Hailing from Philadelphia, Good Old War has strived to create rapturous indie folk tunes for the last three years. Comprised of Keith Goodwin, Daniel Schwartz and Tim Arnold, Good Old War splits its time between recording folk-rock songs that would make Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel blush and serving as Circa Survive frontman Anthony Green’s backing band, both in the studio and on the road. Goodwin and Arnold originally made waves with the progressive rock band Days Away before calling it quits and forming Good Old War. The band obtained their unique name from taking portions of each musician’s last name (GOODwin, ArnOLD and SchWARtz) and combining them. On the latest record, Good Old War gracefully combines layered harmonies with knee-slapping melodies and acoustic guitar riffs straight from the ’60s that would not be out of place at Woodstock. Buzzbin caught up with guitarist Schwartz to discuss how Good Old War came to be, how things have changed over the years and what the band has up its sleeve this coming year. “I guess we kind of just formed out of a real need to continue making music and once we started it felt good and sounded good so we took the plunge,” Schwartz said. “We don’t really plan on coming up for air ever again.” As far as their association with Anthony Green goes, Green and the band go way back — so far it seemed natural to combine their talents and work together musically. “Keith, Anthony and I all hung out back in high school. Jamming, driving around all night, getting into trouble,” said Schwartz. “We’re pals. Not much has changed.” Schwartz said that the band’s time on the road is an experience that is like no other. “Whenever I’m home for more than a month, I feel a strong pull from the road. Whenever I’m on tour for more than a month, I feel like I need to go home and be still for a while,” he said. “We live in a perpetual state of being called to leave and being urged to stay. For some reason we love it.” Good Old War has recently recorded its third full-length, which the band plans to release early next year. The album was recorded in Omaha at ARC Studio, where the band lived in a connecting house that allows them to record nearly all the time. “Jason Cupp (Jimmy Eat World, The Elected) produced it and we all really took our time with each track and tried to make each song the best it could be, push it a bit more,” Schwartz said. “We just wanted to make the best Good Old War record yet. We’ll let the people decide.” The band has fond memories of their last stop in Cleveland and, more specifically, the Grog Shop. “I remember a woman named Peru making omelets on a camping stove in the park across from the Grog,” Schwartz said. “That and biker madness.” Though since forming the band has made significant changes both musically and otherwise, Schwartz believes that everything happens organically. “The band has changed a lot since its conception, but I think it’s been natural, accelerated only by our excitement for this sound we are creating. We are deep in it now. It’s how we survive mentally and financially,” he said. “We’ve grown as a collective force in the writing process and how we perform and blend. It’s interesting growing with two other people at the same time making the same thing.” Get a taste of a little Good Old War when the band stops by the House of Blues on December 18.