Good Head is a five piece band made up of Cornell University students: vocalist and guitarist Vince Tedesco ’26, vocalist and keyboardist Joseph Wolff ’26, drummer Owen Mowry ’26, bassist Nick Wilson ’26 and guitarist Will Moss ’26.
This band’s musical taste runs an eclectic range. The bandmates draw inspiration from a spectrum of genres and eras, including classic rock icons like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and David Bowie, to modern indie rock like Black Midi. As the band’s bassist, Wilson is heavily inspired by James Jamerson’s bass lines, while Moss blends influences from blues legends like Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King with 90s rock bands like Smashing Pumpkins. Influences from artists like The White Stripes and The Flaming Lips also shape their sound. Their eclectic sound draws from a wide range of musical influences, crafting a unique sound. This is evident in their singles “Celsius” and “JoBass”. “Celsius” showcases a funky, intricate electric guitar line, while “JoBass” stands out with its winding, warped manipulation of both sound and vocals, making their influences feel fresh and innovative.
On Oct. 18, the band alongside another Cornell band, Spit! performed a show for Thread Magazine, Cornell’s fashion, art and culture club magazine at a student-run co-op.
Contributing Writer Thuweiba J-Elmi talked to Good Head about its journey as a student band in Ithaca before the show.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Good Head started out jamming on campus and performing covers. In October, the band released its first two singles, “JoBass” and “Celcius,” which can be listened to on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Thuweiba J-Elmi: How does being based in a college town like Ithaca influence your musical opportunities to perform?
Vince Tedesco: Cornell in a bubble, there wouldn’t be as many opportunities. But since Ithaca has this rich history of music and bands coming up through here we’ve definitely fed off that. So when Will says there’s not many opportunities, that’s just the Cornell part of it, but Ithaca offers a lot.
TJ: How has the local music scene shaped your growth as a band? Any specific events that have helped you evolve as a band?
VT: Well, it’s funny, because our first show might have been our best show, just because we were very new and raw to playing live music. We didn’t really know what to be afraid of, so we were just playing, and it was really, really fun.
Joseph Wolff: After that first performance, TJ Schaper, who owns Deep Dive got us on a contract to play again, and so that was awesome. Ever since that first performance, we’ve had offers to play. I kind of agree that that first show, in terms of how it felt, no show has matched that.
Nick Wilson: The heart and soul of this band is jamming in our space for five hours, into the wee hours of the night. I feel like when we’re at our best, the pressure’s off. We’re enjoying each other’s company and each other’s sound. And if people like it, it’s because they’re latching on to what we’ve already got between us. So, that’s when we sound our best, and I think that’s when we’re having the best time on stage.
TJ: Have you guys collaborated with IC bands in the past? What’s that been like? Or do you have plans to do that in the future?
NW: I’m in an IC band. I play with YaBasta. And so by merit of that, we ended up playing Pimlau’s Place last year, which was super fun. I certainly take a lot of influence from what I hear over there, just as [in] a more open-ended, experimental sort [of scene] where it’s encouraged to just form a band with your friends and go out and play, rather than having something that’s super polished and ready, which I think maybe sometimes the Cornell scene can encourage.
VT: One of the reasons why we have been able to play shows last semester and continue into the semester, is because we haven’t treated ourselves like a Cornell band. We’ve latched on to IC and the music scene.
NW: People tell us they don’t know we were a Cornell band. And we’re like, awesome. Keep it that way. Don’t spread the word.
TJ: What advice would you give to other students wanting to start a band in college?
VT: Find the people first. I think the reason we have stayed together and have jammed for so long and have enjoyed doing this is because we all enjoy each other’s company a lot, we were real friends before. … It’s very much about the people that you’re surrounded with, and it just helps if you guys can play music together.
JW: But that doesn’t mean like, scramble to find somebody who plays each instrument you want in your band. … We were playing together for a year before we picked … the name of the band, and a lot of bands work the other way.
NW: I think the other thing is a lot of people have the instinct to ask for permission or look around and say, you know, “How is the right way to do this?” I think just getting together with your friends and playing music is how you form a music scene. Like, you don’t realize. In retrospect, looking at last spring and how cool things got in Ithaca, I feel like by the end of the year, of all of the bands that existed in the camaraderie within the scene, it’s like looking back on that it seems super organized, but on the weekend it was just people doing things. People saying, “We can do something at my house. We like these guys, let’s play together. Let’s get on a bill.” Like, I think you just have to start doing it and if it feels right, the formal stuff will emerge later.
