Goldspot: The Zing Thing
If you lived in the 70s, 80s, or the early 90s, the title of this article would make sense to you. But that is not what this feature is about. Named after the popular fizzy drink, Goldspot (now the damn thing’s obsolete), this New York-based band, has blown my mind recently. It was formed by the singer/songwriter Siddhartha Khosla in 2001.
Generally, when I look at Facebook pages of bands that have Indian members in them, they generally have influences of foreign nature. But this band, they have artists like Kishore Kumar and SD Burman BEFORE they name their other influences such as The Beatles and Beach Boys. These influences are very clearly seen in their music. To tell you a little about the band, they have a very unique way of making music. Easily one of the best bands to come out of America in a VERY long time, the band has been able to make remakes of classic songs such as Kishore Kumar’s ‘Ina Mina Deeka’ which have become famous all throughout the USA and The UK!
The band hit popularity in India almost instantly after their first album, Tally of the Yes Men released in 2007 in USA and UK (2008 for India under SONY BMG). Before the release of their album, they released the single ‘Friday’.
Actually, as an experiment, I played this song to a few people I met. These are some of the responses I found most interesting.
“That’s really an Indian man singing? Why the hell do the other bands I’ve heard try so hard if they’re capable of this kind of music?!”
“Soothing, and makes me happy. Must check out more of this band!”
Right? All the more reason for you to give this band a listen.
Their new album, And The Elephant Is Dancing is produced by Jeff Peters, the engineer of Beach Boys. A digital version of this album was released on 2nd November, 2009, and the physical release is still yet to be announced. The digital copy of the album has so far got some really good responses. Some said that it felt as though George Harrison never left India, and that it was a classic and timeless gem.
Apart from albums, they’ve done a lot of work for TV Shows such as The OC, Perfect Couples, The T.O. Show, and also, the Emmy-nominated How I Met Your Mother. In the world of movies, the movie Run Fatboy Run has a soundtrack made by these guys.
It has been a LONG time since I’ve come across a band that GETS to you even before the entire listen of the first song is done! This band is really one that you don’t’ want to miss. And for all of you in India, good news is coming your way! Goldspot is touring India in late January and as part of the tour they’ll be visiting six cities starting with IIM Lucknow’s Manfest on the 21st. The other dates are as follows
Jan 22: Blue Frog (Delhi)
Jan 24: Blue FROG (Mumbai)
Jan 25: Hard Rock Cafe (Pune)
Jan 27: Hard Rock Cafe (Hyderabad)
Jan 28: Hard Rock Cafe (Bangalore)
You definitely want to be there for at least one of these gigs! The band’s played some really cool shows as well. They’ve opened for Travis, Death Cab For Cutie, Franz Ferdinand and Bon Jovi. All the more reason for you to see them live!
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About the Author: Arjun Rajkishore
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