BY: MARIAH ESPADA
Photo by Alexis Arnold
Synthpop duo Jon Sandler and Luke Moellman of Great Good Fine OK took to NoMa's Union Market stage for the All Things Go Fall Classic festival on Saturday, Oct. 7. The Brooklyn-based musicians got the District crowd going with songs like "Find Yourself" and "Take It or Leave It"— records that have scored them more than 30 million Spotify streams. The Blackprint got the chance to chat with Sandler and Moellman before they set out on their highly anticipated U.S. tour.
Mariah Espada: We saw that you were in D.C. back in February! How does it feel to be back in the District?
Jon Sandler: It's great! I said on stage how much we love coming here and I wasn't lying. We've played here as much as we play in Brooklyn, so it does feel like a home away from home. It's really cool to play a festival here.
ME: So, we know you guys were raised in Upstate New York, but eventually met in Brooklyn. In what way has New York influenced your style or your ambition for music?
JS: Yeah, I always say living in New York is always inspiring, but I think we'd make the same music anywhere. It's kind of like the music is inside of us more than the environment.
ME: Let's talk about your music! It's fun, it's unique. Where do you get your inspiration from?
JS: Just everywhere. Everything in day-to-day life. We always say we love Michael Jackson and Prince and those kinds of people. But we are also fans of new artists of like the 1975 and Francis & The Lights. You know, we are big fans of a lot of bands, so sometimes you don't know where you get the influence from.
ME: What is your process of creating music. We know you take sounds from other places and also create your own. Is there some sort of balance to it all?
Luke Moellma: The way we usually work, I'll kind of put together a piece of music, send it to John and then he writes a melody and lyrics to it. In terms of where the music is inspired from, I guess it's just from whatever I've been listening to at the time.
ME: Do you have a personal favorite song to perform live?
JS: That's tough, it changes all the time for me. Probably "Holding You." It feels really good to play and people respond to it in a really cool way.
Photo by Alexis Arnold
ME: Do you have any advice for college students who are aspiring artists?
LM: Just make lots of stuff.
JS: That's what I was going to say, if you love it, keep doing it. If you are passionate about it, somebody else will be passionate about it. So believe in yourself.
ME: What does the future hold for GGFO?
JS: We have a tour in November. A short two-week, East Coast tour. And we'll be releasing new music soon!
To stay updated on all things GGFO, be sure to check out their site: http://www.greatgoodfineok.com
