Great Time Tickets

Philadelphia area trio Great Time, made up of lead singer and multi instrumentalist Jill Ryan , bassist/synth mastermind Zack Hartmann , and drummer/co-synth mastermind Donnie Spackman present the third of a series, a 5 track EP " Sounds Like ____ [Vol. 3]" . Self produced in quarantine by the band from their home studio built with money raised via Kickstarter , the band has largely ignored conventional wisdom and recorded from a genuine place of multi genre influence that sounds like something wholly original.

Says Ryan, "The idea behind this 'Sounds Like' series is simple: We want to make what we want to make . We're inspired by tons of different styles and sounds, and we feel most genuine when we're creating music without any limitations or boundaries. The title is a response to the critiques we received on our first album. Critics have suggested that we should pick a lane or a genre, and 'Sounds Like' is our way of defying that while staying true to ourselves.” “Sounds Like ___ [Vol. 3]” ranges from a heavier, guitar driven sound reminiscent of late 90s/early 2000s rock and punk, chorus drenched 1980s British New Wave, and backyard acoustic jams most suitable for a roaring campfire. In contrast to the other volumes in the Sounds Like series, says Ryan, “this EP is like the arc of my emotional processing. It’s my coming-to-terms with all of my emotional parts, and accepting them.” This EP also gives the band a chance to explore some of the music they grew up with, while still preserving the uniqueness of their sound in a modern context.

“Sounds Like ____ [Vol. 3]” is the third part in a series that follows up the band's 2018 debut LP “Great Album” , also self produced from the band's home studio. That album, along with a few followup singles , caught the attention of legendary radio voice and programmer Bruce Warren at WXPN , and several of their tracks have been in regular rotation on the station. The band also got notice from NPR, EarMilk, Reddit, and Paste Magazine , with the latter saying, “Great Album ranges from ambient charm to thrashing rock. But it doesn’t really matter. Great Time are here for just that: a great time.”

The band was then catapulted to the forefront of the Philadelphia live music scene playing at prominent venues like World Cafe Live, TLA, and Underground Arts before being asked to tour with national acts including Caroline Rose across the east coast and Midwest. Prior to the 2020 lockdown Great Time had set dates to open for Lawrence as well.

In early 2020, Great Time also served as the house band for Winnifred Coombe’s “The Violet Hour” , performing once each month in the East Village of New York City. The show features Saturday Night Live cast members Alex Moffat and Melissa Villaseñor, and has included special guests Kristin Chenoweth and Gina Gershon.

As the World and Live Music slowly reopened in 2021, the band has picked up right where they left off. In the Fall of 2021, Great Time kicked off a Regional tour with a set at The Xponential Fest (WXPN) before a run in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Vermont. Ryan sat in on saxophone for 5 sold out Japanese Breakfast shows at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, toured the UK with Cassandra Jenkins, and is set for a US Tour with Kristine Leschper in Spring 2022. Great Time has more plans for 2022 with a Northeast tour beginning in May culminating in their set at the acclaimed festival Peachfest in June. Their lead single ‘I Could Be’ features a music video directed by Missy Dabice of Mannequin Pussy, and ‘Was I Right’ features Ohmme’s Macie Stewart on strings.