Kurt Baker is probably the hardest working man in rock'n'roll these days. It's hard to count the various bands / projects he is involved in. But when the man is involved in a band not only do you know that the songs will be great but you also know that the group will kick some major ass.
With The Gold -featuring Kurt Baker (guitar, vocals) and Marky Las Vegas (bass, vocals) -founders of the group-, Oky Von Stoky (drums) and Mark O'Flaherty (guitar)- homage is paid in full to The New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, The Rolling Stones or The Stooges.
The Gold's debut full length, produced by Mike Mariconda (Remember The Raunch Hands anyone?) , has been released very recently on Penniman/Mean disposition records. Get it! You won't regret it.
1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about THE GOLD to introduce yourselves? How long are you together as a band? Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays?
Hey everybody, we are the GOLD from Madrid. We formed back in 2016, but back then we were called Kurt & Marky. That didn't last very long, because that name kinda makes us sound more like Sesame Street characters, and since we kinda are already like that, we decided we needed a better name. So we chose the Gold. Everybody wants a Gold record! So now, with our new record in your collection.. you can have one! Ya, so Marky sings, plays bass sometimes. Kurt plays bass, sings sometimes and even plays guitar. Mark O'Flaherty plays lead guitar. He's from Canada. Oky Von Stoky plays the drums and keeps us from going WAY too CRAZY!
2) About the newly released self titled full length record, what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs?
We recorded this album with a great producer named Mike Mariconda. He wanted to get us sounding nice and dirty. He turned up the amps really loud and we had a lot of feedback. We also had a lot of beer, whiskey and other substances abundant for inspiration. So most of the tracks were all recorded live.. all of us in the same room. Some of the tracks were even done in 1 or 2 takes! Sometimes you play a track 10 times and realize that even though a couple of guys fucked up on the first take, all in all, it's the best one.. and who cares if there are a few fuck ups. Those are beautiful little blemishes that make a real rock n roll record!3) Do you consider it should be foolish not to use the nowadays recording technology or do you guys only work with analog machines in analog studios?
At some point when it comes to working with analog tape and analog studios, it's almost foolish because it cost so much money and budgets are tight with rock n roll bands and independent labels. We'd love to record to analog tape and have it be 100% analog but that just ain't in the budget baby. Sorry to say. We recorded this album in less than 4 days.. that's all we could get in the studio, but we made it work thanks to digital technology.. and that's even with a couple of one takes! Most of this is in part to the great production work of Mike Mariconda. He understood what we were going for sound wise... we had a real intention on making the record have that NYC vibe.. The Devil Dogs, Dictators, Heartbreakers and Dolls. Hell, even the Stooges... and that was all right up Mike's alley, so digital or analog.. fuck it, he's gonna make it work.
4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?
Marky and Kurt started the project by writing tunes and collaborating together. So the majority of the new record consists of compositions that were co-written by them. They were living really close to each other in a neighborhood in the center of Madrid, so they would often get together and have a bunch of beers, maybe some cake.. a cup of tea even. And then they'd work out some songs! Marky is a storyteller, with a lot of experience on the street.. he's seen it all. Fast women, dangerous criminals, all kinda stuff up in the north of Spain. His experiences were the main inspiration to many of the tunes on this new album. Kurt worked more on the musical part, writing the melodies and the harmonies to accompany Marky's words. Thinking to the next album, we're working on making more songs together as a group in a collaborative effort. We all have a lot of fun working with each other, so why the hell not!5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new song?
Usually, our song topics include girls, beers, parties, drugs, nightmares, sailors, cowboys, prostitutes, living on the streets, going to the rodeo, telephone sex, Canada, bowling, La Ermita del Santo, down at Los Caracoles, cheap beer, more girls, bad relationships, gentrification, life on the road, life in the shit, touring, trouble, crimes and ghosts.
We actually cover Teenage Head by the Groovies live. We love that song, but we wouldn't really consider them as a major influence to our sound. For us it's more like we mentioned before. Groups like The Heartbreakers, Iggy and the Stooges, Nervous Eaters, Lou Reed, New York Dolls... things like that.
7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP??
We do! It's for the song "Blue Monday" and you can watch it on YouTube! Filmed at the legendary La Via Lactea in Malasaña and directed by 5 time nominated Goya Awards director Tito Ramirez!
8) What can concert goers expect at a THE GOLD gig? Are you playing any famous cover songs during the gig?
We do a few covers here and there. Lately, we've been playing "Tropically Hot" by the Berlin Brats, "Bang Bang Bullet" by Streak and "Savage" by Fun Things. We also sometimes bust out "Teenage Head" by the Groovies, "Planet Fever" by the Nervous Eaters, and "Spooky" by the Classic IV.
9) Are there any bands in Spain today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?
We are close to a lot of bands in Spain. Many great musicians.. all special in their own way. But musically speaking? No! We are the only band that is making kick ass rock n roll in Spain and we don't give a fuck if anybody thinks otherwise!
10) What are the plans for the rest of 2019 as far as THE GOLD is concerned?
We're gonna be rockin' all over Spain until the year is finished promoting this new album.. then it's time to make a new one. Maybe we can play in other parts of Europe, we love finding out about the new hip places to play and the tasty wine to drink. Each town and corner has a new surprise, so we wanna check those surprises out! Hopefully, we can clear up our criminal records (just petty theft mostly) before 2020 comes around. We will let you know!
11) Anything you wanna add?
Well, it's just that sometimes you've got to understand the things that you can't understand. Thank you! Goodbye!
Purchase a physical copy here: https://pennimanrecords.com/collections/mean-disposition
Purchase a digital copy here:
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