Local band Good Luck to open show for The Thermals

Local band Good Luck discovered their name on the front steps of a fraternity house after eating at Dragon Express one night in Bloomington.

The three were desperate for a name and saw the words “Good Luck Riders,” referring to the Little 500.

“The name gives off a good clear message,” said bass player and singer Ginger Alford. “It’s what we were wanting.”

Alongside Cymbals Eat Guitars, Good Luck will open for The Thermals at 8 p.m. today at Rhino’s Youth Media Center and All-Ages Club.

“It sends a positive message to people when a band as successful as The Thermals plays at an all-age place like Rhino’s,” said Mike Harpring, drummer of Good Luck.
Dan Coleman, founder and president of the Bloomington promotions company Spirit of ‘68 organized the event.

“Dan puts himself on the line a lot supporting local bands,” Harpring said. “He brings in a lot of national bands and yet is still supportive of the local bands. He cares.”
Harpring said he met his current band members of Good Luck through the Bloomington music scene.

Originally from Kentucky, Harpring has been on multiple tours with different bands but said he feels that this band is the band for him, a sentiment that other band members share.

“It’s the difference between being in a relationship when you’re 17 as opposed to when you’re 27,” Alford said. “We started Good Luck when we were more mature, and long-term goals are easier to see because of it.”

Harpring and Alford, along with guitarist and singer Matt Tobey, went on their first tour as Good Luck in 2008. Traveling up and down both coasts of the U.S. and the U.K., the three said they now consider touring more normal than living in one location.

“We know what to expect on a tour,” Harpring said. “We’re familiar with it and have made a lot of friends through it.”

Even though they have grown accustomed to touring, the band said they don’t lead the stereotypical life of a band on the road.

“We have a subdued approach to touring,” Alford said. “We’re not fun. We listen to podcasts and read.”

During their downtime, they reside in Bloomington and write and promote while carrying out daily jobs. Touring is like having multiple full-time jobs, Alford said.
In addition to adapting to life on the road, Alford said the up-and-coming band has also had to adapt to doing other things, such as interviewing.

“We joke about how we’re not the best band to interview,” she said. “When we’re all three together, we tend to repeat one another, just slightly changing the words in
our answers.”

The group also works to compensate for each other’s differences.

“We all look out for each other,” Harpring said. “For instance, Matt’s a vegan. So even though we aren’t, we make sure he has something to eat when we go somewhere.”
Tonight will be Good Luck’s first all-age show in a long time, Alford said.

“I’m excited about the upcoming show,” she said. “It’s good when you’re opening for a band like The Thermals that you like listening to. It means you don’t have to pay to see them.”