Interview: Ivy Gold
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What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Well, music was always my kind of therapy to keep myself healthy and sane in this crazy world. So basically, I started to take singing lessons for the purposes of bringing myself back into balance through healthy breathing, body excercises and learning how to accept my voice. The voice is always a mirror of someones personality and soul. So that was really my initial purpose.
If I wouldn’t be a singer, I’d probably be an actress or an anchor woman for a news channel. I just love to express all different shades of my personality, I find that to be very satisfying.
What do you like to do when you're not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
I really love to travel around the world. There are so many different beautiful places to visit and one of my favourite cities is Vancouver. But I also love New York City very much - it’s the city that never sleeps and coming back always feels like home. Traveling is awesome for my creativity as I get so many impressions, landscapes, nice chats with the local people and I also get some insights on the vibes different cities have. All those influences impact my music and creativity a lot.
How long has your band been around?
Ivy Gold is a brand new band and we will be releasing our debut album “Six Dusty Winds” on March 12, 2021. So we are really excited and thrilled to finally release our music to the public!!!
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
Ivy Gold is a multinational band with members from across the world. Sebastian and myself are based in Munich, Germany, Tal and Kevin are from the US and Anders is actually Swedish but lives in the UK. So we don’t have one place where we are based at. So as my lovely musicians bring in that great cultural diversity, of course our music is very much affected by our backgrounds.
I myself lived in the US for almost 5 years and at that time I was very much into Gospel Music and also Rock - there is some great radio channels and a lot of live music in the states. So I would hang out at different venues and have a good time. So all those different experiences influence our music very much.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you.
The band name kind of fits our musical path just so good. My path as an artist as well as how the band got together was never really a straight path. We experienced twists and turns, ups and downs but we always followed our hearts. So the “Ivy” part of the band name represents exactly that path in a way … and GOLD stands for my golden boys and also the golden times coming up in the future! I have always been optimistic and I have always believed in good fortune and destiny. So Ivy Gold is a combination of all of my believes and values!
Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.
My worst show I played in a pub in Germany with 2 or 3 icehockey teams joining in for their Saturday Night party. We as a band just really did not fit in at all as we were playing our own songs in a trio formation - of course the youngsters wanted party music - so that was really hard work for us :-)
And for the best show I have to say every show is the best show because playing live is the fastest and deepest connection between us, the music and the the audience. For us it is so important to transport the message, feeling and emotion of the music and songs.
Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you haven't already?
Generally speaking I really love open air festivals - one of my favorite places would be the Blues & Jazz Festival in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. I have seen so many great musicians play there, so that would be my first choice right now! But any place or venue - no matter how big or small - is good for us as long as there are people with some love for music.
If you could play any show with any lineup who would be on the ticket?
Without a doubt I would pick Joe Bonamassa :-), I’d love to play with him and his awesome band.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band?
Find band members that you really get along with and feel absolutely comfortable with. Being a musician and especially as a singer - you really have to get a long with the band and support each other as much as possibel. Then never give up, practice, practice, practice and have fun with it!! And of course, follow your path no matter what other people say!!
If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?
The best advice I would give myself if I could go back in time, would be to really work hard on playing an instrument at an early age!! I started to play the guitar and piano very late but it is just so very much needed when composing songs.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Mmh, that’s a really hard question because I have a special connection to all of our songs. Each song represents a strong message for me and touches my soul on a very deep level. I personally love “Shine On” a lot, the song is so positive and full of good energy! Whenever I hear it, I feel happy and in a good mood.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
Since we are a brand new band just releasing our debut album this year, we have not had the opportunity to play live. Hopefully it will be possible to play live shows soon!!!
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
The creative process varies of course as writing music is not a linear process. Sometimes I have something on my mind and bits and piecces of lyrics just arise. Oftentimes Sebastian comes up with some great guitar riffs and plays it to me. Sometimes there is a melody right in my ear, sometimes not. At times the lyrics are the beginning. So it’s a mixture of it all. After we have some sort of structure we go into the fine tuning of the song. And in the end get the band together to make it sound real good!
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
Our goal is to help people understand our music and lyrics and hopefully make the world a better place. We hope to shine more light on the problems of society and the world. Ultimately we would love to wake people up and have them look at the other side of the coin, and go back to the roots of love, harmony, and peace.
Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?
Sometimes there are obviously different opinions - that is just a normal thing when working with a bunch of musicians. Everyone in a band has an important role and it is important to keep a strong bond and connection with each other. If there are disagreements, we let everyone openly express their opinion and feelings, with resprect and at the end of the day you have to put your own personal ego to the side and focus on the group efforts and what is best for our music.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that's coming up?
We recently released a single titled "Retribution" on December 18, 2020. The track is off our much-anticipated full-length album titled “Six Dusty Winds,” which will be available digitally and physically on March 12, 2021. Ivy Gold aims to stay true to the motto - Out Of The Blue – For You! So we are planning on touring as soon as live shows and festivals are allowed!