feature photo: Chelsea Crabtree
While Gregg Belisle-Chi has made a name for himself as a keen interpreter of Tim Berne songs via his guitar, there are other sides to him. Good Intentions is his outlet for ’90s indie rock, along with saxophonist Sam Decker, keyboard player Dov Manski, drummer David Flaherty and electric bass player Luke Bergman.
Gigging together in what started as a fun side project eventually turned into going into a studio and recording tracks of originals and now they’re set to self-release this set of rock instrumentals, Devotion Comes Easy to Me.
Instrumental rock typically gets labeled “post-rock,” but if this is post-rock, then it’s post-rock in the most direct, unpretentious way. There’s a surprising helping of buoyant melody contained in these songs that almost belie that garage band aesthetic they bring to it; you can even hear the amp buzzing.
Premiering in the video above, “Neverending” is one of their slower unfolding tunes, Decker’s sax handling the lyrical lines with aplomb and the song reaching full bloom when Belisle-Chi constructs a tactful, emotional aside on guitar.
Devotion Comes Easy to Me drops on April 21st 2023. Pre-order/order your copy from Good Intentions’ Bandcamp page.
- Angell & Crane, “Himalayan Dial-Up” from ‘Angell & Crane’ (2024): Video Premiere - November 22, 2024
- Michael Attias, “Avrils” from ‘Quartet Music Vol. II- Kardamon Fall’ (2024): Streaming premiere - October 11, 2024
- Bryn Roberts, “Aloft” from ‘Aloft’ (2024): Video Premiere - September 20, 2024
