Photos: Mike Coykendall, Freedy Johnston & Bill Goffrier at Central Standard Brewing
Three Kansas musicians convened for an acoustic show and storytelling session on Super Bowl Sunday.
On February 8, Mike Coykendall, Freedy Johnston and Bill Goffrier came together to swap songs and stories at Central Standard Brewing.
The three songwriters came up in the Kansas music scene in the 1970s and '80s. While they never played in bands together, they listened to and were influenced by each other's music. Over the Sunday afternoon, they had plenty to say about that, plus (much) more.
Johnston said he learned how to play guitar from listening to Goffrier, a member of the influential Wichita band The Embarrassment.
"(Johnston and Goffrier) were doing great things while I was just struggling to get something going,” Coykendall told Jedd Beaudoin in a recent interview for KMUW.
The trio played a pre-Super Bowl show on an unseasonably warm February afternoon to a large crowd, many of whom had been listening to the performers' music for decades.
Coykendall, Johnston and Goffrier performed round-robin style, each playing one of their own songs in turn. The songwriters often introduced the next one with a story and occasionally backed each other on vocals. Selections ranged from the last century to recent work that has yet to be recorded.
“We didn't have any plan for this, and that was good because it just came together like it should,” Johnston said.
From left: Mike Coykendall, Freedy Johnston, and Bill Goffrier. Photos by Seth Boles for The SHOUT.
"I'm on stage and I get to listen these guys, so this is a great show," Johnston said. Photos by Seth Boles for The SHOUT.
— Text by Emily Christensen.
Seth Boles is a community-oriented creative professional with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from Wichita State. Currently, he works at The Print Source as a prepress technician, serves on the board of AIGA Wichita, and volunteers for the Tallgrass Film Association. Seth spends his free time shooting film, playing bass, watching movies, and hanging with his dog Joe. You can find him journaling every Saturday morning at Reverie Roasters and on Instagram @thirteen.hundred.
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