Gold Beach will be playing with One Hundred Flowers and Oh No Oh My at the Continental Club this Thursday. The members of Gold Beach’s live band have been a part of numerous notable local ensembles. Henna, the cellist, was a member of My Education; Jeremy, the bassist, was a part of Mineral; and Evan, the keyboardist, was in Tacks! the Boy Disaster. However, the driving forces behind the songs are the songwriting pair Tony Daugherty and Michael Winningham. These two have crafted songs that are both lush and seemingly effortless. Heavily reverbed vocals soar over synthesizer effects and minimal percussion beats. Gold Beach have been compared to Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire. I would somewhat agree with these comparisons but I also hear some similarities with Wilco and Mercury Rev. Gold Beach’s songs have a similar tone to Wilco and a similar cinematic quality to Mercury Rev. Check out the songs below for a sample of their unique sound and let me know in the comments if you hear any other possible influences.
Gold Beach started out just now in 2011, which is poised to be their breakout year, with the release of their debut full length, Habibti. Habibti can be previewed and purchased at their Bandcamp page in digital and cd format. This album has received local attention by the Austin Chronicle and by Texas Music Matters. Be sure to check out the show on Thursday at the Continental club to catch a full lineup of local darlings.