Goodbye Apollo seems to be off to a great start, all things considered. Featuring some familiar faces, the Newfoundland four-piece has released their debut single, “Outta Town”, in the midst of the COVID quarantine and singing about a girlfriend from outside their bubble.
If you’re experiencing deja vu while watching this video, it’s for good reason. Goodbye Apollo comes well-stocked with several members of the MusicNL Award-winning band Waterfront Fire. Ryan Tobin (drums), Andrew Boyd (guitar) and Ben Thistle (guitar) had founded Waterfront Fire together in 2012.
“Goodbye Apollo started as many bands do — jamming song ideas in basements and garages while enjoying a few beverages and each other’s company,” explains Tobin. “After just a couple jams, we quickly realized, not only were these songs fun to play, but they actually had some merit. Around the same time, Waterfront Fire was winding down. Andrew, a longtime friend, was looking for a new creative outlet, so [we] asked if he wanted to jam. From there, the song ideas just started pouring out and we started writing more cohesively.
“Jamming as a trio was fun, but it became obvious that the songs we were writing needed more layers to reach their full potential. Paul [Ryan], a longtime friend, co-writer and former bandmate of Dave had been collaborating musically with him since they were teenagers. So it wasn’t a surprise that after agreeing to sit in for one jam, he was eager to start contributing to the project.
All five members of Goodbye Apollo have grown up in the same small town of Stephenville, NL. “We’ve known each other for a long time both musically and personally in one capacity or another,” says Tobin, who goes on to describe their chemistry as “undeniable”, particularly with several members of the band having written and performed together for years.
While the band have applied a problem-free philosophy to their modus operandi, a motto of “the band will be the band”, the tone is, so far, subtly more swamp rock than it’s alt rock predecessor. Their debut single is a no-nonsense boot suffer about an equally no-nonsense lady who doesn’t share a postal code.
“When the pandemic hit we used it as an opportunity to start recording demos and finalizing some songs. ‘Outta Town’ was the first of several songs we planned to record and release as singles,” explain the band.
“We are blessed to be in a position where we don’t have to worry about the stress that comes with outsourcing these essential services. As a result, we can really focus on what’s important… the music.”
Goodbye Apollo say that, when the time is right, they’ll have a full album ready for released, but in the meantime to expect a few more singles.