dennis takes lead on “Concrete” and her classic folk warble agreeably collides with some sharp guitars. “The Line” may well be the track to penetrate the mainstream. It’s already picking up airplay on local stations and it’s easy to understand its appeal. Dennis’ vocal shines and the resolute pacing demands the listener’s attention. - Leicester Bangs

MSM Fest took place this past weekend it was a two day event hosting a lot of the younger talent in Indianapolis. Its a show to benefit the Morristown schools band program. The turn out the first night was a decent one and the line up over-all was good.

The day started off with Logan Long. He kicked things off with a bowl full of nerves. He started off a little nervous. It was clear to see, he messed up a couple of times in the beginning. He quickly recovered and was on a path of smooth sailing. His first song was one he had written for his girlfriend “Marci’s Song,” it was cute. That was followed by a Chase Coy cover of “Summer Song.” Long also did another cover, A Day to Remember’s “If it means a lot to You.” However for me the highlight of Longs set was an original. He told a story about how his dad told him one he would meet the one that he would spend the rest of his life with. Long walked away from that conversation and wrote a song for the girl he would marry one day, that song is called “Someday I’ll find You.” The song was very cute and memorable.

Cody Almond lead singer of Don’t Call it a Comeback was up next. He was set to do an acoustic set but last minute decided to change things up and play electric. It was definitely a good decision and a pleasant mix up. I have had the pleasure of seeing Comeback perform many times but never Almond on his own. It was different that was for sure. You could tell the boy is a lot more comfortable on the stage with his band. Never the less he is more personal when he plays alone. Each of his songs you could tell were incredibly personal and a different mix from that of Comeback.

Almond started off with a cover of “Wagon Wheel,” by Old Crow Medicine Show. The song is cute and Almond did it justice. He followed that song by a personal favorite of mine “Bones.” Comeback recently uploaded “Bones” to their purevolume for free download and the song is great, you should definitely check it out. The next song that really stuck out to me was another Almond original called “Terminal B.”After seeing Almond play acoustic it is clear to see he puts his heart into everything he does, whether its with his emotionally strong Comeback songs or his acoustic ones. He ended his set with another song I personally love “About Staying.”

After Almond was two members of Same Mistake Every time. I am not sure how this band does as a full band.Honestly I am just not sure they were all that into it. The lead singer almost seemed as if he was trying to motivate his back up singer to sing along. They seemed kind of lost and all over the place. The kids are young and have room to grow but they definitely are in need of work. Acoustic music is a real test to a singer and you have to bring it. You have to be on pitch and it just wasn’t that. I would recommend that the band work a little bit more on their energy and vocals if they really want to do this. They’re young and there were moments where the singer sounded ok, it just over-all needed work.

After the strong build up with Logan and Almond this band made me a little nervous for the remainder of the day. Next up was MmKay.

MmKay was probably one of the cutest bands I have ever seen. They had a very unique Indie style to them. They reminded me of The Moldy Peaches. I love the Moldy Peaches. They had a charisma and energy on stage that was absolutely adorable. It was clear that the two that make up MmKay, Mikey Midnight and Kayla, are a couple and in love. Highlights of their set include “Crushin,” and “All work and no Play.” They definitely quickly recovered the evening.

The closing band of the night was Goodnight Fields. The band is out of Muncie but the female drummer Bianca Russelburg is from Morristown. The Goodnight Fields were the perfect way to end the first day of MSM Fest. The band was chalk full of talent. Their bassist, Pat Hennon, was incredible and had amazing talent. Throughout the night the bassist played an electric bass, a regular bass that was super sweet and a violin. Their drummer Russelburg was incredible. Suzzane Dennis blended with the band perfectly on vocals and the other vocalist, guitarist and founding member Blake Mohler was absolutely wonderful to watch and did an amazing job. You could see clearly that this is what he enjoys doing and that this band was his baby.

The band did a version of “Little Lion Man,” by Mumford and Sons. They did an incredible job! This is when Hennon busted out the full size bass. It was a very unique looking full bass. The sound during this song was great. I think Mumford would have been very proud to hear this cover. The other highlights of their set were “Concrete,” and “Human.” Most of their set was enjoyable. The band offers all kinds of free music through their site. - IndyConcerts.com