After two years of recording and mixing, Gold almost lost everything. The hard drive that all the tracks were stored on died, but bassist Tom Martin remembered a trick to momentarily jumpstart the thing, even though it sounds insanely counterintuitive: put in the freezer for a few hours. Luckily it worked and they were able to salvage everything. Good thing, because it held over a hundred takes and a seemingly incalculable amount of work. And, since the meltdown was averted, the guys in Gold — Martin, singer/guitarist Zack Ruetz, drummer Jacob Czerniejewski and saxophonist Dean Tartaglia — are set to drop their first full-length (they previously released an EP) on Saturday, December 15 at the Ottawa Tavern. TCP caught with Martin and Ruetz to get the lowdown.
On how it’s different/similar from their first EP.
“It’s a little bit more experimental sounding. The first one, we were trying to make pop rock. This is meant to be a little bit more tonally interesting, maybe not as formatted. It’s way funkier. It’s a lot more influenced by the 70s and 80s funk and R&B. It has a little bit of psychedelic in it like King Crimson or Pink Floyd. It’s a little darker sounding. This is how I’ve been describing it: spooky haunted-house funk music. Very commercial [laughs].” —Martin
How it compares to them live.
“It’s definitely going to have all the soul of the live show, the grooviness will be there, but our live show is a little more stripped down. The recording will be bigger sounding, with a lot of layers. There’s a lot more going on.” —Ruetz
On how concepts changed over a long recording process.
“I would say it changed the most in the mixing. Initially the ideas I had when we were going in changed a little bit. Once you externalize the idea it changes and you just have to be content with that.” —Martin
“Tom and I, when we are recording, we try all kinds of stuff. Especially with the vocals. Some of the vocals, as we are recording, we come up with different ideas, melodies and lyrics; just to see what works.” —Ruetz
On not trying to fit in.
“Since the beginning we decided to play music we enjoyed. The first band we were in — in our teens — we were trying to fit into a pre-existing mold. That’s what we were trying to pitch basically. We were trying to mimic verses trying to do something organic…You gotta do, what you gotta do and some people are going to like it and some people are not. We’re trying to evolve and do something different.” —Martin
Gold’s CD release party is at the Ottawa Tavern, on December 15 at 10pm. The first 30 people receive a free album; the first 8 people in the door earn a free Twinkie. Admission is free.
