Ask any of the “Gold-Diggers” — the clever moniker certain some of the more obsessive BG fans/followers have bestowed upon themselves — and they’ll tell you that no matter how short their stage time, Black Gold is always capable of tearing up the most renowned of Hollywood’s row of Sunset bars/clubs. Indeed, tonight’s Roxy crowd seems comprised mostly of BG fans, a line stretching so far down the sidewalk in fact that I don’t stumble inside until the band has already finished their first number. Part of this is due to the fact that Roxy management has become sort of a stage act itself: upon arrival, I’m herded opposite a metal gate outside the box office while a bee-hived, chain-smoking, Jersey-accented club owner barks “Yeh godda wait in line like everyone else!” to a dozen flannel-decked twerpies, one of them who confessed tonight she’d be breaking her Hollywood club cherry (her words, not mine). Judging by the crowd, I’d be hard-pressed to disagree that Black Gold makes for a memorable first time.

The band’s fans seem equally divided between those there for the musicianship, and those aforementioned head-bobbers who’ve followed the Brooklyn duo around throughout their various incarnations over the years. Eric Ronick again proves himself to have the frontman/piano skills as well as the usual witty in-between banter (to the sound tech: “You know you’ve played a good set when even the sound tech is shakin’ his ass!”), but tonight’s a real showcase of the bond between drummer Than Luu and bassist Kerry Wayne-James. When they’re sympatico, the rhythm section churns out beats tighter than a nut. Kerry and Than stare freakishly lock eyes, a funked-up Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers locked in a dance whose rhythm few modern dance bands could hope to match.

Luu moves like a praying mantis behind his sequined, glimmering snare and hi-hat; Kerry manages to mesh pizzicato-style fretboard dexterity with shaking his ass like his life depended on it. Here’s a duo who’ve clearly been studying for years, honing their skills in a diverse range of musical styles: “Breakdown,” “Shine” and the usual hits like “Plans and Reveries” mixed jazz with pounding disco-ish groves worthy of a two-ton mirror ball. If anything, Luu and Kerry helped the songs stand out and hopefully develop a few new followers. A suggestion to the band and the club, if they ever read this: A few minutes to jam would be awesome. The unexpected is what Black Gold excels in, and an open session of improvisation would make the show all the more memorable.

Words by Jeff Nau, Photos by Sidney Bensimon

Club Highland at The Hollywood and Highland Mall. At last, you’ve graduated from lowly patron of ground-level kiosks and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels (effin’ good pretzels though) to the velvet-roped waiting lines and plastic, Greco Roman girders that scream Hollywood Decadence, à la Ed Wood. And a never-ending maze of dance room after dance room (or maybe it just seemed never ending after the jager) with a guy obsessively projecting the same 5-minute loop of Hentai porn over and over again, like Michael Jackson watching Elizabeth Taylor movies. Never mind the scuzz, though; Black Gold’s here to distract you, and despite a surprisingly short set, they chose hits like “Shine” and “Plans and Reveries” to garner them a few new followers. The crowd, clearly there to express DJ adoration more than anything, did their best to grind up against each other and get moving to Than Luu’s drum beats and Shiben’s thundering bass lines on tracks like “Detroit.”

Supreme leader Erick Ronick’s dynamic piano playing and pitch-perfect vocals seemed to help get everyone in a bit more of a partying mood — kind of difficult with lumbering security cronies on all sides of the dance floor, like we were swing kids being watched by SS officers. BG gets extra points for all the candy they brought, placed in large black-and-gold, cryogenic chamber-looking canisters which my cohort and I were all too happy to shove our meaty little paws into. (Am I the only one who still doesn’t know what the hell is in a 3 Musketeers bar, yet still likes them?) Devils, whore-angels, Poison Ivys and assorted miscreants danced halfheartedly to a few of the openers, but these Hollywood Hillers needn’t have worried–DJ PJ Bloom was quickly on board to lend a hand with his frenzied beats and bizarre rhythms.

Then there was this guy, and everything just seemed to come full circle.

A lot of people spent too much time with their hands in their pockets and staring into space–but again this might have been that cartoon porno they had playing (which while fascinating doesn’t gel too well with DJ music or rock of any kind, except the wakachikka of wah-wah pedals). Still, it might explain why certain girls and guys seemed to be taking every opportunity remove items of clothing (only to reveal body paint-doh!!). Drinks were aplenty and it wasn’t too crowded; between this and the endless dance rooms it made for a fun evening. The Highlands, located on the top floor of the Hollywood @ Highland Mall, is a must-visit for any avid club goer or tourist looking for a true taste of the Hollywood party scene.

Words by Jeff Nau, Photos by Sidney McMullen

]]> http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/11/gold-in-them-thar-hills/feed/ 0 http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/08/black-gold-sharply-dressed-at-points-west/ http://www.chinashopmag.com/2009/08/black-gold-sharply-dressed-at-points-west/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:22:53 +0000 Geo Hagan http://chinashop.designenginela.com/?p=10976 Continue reading →]]>

Eric & Than of Black Gold were handed a pretty rough time slot for their All Points West performance. Their set time on Saturday was 12:45pm, and the majority of festival goers were still making their way on to the Liberty State park grounds. But that didn’t stop the Brooklyn duo from throwing down a heluva show. The Brooklyn duo (signed to Red Bull Records) came through with a complete supporting band – including a back-up singer section and more. They even had a group of about 5 bikini-clad girls painted in gold from head to toe throwing black and gold beach balls into the crowd.

The highlights of the set were the performances of two of their hit tracks “Plans and Reveries” and The Come Down” – two joints that work equally well as danceable tunes or those songs you just sit back and zone out to. Oh and lest I forget, each of the band members was dressed in one variation or another of an all-black outfit contrasted with a classy touch of gold; this group is totally cohesive in every sense of the word.

“This is just the beginning for us,” Than says during a quick interview in the Black Gold lounge later that afternoon. “We’re just working really hard every day to try and get the music out there, and it’s just really early for us. We’re trying to take this all the way.”

When asked about the well-oiled show they put on earlier, Than responds, “For larger shows, we like to pull out all the stops, but for smaller gigs, it’s usually just four guys, like The Beatles, and the impact is pretty much the same – but even then, you’ll still get some surprises.”

The Black Gold song that seems to get the most instant response everywhere is the aforementioned “Plans and Reveries” and it was no different during the live performance. The song has the perfect mix of subliminal emotions and murky underpinnings, and it’s instantly addictive. “That song was written about a friend of mine who was experimenting with Heroin for the first time,” Eric offers, “so that explains the dark and dreamy feel of that song.”

One remarkable show completed, many more to come. One thing’s for sure, Black Gold is for real. They make music you can feel, and expect to see a lot more stellar appearances from them in the years to come.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour

You could spend a week in Austin and never step foot south of Cesar Chavez and that’s exactly what most attendees of SXSW do.  Or is it – Don’t do?  Regardless, most out-of-towners spend their entire stay in the vicinity of 6th St.  And why not?  That’s where most of the action goes down, it certainly is where the majority of street meat is sold after the witching hour, where most of the Mardi Gras-esque amateur-hour mayhem B.S. takes place.

For those with a little curiosity and a little cab fare for that matter, South Austin is as rich with reward as its neighbor to the north.  No, not Canada.  South Congress Street has the best of almost everything important; the best boutique hotel, the best home made ice cream parlor, the best migas breakfast and the best thrift stores.

The only drawback to thrift shopping in TX during SXSW is the hipster tax that the vendors assess to everyfuckingthing in the store.  That said we were able to navigate temptation pretty maturely if I do say so.  We escaped the first store with only one $30 pearl-snap shirt and left the incredibly preserved $45 blue moon boots sitting atop their cowboy shirt rack throne.

Now, Than is a pretty fashionable man in his own right.  He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who looks to his girlfriend for what looks hot and what does not.  In fact, we found out the (relatively) easy way that the New York based multi-instrumentalist drummer pretty much looks great in anything.

Zoe, a true fashion maven (and our photographer for the story) had her fashion way with Than Luu right in front of anyone who wanted to watch (just me) and dressed him up and down and damnit if he didn’t rock just as hard in the gold dress as he did in the army jacket.  Must be something in the way he holds himself.

Words by Mark Roemer, Photos by Zoetica Ebb

Photos by Cory Ryan

Black Gold on Myspace

Black Gold – Detroit