Pool Kids Return
On November 4th, I attended Pensacola’s first ever Night Moves Festival, an outdoor, indie music spectacular, with an incredibly solid 12-band lineup. One of those bands were Florida natives, Pool Kids, fronted by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Christine Goodwyne. I interviewed Christine in 2022 upon the release of the band’s self-titled album, and managed to catch her again at merch in hopes of pulling some good quotes to supplement the writeup I did for the festival. Although the interview largely centered around the festival itself, there was enough information to warrant its own feature.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
(From left to right) Andy Anaya, guitar; Caden Clinton, drums; Nicolette Alvarez, bass; Christine Goodwyne, vocals/guitar.
YY: I noticed one song you played made reference to a building in Pensacola. You guys are from Tallahassee, which is obviously very close. I’m partial to Tallahassee because they have a Trader Joe’s and we don’t, but it’s not far — you guys played here not long ago too I believe, is that right?
CG: Yeah, it’s kind of funny that we’ve played Pensacola, Florida twice within a year or something like that. Very funny and random.
I was going to ask if you make it out here often, but I guess not, even though it’s fairly close?
Well, coincidentally, we have come here like twice over the past year, but we actually don’t live in Tallahassee — we’re spread out all over the place. The band originated in Tallahassee when we did live there, so we claim it as our hometown, but no one’s lived there in years. So yeah, we don’t come by here often.
[laughter]
It all makes sense now. But speaking of touring, I have seen Pool Kids before — when you opened for PUP in San Diego at the beginning of the year — but I hadn’t seen you play outdoors before, and it was —
I hate it [laughs]. No, this was fun, this was great, but just the sun beating down on you is so physically uncomfortable. And feeling so far away from the crowd and the people and everyone being all spread out — I think I’ll get used to it as the band grows and plays more of these, but yeah, it kind of sucks.
And of course the way amphitheaters are set up, the sun is always in the performers’ eyes.
Yes, exactly. Like, “Great, glad we’re being lit up for everyone to see, but also I’m miserable.”
[laughter]
I was going to say though, sound-wise, it was pretty comparable between indoor and outdoor.
This stage sounded great. I was very pleased with the sound.
Yeah, I haven’t been to a show here before, but I was kind of blown away by it, and especially you guys — do you play outdoors often?
No — we’ve done it a handful of times now, but not crazy often. We did for Fest this year in Gainesville, we did this, one of our shows opening for Soccer Mommy was outdoors. Every once in a while we get a random one. When it’s at night, it’s fine [laughs].
Right [laughs], and you’re on the bill with Soccer Mommy again — are you looking forward to catching their set?
Yes, definitely. We caught up with them before when we loaded in. We’re right next to a baseball field right now, and so we were playing a game of like, throwing the baseball and trying to hit a cup on the home plate with Soccer Mommy and Macseal beforehand, so that was our little powwow, but I am excited to catch them again.
Now, when you were on stage, you reiterated a few times, it’s Pool Kids with a “P,” and not Cool Kids — is that something people tend to mix up?
Yes [laughs]. I wouldn’t say it unless it was a common thing. For people who have heard of us, obviously they know it, but new people are always like, “Oh, Cool Kids?” Or they say, “The Cool Kids," which makes me really mad.
[mockingly] “You guys are really cool.”
[laughter]
It’s just the thought of someone out there existing in the world thinking that I would name my band Cool Kids just pains me so much that I feel like I need to clarify it.
You guys need a banner or something.
We have one, but some venues are like, “we don’t do the banner thing.” I actually think we left our banner at the venue from like two shows ago, which we need to figure out.
Yeah, banners aren’t cheap.
They are not [laughs].
But anyway, what’s next for the band? The self-titled came out about a year ago, so…
Yeah, we just had our first — technically second — big writing session where we worked on some of the demos that I’ve been making for the next record, and we have a handful that we’ve fleshed out a decent amount now so we’re just trying to speed up the writing process as much as we can, and just keep touring. We have some stuff almost confirmed for next year that I can’t say yet — whatever — but, yeah, we’re definitely going to be touring next year, and [currently] working on the next record.
