The Great Unknown

Todd Henkin (guitar, harmonica, vocals) – Jordan Berger (drums, vocals) – Matt Goldsborough (bass, guitar, mandolin, vocals) – Brad Jacobson (lap steel, guitar, banjo,vocals)

For the Philadelphia group The Great Unknown, being in a band extends far beyond simply writing a handful of songs – it’s about instilling everything they do with their own
singular personality and distinct point-of-view. Case in point: when they were invited to
play “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch of a packed-to-capacity Phillies
game, the band chose to completely reinvent the song, transforming it from a too-
familiar national staple into a call-and-response country number that was wholly their
own. For their first record release show, they decorated the venue with leaves they’d
collected, stocked the bar with their own home-brewed beer, and served the audience
food they’d baked. For them, music isn’t just professional – it’s personal, a method
of communication that’s a natural outgrowth of being human. In fact, when drummer
Jordan Berger auditioned for the band, he strapped his drum set to his body, walked
it over to the house where the other members were practicing, and set up shop in the
living room. “We take a lot of pride in doing things ourselves, explains frontman Todd
Henkin. “We like to set up a space that’s personal to us that we can invite our friends
and other people to come share in.”

This fall, they took that desire for personal connection even further, when they embarked
on a tour of elementary schools, writing songs that emphasized individuality and self-
worth with students from third to fifth grades. “I want to focus around the fact that kids
can see themselves as important people, Henkin says. “I want to start it with each kid
walking up to a video camera and saying, ‘This is my voice, and it’s important.’” The
band led the students through a series of exercises – brainstorming, free-
writing, guided conversations – gradually turning the ideas they suggest into songs. “We
want to show them that anyone can do this. Writing a song and recording it – that’s
something that everyone can do.” The group also visited urban farms and spent
days in a row at several stops along the tour, all in an effort to bridge the gap between
performer and audience.

“We’re trying to rethink the concept of touring,” Henkin explains. “We’re trying to move
away from just showing up at a venue, drinking a couple of beers, playing a show and
leaving. We want to stay for a couple of days and meet people in the community. I feel
like if you build relationships in a town, those people are gonna be willing to open up.
You’re gonna have people who are doing awesome things, who are motivated – people
who you genuinely want to be around. It becomes so much bigger than just traveling
once every few months through a town.”

That desire for connection and community is reflected in the group’s songs as well,
which mine the classic American country and folk traditions. Drawing influence from
everyone from Leonard Cohen to Bill Callahan to blues legend Taj Mahal, the group
creates rich, moody music that speaks to the fragility of the human condition. There’s
perhaps no better reflection of those concerns than “High Grounds,” a glimmering
slice of alt-country that finds Henkin, over ringing lap steel and taut, brittle percussion,
considering the marvel of the human body and the centrality and unassailability of the
human heart. That theme emerges again in “Iyla Grace,” a song written shortly after
Henkin was attacked and bitten by a pitbull — an incident that intersected with the first
time he met his infant niece. The song carefully considers the notion of having “new
skin,” using it as a metaphor for human vulnerability with a deftness that recalls some
of Henkin’s literary heroes — Pablo Neruda and William Butler Yeats. Henkin had the
opportunity to play the song for a group of recently returned veterans of the Iraq war,
several of whom approached him afterward to tell him they were moved by the song’s
message.

In the four years since their inception, the group has grown together, making music that
reflects their disparate personalities. “Matt is a classic rock guy, he comes from listening
to tons of classic rock and tons of Black Sabbath and Metallica,” Henkin explains. ” Brad
comes from more of a Wilco, Smog, Akron/Family background. But so much of being
in this band is about bringing a song and losing your ego. It’s our song.” Through it all
they’ve kept focus on the human connection – placing communication and community at
the forefront of their music.

“I think people come to our shows and they feel something,” Henkin says. “And thats
what I like about making music. It’s an emotional experience for us. I think that other
people — even if they don’t know exactly what we’re singing about — they can feel that.”

For booking or more information, please contact The Great Unknown at thegreatunknownband@gmail.com.

The Great Unknown have shared the stage with: Dr. Dog, Dawes, Chatham County Line, Cotton Jones (Page France), Hoots and Hellmouth, Slim Cessna, Budos Band, These United States, Frontier Ruckus, and many more.

Thanks,

Enjoy the music.