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THE
LOL GOODMAN BAND
ocal blues rock band the Lol Goodman Band the age of 14, going on to become the front man of
are gearing up for their busiest year yet with one of the north west’s best live bands, delivering the
L their first stateside tour in America and the gritty sound and feel of 1960s and 70s blues rock.
upcoming release of their fourth album, ‘Scruddy
and the Healing Sun’. Teaming up with James, a good friend of many years,
the Lol Goodman Band was formed with the
Formed in 2013, the band’s line-up consists of front introduction of then-drummer, Jon Firth.
man Laurence ‘Lol’ Goodman, bassist James ‘Doc’
Horrocks, drummer Matt Denny and Paul Nicholls on The band has produced three successful albums of
keyboard, with frequent guest appearances by original tracks: ‘Old dog ‘n’ licks’, ‘Tautology’ and ‘Just
drummer Tony Crabtree and Phil Barrett on guitar wanna say…’, going on to sign with Right Track
and keyboards. Records in 2016, an exciting development for the James Horrocks
band which also featured a global distribution
Lol explained, the line-up helps “keep things fresh”. agreement with Universal Music, one of the leading Since formation, the band has swapped playing local pubs such as the Cask and Feather on Drake Street for
Lol began writing and performing his own material at entertainment groups. larger audiences, such as the Upton Blues Festival in Worcestershire, The Great British Rhythm and Blues
Festival in Colne, and Cumbria’s Maryport Blues Festival.
Lol said: “We have just finished recording our new
album. It needs mastering, which we plan to do at the That said, Lol and his band mates still frequent Rochdale, taking part in the Flying Horse Hotel’s popular jam
Abbey Road studio. It is a 15-track album, all written nights on occasion.
by myself, which will hopefully be out around May.
Lol added: “The music scene centred in Rochdale is very active with a circle of great musicians, and we
“‘Scruddy’ is a very personal album; a lot of the tracks sometimes take part in the jam nights at the Flyer, which are organised by Nigel Pickering.
reflect the mood I was in when I was ill with
depression. That said, it isn’t an album full of despair; “We should play more local shows though.”
there are a lot of fun songs on the album.
In addition to their upcoming release, the group are also preparing for a tour of LA later this year.
“We will also be publishing a track list of lyrics in the
CD sleeve, which we have never done before.” Lol said: “We are hoping to go in May or September to keep the festival season free; it should be very exciting.
Their forthcoming album also features guest vocals “2019 is going to be a very busy year for us.”
from one of New York’s finest solo blues artists,
Jessie Galante. ‘Scruddy and the Healing Sun’ will be released later this year.
Lol said: “It was an honour to have her contribute www.lolgoodmanband.com
Lol Goodman towards the album.” Photos: Howard Wilkinson
REAL ROCHDALE - SPRING 2019 18 19 REAL ROCHDALE - SPRING 2019
