West Virginia’s local music scene shared two of its brightest stars with Shippensburg this weekend. The Thought Lot hosted Bishops of Shepherdstown and Goodwolf of Morgantown on Saturday, March 21. The show started around 7:15 p.m., with an opening acoustic set by John Tabor of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.
Tabor entranced the audience with several mellow covers, including Damien Rice’s “Colour Me In.” Near the end of his 30-minute set, he took a minute to express how excited he was to be opening for Bishops and Goodwolf. He added that it would be his first time seeing Bishops play, but he has seen Tucker Riggleman’s other bands play several times.
Riggleman, who plays guitar and provides vocals for Bishops, was previously the bassist for West Virginia’s indie rock scene staple, The Demon Beat. The Demon Beat disbanded in 2013, but Bishops was already set up as Riggleman’s side project and had established a following of its own.
Goodwolf has a similar backstory. Goodwolf’s lead singer, Tyler Grady, started the band as a side project while in Sleepwalker. These days, Goodwolf is his main gig, as is Bishops for Riggleman. The two bands are both signed to Twin Cousin Records and will embark on their Spring 2015 tour together next month, which will include performing at the Twin Cousins showcase at the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival.
On Saturday, Bishops took the stage a little after 8 p.m. The band played “Skeleton,” which Riggleman described as a “super, super new song.” They also played several more familiar songs off their album “Silver Lining,” which was released early last year, including “Alcohol,” the title track “Silver Lining” and “Remember Us.” Their set also included many other new unrecorded songs that will resurface when they hit the studio in June to record a full-length album.
Overall, their performance was full of energy. Drummer Payden Kimble and Andrew LaCara, bassist and vocalist, had amazing on-stage chemistry with Riggleman. It may be easy for some to dismiss Bishops as purely a garage rock band; however, seeing them live proves they are so much more than that. They are true rock musicians.
Goodwolf took the stage after Bishops. It was obvious within the first few minutes that their performance would be as energetic as Bishops. Grady introduced the song “Ballerina,” off the band’s most recent record “Car in the Woods,” as “a song about having the spins.” In addition to a mix of Goodwolf’s older and newer original songs, they also did a cover of Guided by Voice’s “Tractor Rape Chain.” Grady’s wildly charismatic on-stage vibes came in handy when the band had technical difficulties with a guitar. This could have been an awkward lag in the performance but was saved thanks to the band’s quick thinking and Grady’s natural skills as a performer.
The audience was treated to a sing-along, impromptu performance of Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason,” which was surprisingly rhythmic and soulful.
Goodwolf continued its set and ended on a strong note. Before ending, Grady said a few heartfelt words about the Thought Lot. “We always have a lot of fun in Shippensburg,” he said. “[The Thought Lot] is absolutely something that is worth saving. Places like this don’t happen in the places I’m from and the places Tucker [Riggleman] is from.”

Share