Singer-songwriter Rachel Goodrich isn't fond of planning ahead. She said her debut album, "Tinker Toys," had no direction whatsoever.
"It all came together on its own at the last minute," she said. "We just see how it untangles and works out."
She said her brain is constantly thinking of random things, and her songs are a way of letting it out. She has no idea what her shows will be like until she plays them.
"It's not like we rehearse," she said. "We don't get together or plan it out or have any structure in mind. Expectations suck."
Goodrich, 24, will perform Thursday at Orange and Brew in the Reitz Union. The free show, sponsored by the Reitz Union Board Live Bands Committee, begins at 8:30 p.m.
The show is part of the Reitz Union Board's Local Brew series and features two other bands: Sweet City Action and Making Eyes and the Toy Tambourine.
Adriana Alminana, director of the Reitz Union Board's bands committee, described Goodrich's music as "indie rock with a fun, whimsical flare."
"She's a unique performer with a great live show," Alminana said. "You can go there and know you'll have a great time."
Goodrich not only sings, but also plays guitar, percussion, ukulele, piano, banjo, kazoo and autoharp. She loves anything with strings and hopes to learn violin someday.
"Tinker Toys" is "just a lighthearted, dark carnival kind of scene," she said. "Very playful. Everything is creepy but you know they mean well."
Goodrich said she was a quiet kid. Inspired by Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss, she drew sketchy characters with scratchy faces before she ever created music.
Growing up in Miami Beach, she was surrounded by bright colors, diverse people and new construction.
She spent a few years studying music at Santa Fe College before she dropped out.
In Gainesville, Goodrich loved to camp near natural springs and wander the forests late at night.
"The land is definitely inspiring," she said.
One time, when it was freezing cold, she and her friends got lost in the forest. Unable to see, they hoped to find their way out by lighting a shirt on fire.
"Some dude picked us up," she said. "We were riding in his truck and there was something clunky underneath our seats.
"We were wondering if it was a dead body or something. He ended up dropping us off in a neighborhood. Thank God."
Goodrich said "little adventures" are among her eclectic sources of inspiration.
"Sometimes when you stare at someone too long, their face kind of morphs into something else," she said. "That sort of inspires me."
Other inspiration comes from books she reads, including the Chronicles series by Bob Dylan and a famous rock documentary called "The Last Waltz." Her musical influences include the Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead.
Goodrich said she likes to stay true to herself. Some of her songs are blunt like "Little Brass Bear."
Goodrich's show will have some songs from "Tinker Toys" and others her band has yet to release.
"It's a lovely thing to be able to do what you want to do and have fun with it," she said. "I just want to see what happens, you know, that's the whole thing."
