Written By Nickolas Erickson

Entertainment  Writer For The City-County Observer

Some artists feel their niche lies in a singular genre of music. It is those who remain eclectic and open to experimenting with multiple styles who yield notoriety from an equally diverse demographic. All the while serving to fill-in and play in a number of acts, local drummer and Evansville-native Eddie Goebel doesn’t pigeonhole himself to a singular style- chalking up covers from all side of the music spectrum.

2019 marks Goebel’s ninth year as a musician, and he says music has always been an important part of his life and claims he gravitated toward playing drums due to being “naturally uncoordinated.”

“It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at,” Goebel said.

Over the past few years, Goebel has gone through working with a number of bands in the area. From heavy acts, Insurgent and Velaina to pop-punk Indianapolis act Home Sweet Home to country pop artist Jay Putty. Currently, Goebel’s primary endeavor is Forthright- a hard rock act drawing influence from households names such as Metallica and Gojira.

Out of every project he’s worked with, Goebel says Forthright is his favorite.

“It’s the first band I’ve done where we’ve just made music for us,” Goebel said. “It’s music I like, and ‘what would so-and-so think?’ isn’t relevant when we’re writing; it’s the satisfaction of putting out music that you love.

Goebel says there are two primary reasons why his heart belongs to drumming.

“ Firstly, it gives me a voice and a way to say things I can’t put into words. I play a lot of different genres so I get a lot of different opportunities to convey a lot of emotions,” Goebel said.

“Secondly, playing is like medicine for me; it’s my outlet. Any time I’m dealing with something, I go play, and I pour myself into it rather than a bad vice.”

Utilizing the internet is a vital factor for musicians when it comes to self-promotion in the current day. Goebel’s invested effort in professional-grade recorded drum covers for social media. Among the ranks include “Loyalty” from Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN.” where Goebel stays true to the tracks beat while showcasing his proficiency in embellishing the track with a number of added drum parts.

“Recording covers aren’t hard, but it’s a lot of work at first and time-consuming,” Goebel said. “I learn songs by ear, try to play them similarly to the way they’re recorded and try to add my own little flavor.”

With a plethora of shows under his belt, there are two things that factor into a good

performance for Goebel- “how did I play, and what is the energy like in the room?” He says his favorite show was on his 20th birthday at PG in April of 2017. “I had just gotten back from my first tour filling in with Bad Case (New Jersey pop-punk band) and was gone for two months. I get sick of Evansville, but I had never been happier to be home,” Goebel said. “Our style genuinely isn’t generally what you hear at a more “DIY” venue, but for whatever reason, it was packed that night though; you couldn’t walk in there, just about everyone I knew was there and it felt good. The best shows can happen in the smallest of venues.”

With the number of venues in the area on a gradual decline in recent years, Goebel feels there is new morale for the local scene. “Evansville scene has been clinging on for dear life over the past few years but it seems like it’s been re-ignited and it’s growing again, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me,” Goebel said. “As far as the rest of the year concerns me personally, Forthright is working on our best stuff yet, things both in and out of town and I’ll be doing a lot of new covers.”

Ambition is a virtue far often overlooked in the industry. With upcoming acts like Goebel hungry to create and make a name for themselves, the soul of local music will be reinvigorated tenfold. in the Checkout Forthright on any social media platform and every music streaming platform. Forthright’s upcoming gig at “420 in the 812” will take place on April 20th. For anyone wanting to catch Goebel firsthand, as well as other local talents, come celebrate the talents of Evansville underground.