“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.
"Through short, sharp lyrics, Gwathmey swirls together a mixtape’s-worth of earworms and experience, documenting road trips, birdwatching, visual art, nature walks and playing music, a broadband of all that circles the domestic of family life, rippling quietly outwards." – rob mclennan