The Good Guys
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The Good Guys

Yuma, Arizona, United States | SELF

Yuma, Arizona, United States | SELF
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"Battle of the Bands wage music war"

"....The band Golden Child and the Good Guys took home $250 for second place...." - Yumasun.com


"Battle of the bands raises $1,000 for cancer resource center"

BY CHRIS McDANIEL - SUN STAFF WRITER
Hundreds gathered together Saturday night to use rock 'n' roll to fight cancer during the inaugural Battle of the Bands Rock for the Cure. The event was held in the parking lot of Texas Roadhouse.

Several bands, including 30 Miles Out, Checkered Past, Switchblade Mary, Leavin' Ruston, Mushrooms For A Day, Good Guys, Down Time and Demise Of Hollywood, took to the stage one at a time to find out who would be the best.

They were judged by Bill Donnelly of Crossroads Mission, Jay Walker of KTTI 95.1 FM, and Jerry Rosner, former member of Yuma band Slick Nickel.

“The energy level was very high, and we raised a ton of money for the local cancer resource center,” said event organizer John Courtis.

“It has been a fun night.”

The event was able to raise more than $1,000, which will be donated to the Yuma Cancer Resource Center to assist local cancer patients, their caregivers and their families.

Courtis said the bands were phenomenal.

“What really was impressive to me was the level of music — the level of the talent who came out and donated their time. They all know it was for a great cause.”

There was also a Halloween costume contest during the intermission.

“The costume contest was incredible,” John said. “We had about 15 little kids and a dozen and a half adults. They were dressed to the nines. It was mind-blowing.”

Cindy Krace, Texas Roadhouse floor manager, was happy the restaurant could help.

“It is a fantastic cause,” she said. “It is always nice to give back to the community, and that is what we do at Texas Roadhouse.”

Krace wouldn't pick a favorite when asked.

“They were great. I liked them all,” she said.

The winner of the battle of the bands had not been announced as of press time Saturday night.
- YumaSun.com


"Summer Beats"

July 26, 2010

The reggae band Golden Child and the Good Guys performs for the sunbathers and hip-hop fans at Gateway Park during the DSA Summer Spalsh event Saturday. - Yuma Sun


"2009 Winners"

2009
First Place: Raging Hyenas
Second Place: Golden Child and the Good Guys - YumaSun.com


"Midnight Sun - Golden Child Shines"

BY CHRIS McDANIEL, YUMA SUN COLUMNIST
Last Tuesday I played a show with Golden Child and the Good Guys, a local reggae-ish band that really has a good vibe.

My band, the Funk Nasty Trio, took turns playing alternate sets with them for an appreciative crowd at the Kress building down on Main Street.

I don't think I have ever heard them before, but they have a mellow sound, the kind of music I want to listen to when I'm in a hammock drinking something cold on a warm Sunday.

In fact, one of their song lyrics (which has been stuck in my head for days, I might add) is, "I want to sit back, relax and unwind."

That is exactly what I want to do when I am not at work. It is the new mantra of my life. It is the same philosophy I have always had, but now I have a song for it.

The band is made up of Devon Alvarez on auxiliary percussion, Chase Rosas on bass, Eddie Hester on drums, Erick Macias on vocals and guitar, and David Benitez on lead guitar.

I talked to them in between one of their sets to find out who the heck the golden child is. Here is what they said.

Chris McDaniel: "Who is the golden child?"

Devon Alvarez: "I'd say the golden child is probably Erick. He writes the majority of the songs and helps Chase out with the bass lines."

Chase Rosas: "Actually the golden child is whoever shines at that moment."

CM: "How long have you guys been together as a band?"

Erick Macias: "Since last summer."

CM: "Why do you play reggae?"

DA: "I don't know if I'd define it as reggae. Erick likes to rap and his lyrics go really good with our songs. Chase has lead chops for a rock ’n’ roll feel. Eddie has a punk feel for the drums. I have a total indie percussion feel."

EM: "David is our metal head."

Eddie Hester: "But he can get down on some classical."

CM: "So you guys are a fusion?"

DA: "Yes, and somehow we make it come together."

EH: "It's golden reggae."

CM: "You play a lot of original music don’t you?"

DA: "15 or 16 songs."

CM: "Who are your influences? I hear you play Sublime a lot."

CR: "Believe it or not, that is not one of our major influences."

EH: "I would say all the influences would be individual."

CM: "Why should people check you out?"

EM: "Because it is good easy-listening music that even old people can dance to."

CR: "It is easy on the ears."

CM: "So your music is laid back?"

All: "Yes. We want people to relax."

CM: "Eddie, how do you click with Devon? I know it's hard to have more than one drummer."

EH: "You know, I really don’t know, Devon just fits. You don’t see many conga players play through a whole song."

DA: "I just jam along and it happens."

CR: "It's like pie. There are five pieces of the pie. Without one piece of the pie, you would have Pac-Man, you know what I’m saying?"

These are some cool guys who play good music, and I would share the stage with them anytime, so check them out for yourselves if you'd like. They normally play the Kress on Tuesday nights. - Yuma Sun


"Stuck in a jam: Battle of the Bands ready to rock"

Golden Child and the Good Guys
The reggae/ska band plays original music. The group played in 2009 Battle of the Bands and placed second. At this year's Battle of the Bands, the group will play "Patience My Friend" by band members Erick Macias and Chase Rosas; "One Day" by Macias and fellow band member David Benitez; and "Easy Smiles" by Macias and Eddie Hester.

The band members are Macias, 19, guitar/vocals; Rosas, 17, bass; Benitez, 18, guitar; and Eddie Hester, 22, drummer. The longtime friends started the band one year ago. They usually "play whenever we're asked to play," Macias said.

The band's goal is "to keep on having fun doing what we do," he said, adding that their dream is to have "a gig with a crowd of more than 100 people."

They have been influenced by Passafire, Easy Star Allstars, The Slackers and "a whole lot more."

Macias said the band sounds most like "Passafire with Matisyahu and a hint of the Marley Brothers." Their favorite place to play "the skate park so far." - Yuma Sun


"Battle of Bands winner "Loaner" in good company"

BY STEPHANIE A. WILKEN - SUN STAFF WRITER
They came. They saw. They rocked Main Street.

Thirteen bands took the stage Saturday during the 2010 Yuma Sun Battle of the Bands, and in the end, there could be only one first-place winner.

Local rock band Loaner took top honors this year, but lead singer Doug Feasel said they didn't expect a win; there was so much talent in the competition.

When they won, it came as a surprise, Feasel said. "All our jaws were kind of just opened."

And with all that talent, Feasel said it was a great environment.

"All the bands that I did see were great and everyone was cordial with everybody," he said. "It was definitely a friendly event."

The band has been around for about two years, but they've never entered Battle of the Bands. Feasel said they're usually busy working or playing gigs.

That's when Band Member Jeremy Dillman's wife stepped in and signed them up.

They practice frequently, Feasel said, but for this competition, they worked extra hard.

"The last couple weeks we just knuckled down and tried to get those super tight."

Bandmate Jeremy Dillman said they had a great time competing. And he agreed there was a lot of great talent in the competition.

"I think it's cool — it is a competition — (but) it's fun to do that kind of stuff," Dillman said. "This year it seemed like there was a whole bunch of good bands."

Dillman also said it was great to see the younger competitors.

"It's good to see that coming up in Yuma like that, because for the longest time, there weren't very many bands at all in Yuma," he said. "Nowadays it seems like there's a whole bunch of young bands out there. It's cool."

One of the younger bands, Golden Child & The Good Guys, took second place at the competition this year. And they're no strangers to placing high: this is the second year in a row the band took home second-place honors during Battle of the Bands.

Bandmember Erick Macias said all of the band members are longtime friends who grew up together. Now, they're rocking the Yuma music scene with their reggae/ska sounds.

Macias said it's positive music with positive lyrics, but their music is different than traditional reggae. That's because all of the band members bring their own individual influences in, he said. There's punk, rap, reggae, and rock 'n' roll.

"Everyone's different. It's all there," he said.

And when the band was on stage at the show Saturday, Macias said they all had a great feeling about it.

"I just had a good vibe," he said.

Dillman said everyone in Loaner had a great time playing in front of the crowd, an opportunity made possible because of the diligence of Adrianne Wagner, event organizer and Sun Media marketing manager.

After the original venue, Yuma Fun Factory closed, Wagner was on the hunt to find a home for the 2010 Yuma Sun Battle of the Bands. But the show went on, even with several other obstacles.

Dillman said he and the others appreciated that the date stayed the same — and everyone was happy to still have a chance to compete.

---

First Place: Loaner
Style: Alternative Rock
Members:
Doug Feasel - lead vocals/guitar
Jeremy Dillman - bass/back-up vocals
Steve Poradek - drums
Bob Doten - guitar

Second Place: Golden Child & The Good Guys
Style: Reggae/Ska
Members:
Erick Macias - guitar/vocals
Chase Rosas - bass
David Benitez - guitar
Eddie Mester - drums - Yuma Sun


Discography

Like Purple-demo-2009
Chief It-demo-2010
All Day Long-demo-2010

Photos

Bio

We are Golden Child and The Good Guys, a Reggae/ska sound. The band started with just Erick Macias and David Benitez jamming together. Erick playing bass and David on guitar. Shortly after, having Eddie Hester on the kit. Our first show was the 2009 Yuma Sun Battle of the Bands. Taking second place we were very excited and decided that we should keep the band going. After a few shows we made our first demo. With Erick jumping on rhythm guitar we brought in Chase Rosas to thump the bass. Soon following we got Devin Alvarez playing the congas. With our band full we started playing more shows, mostly at the local skate park, and recorded a new demo.

Then one day visiting a new R&B lounge one of the bar managers recognized Eddie from a previous show and liking what he had heard, asked if we would like to start playing at The Top of the Kress. Now playing at The Kress every Tuesday night, we are still on the look out for any kind of show where people can enjoy our music.

The next big event for us was, for the second time, coming in second place in the 2010 Yuma Sun Battle of the Bands. Following that was our first competition win at the 4th of July Indian Festival taking first place. Then playing the local Summer Splash at the Colorado River Park in downtown Yuma, which was a lot of fun. Our latest has been coming in second place yet again at the Walk for Life Battle of the Bands. But nothing has been as exciting to us as the 2010 Halloween show at Underground Tattoo.

With many opportunities ahead of us we look forward to playing when and wherever we can. So if you happen to see one of our shows we hope that you enjoy it as much as we do. Even feel free to come up and hit the congas or jump on the mic during a jam. We love the crowd reaction and interaction.