MUSIC
Faze Online
Who's up for some Goodtimes
by Heidi Filici

Two Words: RAW TALENT.

On November 7th, the members of a new band called Goodtimes took the stage at Dominion on Queen. The pub was packed wall to wall with friends, family and fans of 15-year-old Jesse Gold (vocalist and guitarist), 16-year-old JP Saxe (vocalist and pianist) and 16-year-old Jack Emblem (drummer). Unfortunately, Jack was ill and so a very proficient replacement drummer, Wen-Hoo Lul, filled in.

Jesse, JP and Jack have all been dedicated musicians for the past 12 years. The three young virtuosos have been playing and writing music together since the beginning of last year. Their sound is both fresh and captivating; their lyrics both intelligent and inspiring. When asked where they draw their musical inspiration from they replied, “intense emotions and real-life situations.” Besides composing their own stuff, the trio also enjoys performing cover songs for hits such as Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” and Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” Goodtimes is a combination of alternative rock, pop, blues and soul—Coldplay meets Maroon 5.

Jesse, JP and Jack are involved with Free the Children (a foundation focused on providing less fortunate children around the globe with education and clean drinking water). Last March, JP had the incredible opportunity to travel to Kenya with the Me to We program (part of Free the Children), to build schools and water projects, returning home, “as inspired as you can possibly be.” He now wants to share his experience with as many people as possible, pairing up with Degrassi’sRaymond Ablack, who shared his own heart felt story during the intermission at the Goodtimes concert. Jesse, JP and Jack’s November 7th concert raised a whopping $1000 for Free the Children.

These young performers aren’t just about entertaining; they are about leading by example to encourage other teens to help make a change in the world. So, what do they hope for in the future? “We hope to play together for as long as we can. The bigger we get the more of a difference we can make.

To check out some of Goodtimes’ music (the band is now known as Blacklight) visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebN41m3fkhk&feature=related

For more information on Free the Children and Me to We visit:
www.freethechildren.com.

Read the article Marc Kielburger wrote for Faze Magazine: Hate it? Change it!