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Interview with Brian "Kid" McShea of the band Good Terms

Can you tell me about your musical background?


I’ve got a pretty wide range of music that enjoy playing, and an even wider range of music I can play but don’t enjoy haha. I started playing guitar with American Idiot when I was 10, worked my way through rock music from the Beatles to Gun N’ Roses to The Mars Volta, and also got into Pat Metheny and more blues and jazz. I was pretty big into my school’s music program; I did jazz band, drumline, marching band, and I went to Berklee for Jazz Composition, where I also did wedding bands that exposed me to a lot of different kinds of music. It’s interesting to find myself kind of back where I started, with punk rock.


What are your main influences and inspirations in their music?


As a guitarist, I think a couple guitarists who really changed what I did were Billie Joe Armstrong cuz of his rhythm playing; Slash cuz of his feel and energy; Pat Metheny cuz of the way he balances things, Julian Lage cuz of the way he can just do anything he wants at any time. In Good Terms specifically, I’m def getting stuff from Billie Joe, there’s also obviously some Patrick Stump rhythm influence. Tim McTague from Underoath also gets a mention cuz that’s just my taste in heavy, and both Angus and Malcom Young have to get a mention cuz they play with like no ego, whether it’s an understated rhythm part or a wild lead. As an artist, there’s so much more, from Bruce Springsteen to The Story So Far, but I’ll leave it at that.


Could you share a significant milestone or achievement in your career?


No joke, getting my Baldwin! I can’t believe I have a guitar made to my specifications. I’ve been bouncing from guitar to guitar, and never really had one that felt like home. It would either look perfect but sound wrong, or sound amazing but not play great, or play amazing but it’s a Stratocaster hahaha. We got to put some real thought into what this Baldwin would be, and I can perfectly picture bringing all the Good Terms songs to life with it. I think we gotta call it the Hellacaster.


What style or genres do you specialize in?


Rock, Jazz, and most things in between. I love playing most things that are related to blues and jazz at all, but punk rock definitely feels like home to me, but AC/DC also feels like punk rock to me, so make of that what you will. How’s this: for my tone, I set the gain to be just enough for palm muted notes to have that extra chug. I can play pretty much everything I wanna play with that tone, from electric blues to The Story So Far.


Are there specific techniques or playing styles that set you apart?


I haven’t found a way to use a lot of the more interesting techniques I can do in Good Terms, but I don’t often find other players playing my chord shapes in emo. Our song “Cough” goes from a (transported down to drop C) Fmaj9 to an Am9 to a Dm11, with all fragmented shapes that utilize open strings. I def my pinky to play roots a lot, even for power chords, which I don’t see a lot of powers doing, but it makes extended shapes like add9 power chords with open strings (like in our song “Wither Away”) easier.


Have you collaborated with any notable musicians or bands?


Alfonso Ribeiro (“Carlton”) was wailing away at “Purple Rain” while I was flying on the guitar solo and Rob Cavallo (produced every good Green Day album) played rhythm…I’ve had some fun moments! My collaborations with my boys in Good Terms have been my favorite though. How would you describe your unique sound and tone? Rootsy, ready-for-anything p90 punk rock guitar. I wanna be able to roll off the volume and play jazz, and then roll it up and heading and chug. I’m not sure why, I’m literally never in a situation where I need to do that, and if I was, I’d certainly use pedals and stuff. But keeping that tone makes me play a certain way that I really enjoy playing.


Are there any memorable performances or tours that stand out in your career?


Oh man, this past year of touring with Good Terms has had so many great moments. From our first time playing to a sold out crowd in Dallas (not our crowd but still), to playing big rooms with our heroes The Wonder Years and Knuckle Puck (and Like Roses), to listening to the crowd sing “Cough” to me all over the country. One of my favorite shows was in Spokane at The Big Dipper when we opened for Calling All Captains. We had played the venue before and it had gone well, and this second time it just went off. That crowd gave me so much every time I asked for anything, they were even crowd-surfing by the third song. It was a fantastic way to end that tour.


What do you hope to achieve or convey through their music?


Oh goodness haha. Music has been a tool for me to workout so much of my life, my emotions, my identity, etc. I want to build something that can work like that for other people. Our music has elements of critical introspection and external conflict, but also acceptance and a search for peace. It also has like total rock n’ roll hell-yeah-brother vibes that I think are just important.


Why Baldwin Guitars?


Cuz Baldwin cares about what we do! Not only is my guitar tailor made to sound rad, it’s also got few coats of finish so that it wears and tears easily, because that’s part of my whole punk rock vibe. I couldn’t believe that detail when I learned about it! I love playing so many guitars, but playing my Baldwin feels like I’m playing something that’s built for this.