Goodbye June

A hard rock band who blend a rootsy sound with big guitars and plenty of strutting style, Goodbye June are a hard-hitting power trio whose sound is rooted in classic rock of the 1970s, complete with the requisite blues influences, delivered with an energy and intensity that are thoroughly up to date. Landon Milbourn's lead vocals are the definition of gritty, roaring swagger, and the guitars generate enough full-bodied riffage to fill any arena they choose. Goodbye June's major-label debut, 2017's Magic Valley, was an explosive blend of past and present, and after exploring a more diverse and eclectic attack on 2019's Community Inn, 2022's See Where the Night Goes took them back to a more elemental, straightforward approach. Goodbye June was formed by lead guitarist Tyler Baker, lead vocalist and guitarist Landon Milbourn, and drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Brandon Qualkenbush in 2005. All three are first cousins, with Milbourn hailing from West Tennessee, while Baker and Qualkenbush were raised in Indiana. Baker, Milbourn, and Qualkenbush first started making music together in church (Landon's dad led the choir at his church, and Brandon's father was the preacher at a Pentecostal church), but they hadn't cohered into a band until Baker's brother, while on leave from the military, died in an auto accident in June 2005. As Baker struggled to deal with his grief, he bonded with Milbourn and Qualkenbush, and as they mourned they started writing songs. Calling their trio Goodbye June, the three moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2009 in search of their big break. The group's fiery live shows earned them a reputation in Music City, and in 2012 they brought out their debut album, Nor the Wild Music Flow, which was released on the independent Cotton Valley Records. The group produced a music video for one of the tracks from the album, "Microscope," which featured a cameo from St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher. After extensive regional touring in the United States, Goodbye June took their act abroad for the first time in the fall of 2013, playing shows in Germany, Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Holland, and Finland. 2014 saw the band taking home first prize in the Unsigned Music Competition, where a jury of musicians and journalists awarded them $10,000 in cash, as well as equipment and mentoring from music business executives. Goodbye June's growing buzz led to the band signing a deal with Interscope Records. In the spring of 2016, they released a track online, "Oh No," that racked up an impressive 2.5 million plays, setting the stage for their major-label debut, the five-song EP Danger in the Morning, which arrived in August 2016. In early 2017 the band issued a single, "Good Side," in anticipation of the release of their sophomore full-length outing, Magic Valley, which arrived later that spring. 2018 saw the release of the EP Secrets in the Sunset and the group headed out on a European tour with Greta Van Fleet. The following year they parted ways with Interscope, signing a deal with legendary metal and rock label Earache, which would issue the band's third album, Community Inn, in October. The album boasted a more polished sound and varied tempos, and the songs "Secrets in the Sunset" and "Live in the Now" attracted listeners on streaming services. The trio hit a middle ground between the hard-hitting Magic Valley and more exploratory Community Inn with their fourth full-length release, 2022's See Where the Night Goes, also released by Earache.
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