They went from performing in small venues to main stage to a bus. GoodSex recently released their new EP full of electro-house vibes, With Friends Vol. 2. The two were able to tell us more about their creation process behind the EP, inspiration, and the discovery behind the GoodBus.
FS: Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with us! Congratulations on the new EP!
FS: How did you decide to use “Glow” as the lead single prior to the EP release?
GoodSex: We wanted to pick a song that meant something to us. Something that wasn’t typical to our other releases. The lyrics of ‘Glow’ really define the essence of what GoodSex is; LOVE, the universal language to all.
FS: Have you worked with Genevieve, Trance Johnson, or Marine D. Alderete before?
GoodSex: We have! Not only are they close friends but we have an unreleased track with Genevieve and our first EP has three tracks with Trance. This is our only track with Marine and we could not be happier with the outcome. All in all, we really like all the artists we have worked with and plan on continuing to make music with them and hopefully more beautiful souls.
FS: Other than growing up surrounded by good house music in Chicago, what inspired you to create this genre of music? Do you have any inspirations that made an impact for With Friends Vol. 2?
GoodSex: The biggest inspiration to create this genre came from the crowd response. Coming from the rock scene, where everyone in the audience just stands there and looks at you; is very strange. This scene is so much more fun. Everyone dances and it doesn’t even matter who’s playing as long as the music is good. We make tunes for people to move.
For With Friends Vol. 2, inspirations vary song to song. “Frequency” was inspired by a friend whispering a sentence in my ear at Burning Man, “Perfume” was inspired by sexuality being used to sell products- namely perfume, and “Like” was inspired by someone just telling the truth even if it wasn’t a popular opinion. Mostly our inspiration isn’t other artists or music. It really comes from an idea or feeling. Sound just happens to be the way it comes out.
FS: Tell us a little more about the GoodBus. How long have you been performing on the bus?
GoodSex: The GoodBus is our vehicle that allows the message of universal love and good music to travel. The actual mission statement is to “Promote healthy living, loving, and being to all” and we really are proud of that goal. We have been performing on the bus since we bought it 2 years ago, it is our baby and one of the most fun things I think we really have ever done. We are so grateful for all the opportunities we have been given with the bus as well as been able to give to others playing on the bus.
FS: How did you guys go about the design process of performing on a mobile stage? What inspired you to perform on a bus rather than a stage?
GoodSex: We love playing on both stages and buses alike. As far as designing the bus to be performed on, we simply thought about what we would want as performers and outfitted the stage with all the necessary modifications to allow that. We really don’t plan too much of our sets out beyond picking out a few choice tracks to play at some point. Playing on the bus is no different than playing on a stage, besides the rocking back and forth. The bus’s real advantage is being able to pull up anywhere and create a stage. It can go where other music can not!
FS: What has been your most memorable experience on the bus?
GoodSex: Each year we gain bigger and grander experiences on The GoodBus. Some notable ones were during the build phase when we were all trying to figure out how to build the thing out… It is a lot harder than it looks to strip down an old school bus, but honestly, the experience alone was transforming for all of us. It was way more work than we could have imagined but in the end, we all were really surprised at how well everything worked out. Once we got the bus up and running I think one of our biggest showings the first years was Electric Forest 2018. We had “Daft Punk” come play and it was a surreal experience because everyone in the audience of about 5,000 people thought it was actually Daft Punk… We recently did a tell-all with “Green Room Stories” on this specific experience that exposes all the behind the scenes work that went down to make that believable. This Summer, I think North Coast Music Festival was the most wowing experience we had. It was our last stop on the Summer tour, and the beautiful weather combined with the Chicago skyline made for a really rewarding ending to our long ride.
FS: Can your fans catch you performing on your bus at any other places other than music festivals?
GoodSex: The GoodBus has been set up as a stage at many different places outside of music festivals. We have led the Boystown Halloween Day Parade down Halsted Street, we have done a pop up inside of an auto-body shop, a health and wellness demonstration at a kid’s Summer camp, a few pop-ups around the city, activating different areas with artist collectives, block parties and a slew of other random locations you can fit a school bus and a party!
Stay up to date with all of our performances and bus events at @GoodSex and @itsTheGoodBus on IG!