John Gold, a local musician from Land O’ Lakes, recently released his fifth album, Arthur Unknown. The album was written during a two-year period, then recorded, mixed, matched and self-produced in Gold’s home. He labels his genre as experimental, but it could be called indie-folk. The Crow’s Nest spoke with Gold recently about his musical endeavors.
The Crow’s Nest: How long did it take you to create Arthur Unknown?
JG: It’s divided into two halves, and they are recorded one year apart. The first half is detailing one life that I lived and in between it a bunch of really life-changing events happened, and I started to refine myself into the person I am today.
CN: What is this album about?
JG: I hit rock bottom. I started to come up, and I started to align myself with more positive ways of thinking. From one side to the other, it’s the journey of me being this one individual, who I would consider to be a very evil person, into quite a better person.
This album is me trying to demonstrate the death of one thing to allow the birth of another, letting go of certain things to allow room for other things to grow.
CN: What is the title, Arthur Unknown, in reference to?
JG: The title is in reference to “author unknown.” It’s a play off of it because when I was a child, I used to hear the words author unknown, and I would think to myself, “Arthur unknown? Who is this great writer of so many poems and books?” So I realized human beings are very childlike in their understanding of things.
It’s also in reference to Arthur, which is the Germanic name for the bear, the great bear, Ursa Major. The space in between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor is invisible to the naked eye, and that’s called the Great Mystery, therefore the “unknown.”
The [acronym] AU, is the chemical symbol for Gold, which is my last name.
CN: Did you play all the instruments on the album or were there other musicians?
JG: I told some of my friends to tell me about their most life changing experiences and some of those made it onto the album. So, other than people narrating and one drum part, I performed all of the instruments on the album. I recorded it, mixed, matched and produced it myself and at my house.
CN: What has been the response to this album?
“JG”>GD: I went out on a fourHYPHENmonth tour<COMMA and I talked to [people] about what was going on in their lives, what ails them. I’ve had people tell me directly that conversing with them has helped them see the world in a different way<COMMA so I think that’s the real response to this album.
CN: What did you learn on your recent nationwide tour?
JG: I learned that I love myself a lot more than I thought I did. It was a great opportunity for me to live by my own set of rules. I became a lot more fearless.
CN: What are your inspirations?
JG: My main inspiration is the King James Version of the Bible and the Greek and Hebrew transcripts. I think that as far as moral constructs, it is second to none. Other than that I’m really inspired by people. People who want better things for their lives, people who have literally been at the bottom and decided to make themselves better over time.
CN: What instruments do you play?
JG: Guitar, bass, banjo, piano, ukulele, drums. Anything I can get my hands on really.
CN: Would you rather play in smaller or larger venues?
JG: I’d rather play in larger venues, not that I can get booked at them yet.
CN: When did you write your first song?
JG: The first song I wrote was when I was 7 or 8 years old, and it was when I was taking piano lessons, and it was kind of an idea for a film soundtrack. I was into really campy horror movies and I still am. Then I ended up putting it in a song called “Drumroll Please,” the melody from it, when I was 18.
CN: When was your first performance?
JG: The first time I ever performed was at a birthday party. I heard someone perform with just an acoustic guitar, and I thought to myself, “Well why didn’t I think of that?” I never thought of being a single performer. It was almost like culture shock for me. I asked the person if I could play after them, and I had a whole set written I had just never performed. It was awesome luck. Actually it was more than luck. It was totally meant for me to play that night.
CN: What is performing like for you?
JG: Playing music for me is like speaking to individual people. When I play I really feed off individuals, not the group as a whole, but one person or another, and that helps me to determine how to play. It’s almost an accelerant for it.
CN: How do you deal with rejection in a musical, professional sense?
JG: I’ve written a record label every day for the past three months, and I’ve only gotten one response from Canine Records. They wrote me back and said they didn’t want me … I don’t deal with it. I just understand that what I am is what I am.
I’m not surprised that people don’t generally understand my music because, in a sense, I’m writing a lot about things that people don’t typically go through, until at which time they do go through it. My newest record is less relatable than my other albums.
CN: Is there anything else you think people need to know?
JG: Just be you. Just live your life and don’t try to live so that other people will see how good you’re doing. And if you ever see anyone who needs your help, reach down and give them help. It’s a matter of doing what’s right.
Arthur Unknown, along with T-shirts, stickers, buttons and all Gold’s other albums can be purchased at johngoldflorida.bigcartel.com.
arts@crowsneststpete.com
Photo by Angelina Bruno.
