By
Maggie Burnett
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tucson band Good Question calls it quits after two and a half years of local success
When the guys of Good Question realized in December that more than half their band would soon be graduating, they knew they needed to come up with an answer.
After having played the Tucson music scene for the last two and a half years, Good Question will perform its last show Thursday night at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St.
Although the band has handed out flyers promoting the concert as its "farewell show," bassist Ryan Porter, a media arts senior, said the band is "breaking up" on the best of terms.
"I'm graduating in May as well as our drummer (Aaron Dubois). He (Dubois) decided he wasn't sure if playing on the road was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life," Porter said. "We're definitely still best friends. We've made a pretty strong bond in the past and we don't want that to go to waste."
A self-proclaimed "improvadelic funk" band, Good Question made a name for itself as a local student band with the guts to try out a few last-minute riffs while on stage.
Dubois and lead guitarist Andy Tenn started the band, eventually persuading rhythm guitarist Jeff Toffoli to join the band. The three-piece band then placed an ad in the Wildcat wanting to turn their trio into a quartet.
"I responded to the ad and after that, we played a lot together. We started playing with some of the local acts," Porter said. "We did the weekly Thursday night run at the Rhino Pub, which was a pretty reliable way to build a following."
Jacob Frye, a media arts junior at Pima Community College and fan of Good Question, could not have agreed more.
"The Rhino Pub was kind of a big, drunken dance scene. Those were pretty wild shows for a little band in Tucson," Frye said. "They packed over 100 people into this little room inside the pub - one big group of sardines all dancing together."
Also the Tenn's roommate, Frye made it clear his dedication to Good Question was not just due to his friendship with the band members.
"I've had friends in bands before. You appreciate them because they're your friends," he said. "If I had nothing to do with any of them, they'd be my favorite band in this town. They just put themselves on the line in that they improvise."
Porter said the band first realized it would probably break up when Toffoli graduated back in December. He initially told the band he would stick around until summer, but that he wanted to leave shortly thereafter.
"It was better to figure this out than to wait too long, but it's still disheartening - all the work and time and effort we've put in," Porter said. "We've got so much support from people around here. You don't hear the support until it's too late. People have been pouring out their hearts. It made us realize we had a pretty good thing here for a few years."
After Porter and Dubois graduate, Tenn will be the only band member left to complete his degree. Yet, despite having been "behind" the rest of the band throughout the duration ot its time together, Tenn said he did not feel left out.
"The thought that I was behind never really came up till the last minute," he said. "It's something we kind of talked about, but we all need to pursue our passions. We're all best friends so there's no thought of losing touch."
After graduation, Porter said he'd ideally like to return to his home in Maryland to pursue his musical interests.
"My best friend's band in Baltimore needs a bassist so it looks like I could squeeze right in there," he said.
Tenn said he too planned to head out East after graduation to follow his passion for music.
"I'm going to find a band and I'm going to play some music," he said. "For me, the whole purpose of life in itself is to find that ultimate happiness and for me, that's music."
As a parting farewell to the Tucson community, Porter expressed his gratitude to all those who have supported Good Question through the years.
"I just want to thank everybody in Tucson for making this so much fun for us," he said. "Tucson could be a really strong music scene and make a good name for itself throughout the country. We feel like we've been a big part of that and we just want to thank everybody."
Good Question will play its last show tomorrow night at 9 at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Tickets are $5 at the door. Call 798-1298 for more information.
