“What was there to do but to play music?” Thus begins the title poem of Matthew Gwathmey’s Family Band. What follows describes becoming a family of seven (“It Seemed That We Had Hardly Begun And We Were Already There”), complete with made-up bedtime stories (“Mars Exploration”), bird watching (“Bird Cartographers”), road trips (“Stargazing”), pastimes like gardening (“Lilacs”) and fishing (“Salmon Fishing”), games (“Hide & Seek”), museums (“The Annex”), more games (“The Impossible Game”), and the joys of family reunions (“Dayspring Pedigree” & “The Full Menu”). These poems catalogue family life up until the moment that the band decides to break apart, and everyone chooses to pursue their respective solo careers.