Geraldton band Good Strife started out as a family affair, but has become much more than a sister act

Good Strife — the now five-piece Geraldton based band — have certainly been keeping themselves busy over the past six months. With gigs as far as Denham and Shark Bay, Kalbarri and regular spots in Geraldton, sisters Caroline and Kimberley Allison and their bandmates Zephyr Hicks (drums), Richard Donohue (bass/drums) and Finn Smith (lead guitar) might just be the hardest working band in the region. With their mix of classic songs, rock and blues, the band have proved a popular booking in even our hardest to please venues. The band’s musical influences are as wide as their talents, with Caroline Allison (rhythm guitar and backing vocals) citing Billie Joe Armstrong, Pete Townshend and Malcolm Young. While drummer Hicks is a fan of “Taylor Hawkins and other drummers like Chad Smith, and even Dave Grohl when he was drumming with Nirvana”. Lead singer Kimberley Allison spoke recently about the band’s ambitions in the region and further afield. “Our goal is to release our own music this year, and start touring outside of the region and over east. We’re finally in a position to start recording so we are all excited and looking forward to new journey for Good Strife,” she said. Guitarist Donohue, who recently joined the band, spoke about his renewed passion since joining the band. “When playing any music on any instrument I just want to do the best I can and have fun doing it. I’m always excited to learn new songs, techniques or even new instruments. My compulsion to try and get better and find cool alternative ways to playthings is what keeps me going,” he said. The band have big ambitions and are aiming high with a five-year plan. “I would like to be doing music as my full-time career, and so I hope that in five years time we’ll have recorded at least three albums and toured the whole country, maybe even have done international shows,” Caroline Allison said. Kimberley Allison shared her sister’s lofty ambitions. “Sharing my songs and stories as well as delivering a show that is unique and memorable. I always enjoy gigging and watching people’s reaction to our songs, seeing them get really into our music. I’m driven to perform the best I can with every gig, no matter how big or small they may be, because when I perform on that stage, I’m home,” she said. Kimberley Allison knows that being in a band can be hard and rewarding work, and that’s still the case even when almost half the band is made up of family members. “Mum has always been into music being a big part of everyday life, so singing and dancing around was just something we always did, so when we started to do this professionally, it changed the dynamics from mum, and sisters to really good friends who happen to be family,” she said. Caroline Allison has been writing music since she was 14, and always playing her guitar. “So when we started performing seriously, we had to work hard to keep it fun, and not lose the fun and excitement of playing music. As sisters, we have our ups and downs, but we love what we do more that we care about who’s right, sometimes,” she said. Kimberley Allison said growing up together had created an unshakeable musical bond. “Caroline and I were incredibly close when we were young. We used to sing along to the Wiggles VHS tapes or have little discos and concerts in our bedroom dreaming we would be on stage. Little did we know that all those times playing pretend rock stars would lead us to where we are now,” she said, The sisters describe their mother as “the glue, the referee and the one that keeps us all on track”. “She does whatever is needed to get us ready to perform, critiques us, and supports us and pulls us up when we forget why we do this,” Kimberley Allison said. “She is the one doing our sound, setting up and packing up and the crazy lady in the crowd talking to people, and getting people up dancing. She makes sure everyone is happy at the venue. Mum also writes lyrics for our originals and her first song is on Spotify with over 68,000 plays. “Our family is so much closer than we could have imagined, travelling to gigs, the whole experience forces us to see each other in a different light. Sometimes we need space, but together anything is possible.” Good Strife will be playing at the Dongara Hotel this Friday