Music
Press
We were included on the most recent Nardcast Ep. 53. - Nardcast
Golden Red will be treating the patrons of Bar Pink to their dark, rugged, yet mysteriously sweet folk stylings tomorrow night. Since bursting onto the music scene a few months ago, the band has been steadily building a reputation as one of San Diego’s most intriguing live acts. Head down to the North Park watering hole and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.
When not charming audiences with their rugged, lyrical Americana, band members Gregory Michael Theilmann and Lilly Frances can be found lending pictures and words to their new San Diego blog Melodygeek, which we at Owl and Bear like to think we inspired.
Golden Red have also just recorded a new song, entitled “Near Dark”. While we’re not sure if the song gets its title from the 1987 vampire Western of the same name, it definitely seems to occupy the same ominously lonesome landscapes as that film. Stream the song here, and be sure to catch them live with Friday Mile tomorrow. - Owl And Bear . com
Discography
False Horizons (2010 TBA)
Sad Loud Black Sound EP (2009)
Photos
Bio
Golden Red formed in late 2008 between members of San Diego's River City, Portland's The Walking and brothers Greg and Paul. “We wanted an outlet for some of the darker more haunting songs we were writing as members of other bands.”-Greg. The group began practicing together, each member trying new instruments and styles in an attempt to create songs which were different then what they had produced in their roles in other bands. For instance Paul had never played steel guitar before, so the tones he produced with his lap steel share little in common with the typical twangy Hawaiian sounds heard on the Nashville country records of the past 50 years. Instead he focused on atmospheric swells and arpeggios. “After playing for almost 2 years I still couldn’t play a country song on this thing.” –Paul. This lack of formal training has allowed Golden Red to create a more unique sound.
Quickly after forming, Golden Red began playing local gigs around San Diego. Initially the band had no drummer and because of this it’s most successful shows occurred at art spaces like The Ice Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art Downtown where the audience was quiet and attentive. Bar shows tended to have distracting sounds like clanging bottles which overshadowed the dynamics of the vocal harmonies and acoustic instruments. Successful shows were booked at unconventional venues with like minded bands such as Erika Davies and The Paddle Boat. A strong fan base was formed and in mid 2009 Golden Red self-recorded an EP title Sad Loud Black Sound.
In late 2009 the band decided to add a full drum kit to the instrumentation. “There were so many good bands we wanted to play with but we couldn’t because they were just so much louder than us.”-Arman. The change allowed for much more dynamic shows which had enough energy to come through in even the loudest bar. With this addition Golden Red was able to book more shows with bigger bands and extend their fan base further. Currently the band is recording a new record tentatively titled False Horizons at Controls for the Sun Studios.
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