The Good Morning Nags: No Damn Good EP Review: Energetic

Based out of NYC, The Good Morning Nags bring a jovial nature to their music that is contagious. Listening to their new EP “No Damn Good” is like sitting in a bar room where drinks are flowing, all of your best mates are surrounding you, laughs are plentiful, and there’s no better place in the world to be. Their sound is like a classic folk-rock/bluegrass-meets -The Struts with a little bit of NYC attitude thrown in there for good measure. You can’t help but tap your foot and calp your hands along to the beat. Everything about the band screams, “Grab a beer and have a good time!”

The first of the two tracks, “Birmingham” starts off slow, and then builds into an all-out party. Thematically, the song takes inspiration from the classic traveling musicians of yore who would move from town to town, play their set, and move on. Sonically, the banjo and mandolin create a cheery atmosphere until the bass and percussion kicks in, then vocalist/fiddler Tim Hassler kicks things into overdrive, and you begin to understand what makes this band special. Even while just listening from your bedroom, their energy is infectious. It’s evident that the bandmates have fantastic chemistry, and are having as much fun creating and performing their music, as it is to listen to it.

The second track, “No Damn Good” is more country than it is Yankee, but still retains that upbeat and lighthearted nature that is The Good Morning Nags signature. You can quite literally hear the band enjoying themselves, as the backup vocals are them whooping and cheering along to Hassler’s singing. It’s impossible to understate just how merry this band is. “No Damn Good” is actually about a bad boy who refuses to change himself at the request of his significant other. “I’d be better for ya’ if I could, too bad baby ‘cuz I’m no damn good.” The band manages to make this somewhat somber subject nature, and turn it into a good time thanks to their natural charisma and rosy delivery.

“No Damn Good” is The Good Morning Nag’s first EP as a group, and with their first full-length album on the horizon, this band has nowhere to go but up. Their overly joyful sound is bound to lift the mood of any listener, and everyone should be on the lookout for this group to gain some local traction once their debut album drops.