Based in Scotland, Two Goats in a Canoe are a five-piece band that formed in 2019 from the ashes of a bad raspberry harvest by a troubled singer-songwriter Peter, and a fire-fighting ex-circus knife-throwing guitarist Craig. They braved the darkness of the early 2020s when rehearsals were illegal. The light resumed in 2022 when pianist and vocalist Katie found the band. Followed by percussionist and vocalist Amy, and bass player Greg.
Lead guitarist Craig and frontman Peter got together initially doing covers intending to be a cover band. When COVID hit, it became illegal to get together, “it seems crazy now that the two of us played together was against the law,” the band comments. During that bizarre period, they began writing, and when 2022 arrived, and when they could practise playing music again, they had some songs they liked. Pianist Katie joined the band after seeing some of their rehearsals on social media. Amy, who plays cajon, shortly joined. To date, they have collectively finished fifteen original songs showcasing their bond as a band gels well. Then, bassist Greg joined the band. Since then, they have been rehearsing, recording and performing live, and now they have only their original material to work with.
Two Goats in a Canoe would describe the band’s music as “a fusion of lost misfits all searching for something.” They are back with their intriguing brand-new single ‘Jericho’, following the success of their previous tracks ‘Lost’, ‘Funky Chunky Groovy Cool’, and ‘Buttercup’.
The haunting blend of troubled vocals set to the indie-pop beat on ‘Jericho’ brings the song to life with honest lyrics that will resonate with the lost. The production featuring cajon, keyboards, guitars, and bass elevate the track to new heights.
“It’s the feeling you get when you are walking home from a brilliant night out; a longing to go back to that moment when the world disappears, when I’m with you,” the band comments on the track.
Two Goats in a Canoe would describe the band’s music as “a fusion of lost misfits all searching for something,” noting that they are just finding their feet with much more music to come from them.
The band has varying musical influences. We all have varying influences: Katie is a big First Aid Kit fan and Stevie Nicks goes without saying. Craig was born and raised on U2. Peter is very varied from Barbara Dickson to Self Esteem and loves a bit of Rufus. Amy is a big pop fan who loves 120 beats per minute, and Greg is more alternative indie music. Collectively they all love vocal harmonies that uplifting choral sound that resonates with the soul. It’s a broad spectrum of influences, but together they produce a sound that’s very vocal based and hopefully uplifting.
Two Goats in a Canoe want to inspire people through their music as a band. They have always said that their lyrics may have been inspired by darker times, but they are a testament to a belief that however dark things may seem, they have to believe in brighter days; the light must find us.
“We want to spread that light through our music. You are the only person stopping you from being whatever you want to be. Chase your dreams. This is our dream to make music and share it with people and hopefully uplift and connect, it’s also a massive privilege, and we intend to keep fighting against the darkness and bringing our audiences some light Goats style,” the band comments.
Two Goats in a Canoe all work full-time and have the same constraints and demands of modern-day life. And it can be challenging to get everyone in the same place at the same time. They all love music, and that’s what makes them keep creating and writing their music. They hope that some people will relate to their music.
“For me, the opportunity to connect with like-minded souls Is too great not to pursue. When I can’t say it in words, I get it out through music; this is our therapy. We are a very new band and have a long way to go before fully developing our sound. None of us are professional musicians, and practice time is always limited, but we are passionate about telling our stories,” the band comments.
“There are many troubled people in the world, and we are just five of them singing to all the other troubled people out there. We write about real life in the hope of not feeling alone.”
There’s been a few musical highlights for Two Goats in a Canoe; as a creative person, you always feel like an imposter and always doubt what you are doing, so you don’t always appreciate or see the highlights when they come your way.
“I was driving one day when ‘Funky Chunky' came on the radio. I had a few seconds before I realised it was my song that was playing. And letting my daughter hear our first song lost on Spotify for the first time. She had listened to the band practice for a while, and she is our number one fan, which was special. She was so thrilled.”
“The Canoe keeps moving,” the band states when asked if they have any projects that we can expect from them in the near future. “We’ve much more to say and much more music to share, and we still have a considerable amount of material to release, hopefully seeing the light of day in 2023.” Continuing to write their own music, they note that there are always new life experiences to draw on.
“We still have much to say, which will be heading your way next year. We must mention the fans, the lost or maybe they're the found; either way, we love all the support they have given us, and we look forward to performing for you very soon.”
Currently, Two Goats in a Canoe are in the studio trying to get the words out with their #PainPop takes on music; they have much more to say with a lot more music to release.