PAUL: Please introduce yourself!
GOLDIE: My name is Matt. I play guitar, keyboard, bass, programming, sing and dance in Team Goldie.
PAUL: For those not yet familar with you, please describe the Team Goldie experience!
GOLDIE: Someone at the show I played last night likened it to a mashup of Fall Out Boy, Beastie Boys and Head Automatica and I think that’s relatively accurate. Right now the “experience” is just yours truly, an iPod playing pre-recorded backing tracks and lots of singing and dancing. I’m looking to form a full live band very soon though.
PAUL: How and why did you start performing?
GOLDIE: I’ve been playing music forever but for this particular “band” I had some free time over the summer 2 years ago and started making silly hip-hop songs on my computer for fun. It gradually turned into a more serious thing as I started playing shows and writing songs I actually liked and it eventually became what it is now.
PAUL: Why the recent name change and the dropping of the MC?
GOLDIE: To be perfectly honest I was just sick of it. It doesn’t really fit the vibe of what the music had turned into and I feel it was holding me back from gaining some new fans who might otherwise be interested in checking out my stuff. There’s a certain stigma attached to “MC” and kids typically expect some white dude writing joke songs and rapping about Star Wars or the Internet. When I started doing this almost 2 years ago those expectations would be correct but the music has changed so much since then that I don’t think the name is really appropriate anymore. Additionally, with a live backing band hopefully coming into the picture soon I wanted the name to reflect that this is a “band” not just a “rapper” and the fact that I do a lot more singing on the newest songs doesn’t hurt either. I don’t know how much or how little the name change will effect anything, time will tell I suppose but I’m happy with it and that’s what counts.
PAUL: Obviously Goldie Wilson isn’t your real name…how were you inspired to take on this alias?
GOLDIE: I’m a huge fan of the movie Back to the Future and Goldie Wilson is the name of the guy who mops floors in the diner in 1955 and becomes mayor in 1985.
PAUL: You obviously have your feet in both the rap/hip-hop and pop-punk genres…do you have any favourite artists in either camp?
GOLDIE: I’ve always been a big fan of Beastie Boys, De La Soul and Run DMC. As far as recent stuff Gym Class Heroes are amazing, Cage, RJD2, Eyedea and anything Pharrell touches. Some of my favorite pop-punk bands are definitely Smoking Popes, Lagwagon, the Movielife, New Found Glory, Saves the Day, Midtown, the Get Up Kids and too many more to list.
PAUL: Sum up ‘The Anniversary EP’ in one sentence please!
GOLDIE: Five songs that I recorded in my friend’s bedroom to make you dance and smile.
PAUL: Are there any bands or people that influence the way you write?
GOLDIE: I’m influenced by every music that touches my ears whether it’s Sam Cooke, Every Time I Die, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, Lisa Loeb or anything else under the sun. That’s what I enjoy about making this type of music. I can draw from all across the spectrum and not be limited to any particular genre or style.
PAUL: C’mon…’fess up. Who was the inspiration behind the line “She’s got a body like a battleship, battleship. She’s got a booty like an aircraft carrier.”?
GOLDIE: That line isn’t really about anyone in particular. I came up with the first part thinking along the lines of “damnnnnnn, that girl is strong, she’s built, that is a fine independent woman.” I figured I’d keep the Navy references with the second line. That’s the oldest song on the EP and I will readily admit that it is a stupid lyric.
PAUL: For someone new to the band, which of your songs would you recommend they check out and why?
GOLDIE: “Spring Break 1871” because it’s fun, upbeat and is a good example of the overall style. “What’s An Old-Timer Like You Want With An Old-Timer Like Me?” because it shows another end of the spectrum and will make you want to shake your ass.
PAUL: Obviously you’ve had comparisons to MC Lars, what do you think to his material and do you think the links are fair?
GOLDIE: It is what it is. Some of his songs are fun, some of them are pretty stupid. Do we both rap? Yes. Are we both white 20-something Americans? Yes. I think the similarities end there though. I use all live instruments as opposed to beats and samples and our lyrical content and rapping style couldn’t be more different. I think with every band people need to find some common artist in their head to relate it to and throwing MC in front of my name certainly doesn’t help. Hopefully with the new name and the new songs people will realize that these comparisons are pretty short-sighted.
PAUL: If you could collaborate with any one artist, who would it be and why?
GOLDIE: Brian Wilson. I am a bigger Beach Boys fan than you will ever know. I think he’s probably crazy enough to do a record with me too. Realistically though I’m trying to get Travis from Gym Class Heroes to do a verse on one of the new songs. That dude is insanely talented and a super nice guy on top of it.
PAUL: What further plans do you have for 2006? Can we expect any new songs to surface this year?
GOLDIE: I’m recording some new demos in two weeks and those will all probably see the light of day online in one form or another shortly after. Other than that I’m just working on writing a full-length that will hopefully be recorded before the end of ’06 and playing a lot of shows.
PAUL: Are you in talks with any record labels to release any future material?
GOLDIE: I’ve talked to a few labels here and there. Nothing serious yet but once the new demos are recorded I’m going to circulate them and see what happens. You have to expect the worst and hope for the best.
PAUL: I guess some UK dates are out of the question?
GOLDIE: Haha. Right now, unfortunately yes. At this point I just don’t have the money or connections to tour overseas but as soon as the opportunity is available I will be there with bells on. Thanks for the interview! Everyone should head over to www.purevolume.com/teamgoldie or www.myspace.com/teamgoldie and take a listen if they haven’t done so already. Also, keep your eyes peeled for new songs in the very near future. Thanks again!