A Look Inside In Good Condition

In Good Condition is a four-man band with emo, post-punk, and a touch of pop-punk sound. The band originally started out as indie rock, then some alt-rock sounds, and now they are moving into their emo, post-punk groove. They have pulled inspiration from bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, and a lot of 90s music. “It’s a lot of influence from 90s rock and modern midwest emo, that’s the story so far,” said singer and rhythm guitarist Brody Tolliver.

The band started out with two classmates, singer, and rhythm guitarist Brody Tolliver and lead guitarist Shelton Wood. Brody and Shelton met in English class in high school when they started getting together on weekends to have jam sessions. This went on for about a year when they then started to write songs and realized they could start a band. “Us jamming and getting to know each other kind of started the band” Brody added. This was back in 2016, and shortly after they added drummer Logan Wood who introduced them to bass guitar player Kade Dickerson.

It is still really shocking to the four of them that they have people actively listening to their music, and they all agreed it makes them want to write more songs to see people’s reactions and how they like it. Logan stated, “For the longest time it seemed like nobody could care less so getting people’s feedback and seeing people listen is really crazy.” Kade went on to say, “We see the numbers of the people that listen to the music, but we don’t see the people that are listening to it.” The band is excited to release more music and keep getting feedback from listeners.

The band was nervous to release their newest single, “Idiot”, after a year since the last EP. The song ended up being one of their fastest-growing singles. “We were pretty amazed it reached everyone that we do have, and we are hoping to grow that,” Kade said. In Good Condition may be a local band, but they have a few listeners in places like Italy and Morocco.

All four of them agreed that there is no feeling like playing their music for a live audience. Kade said, “It makes me feel most alive,” and Shelton added, “Live for me is about the sound and you can feel all the vibrations of the music.” Brody went on to talk about how terrifying, but exhilarating it is to play new music in front of a crowd. “We don’t even have to speak the same language, if someone likes the music, you’re playing the music and it’s making them happy then that’s a successful show” Logan stated.

Covid took a toll on the band, as it did on most local music. They talked about a show they had scheduled at South by Southwest right before the quarantine announcement that ended up getting canceled. Brody said, “It changed everything for the band because we had to focus more on what we could do away from the crowd.” The band had been playing live for a while, so not being able to do that was a shock.

While live music was affected, with modern technology they still found a way to make music from home. They were able to still write music, send things to each other, and record. “I’d say it things got a little better, it was an excuse to sit at home and write,” Kade stated while talking about all they could do from home.

While being in quarantine and given the perfect time to sit and write, the band wrote an album. Radio Silence, with 8 tracks, is an album coming out very soon. It has no release date yet, but listeners can get a taste for it with “Idiot” the single they have already released from it. “It’s a completely new sound but will still bring people back to our roots,” Shelton started saying, “This is going to be like our explosive album.” Listeners of In Good Condition have something to look forward to in the near future, and after that, the band said they are planning to release an unnamed EP.

They are currently trying to get things in order and set up for a potential show for the album, and have their eyes set on venues for the future. The band talked about wanting to play at places like The Varsity, The Republic, and Audiotree Live. “A nationwide tour, that would be insane,” Brody went on to say. The band has some big dreams and a lot of future plans.

“Pocketbook of Poetry” and “Zaz” are the songs the band agreed were fan favorites. “An overwhelming amount of people have said that ‘Idiot’ is their new favorite song, and it might be my favorite song so far too,” Brody said. Kade said his favorite song is “Gone” an unreleased song. Logan's favorite song is “Zaz” and Shelton’s is unreleased right now. “Zaz was another one that we wrote, and it was kind of a snap kind of a click like whoa we’ve got something pretty awesome here,” Kade said while the band was talking about their favorite songs.

All of the members have some type of other projects they have worked on. “Rather than a project where I’m trying to get an emotion out or push a message it’s more just like dance tracks,” Kade said on his solo project, “it’s more of just a collection of jams and stuff sort of to flex my creative muscle.” Kade’s solo project is under his name, Kade Dickerson, on everything. Brody self-produced and released an EP, The Long Road Home, under the name Neesonwood. “I was going through a lot at the time, so I decided to get the guitar out and start writing and did a whole EP,” Brody said about his solo project. Logan and Shelton have their project where they released Frogettable under the name frogntoadarentfriends. “It’s a lighthearted little project we put together just to get a little bit of music out during the quarantine,” Shelton said about the project. Logan also makes beats for rap for another artist.

In closing notes the band went on to talk about the new album they are planning to release, Radio Silence, that has been in the works for about a year and a half. It is reminiscent of the era they were in from 2019, but the band thinks people are really going to like the new sound it comes with. The band also went on to talk about supporting local music, “If you enjoy local music you have to support local music,” Logan said. By buying merch, seeing if they have a Patreon, and going to shows. “Just go, just be a body in a building,” Brody said.

The band really expressed how much they appreciate the fans and how thankful they are for this experience, “Everybody listening and everyone that continues to listen to the band, it has really changed our lives and we wouldn’t be where we are without everybody” Brody stated. If you enjoy In Good Condition be on the lookout for their new album coming soon, and if you haven’t heard them yet be sure to check the band out.

Arwen Robinson

LSU Reveille, 2022.