Fool’s Gold
Fool’s Gold is a Los Angeles collective that weaves together western pop aesthetics with African rhythms and melodies. The group started as a side project of two young LA musicians, vocalist/bassist Luke Top and lead guitarist Lewis Pesacov, who set out to explore their shared love of various forms of African music (specifically Congolese, Ethiopan, Eritrean and Malian), Krautrock, and 80s dance influenced pop music. They quickly wrote a few inspired songs and asked friends, friends of friends and even strangers to join them on stage.
Not too long after their communal beginnings, Fool’s Gold developed organically into a full-time band. Although some of them met for the first time on stage, they soon became an air-tight collective. The cast of characters includes Garrett Ray (of Foreign Born) on drums, Jimmy Vincent and Matt Popieluch (of Foreign Born) on guitar, Amir Kenan (childhood friend of Luke’s from Israel) sings backup vocals and plays keys, Brad Caulkins and Mark Noseworthy on saxophones/flute, and on percussion: Orpheo McCord (who studied percussion in Ghana as well as moonlighted as drummer for The Fall), Brazilian/Mexican visual artist Salvador Placencia, Argentinean pop star Erica Garcia, Michael Tapper (ex-drummer of We Are Scientists), all of whom play a beautiful array of hand-made instruments including: Ewe, Gungon and Djembe skinned drums; Gankogui, Bananna bells and claves; Kashishi, nut-rattles, goat-toe rattles, Chekeres, Axatse shell gourds and an over-sized tambourine Mizhar bought on the street in Cairo, Egypt.
At first listen, it might be tempting to label Fool’s Gold as “world music,” but the band is, in its essence, a Los Angeles band; it is music made for hot nights in a sweltering desert. The multi-cultural group of players was born from a city that is a melting pot of neighborhoods and cultures.
Fool’s Gold has shared bills with artists as diverse as Cat Power, Fujiya & Miyagi and a Senegalese kora master Youssoupha Sidibe. Last autumn they will toured with Metronomy over in the US and then played five solidly packed shows in London in one week, as well as a XFM live session, and have since toured with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and Local Natives. They will also be playing venues such as Hollywood Bowl and Central Park Summerstage this summer, as well as Sasquatch Festival. Remixes come courtesy of Of Montreal, Micachu & The Shapes, Memory Tapes, Sizzla, Mad Decent, Acid Girls and Phaseone.
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Fool’s Gold
Fool’s Gold is a Los Angeles collective that weaves together western pop aesthetics with African rhythms and melodies. The group started as a side project of two young LA musicians, vocalist/bassist Luke Top and lead guitarist Lewis Pesacov, who set out to explore their shared love of various forms of African music (specifically Congolese, Ethiopan, Eritrean and Malian), Krautrock, and 80s dance influenced pop music. They quickly wrote a few inspired songs and asked friends, friends of friends and even strangers to join them on stage.
Not too long after their communal beginnings, Fool’s Gold developed organically into a full-time band. Although some of them met for the first time on stage, they soon became an air-tight collective. The cast of characters includes Garrett Ray (of Foreign Born) on drums, Jimmy Vincent and Matt Popieluch (of Foreign Born) on guitar, Amir Kenan (childhood friend of Luke’s from Israel) sings backup vocals and plays keys, Brad Caulkins and Mark Noseworthy on saxophones/flute, and on percussion: Orpheo McCord (who studied percussion in Ghana as well as moonlighted as drummer for The Fall), Brazilian/Mexican visual artist Salvador Placencia, Argentinean pop star Erica Garcia, Michael Tapper (ex-drummer of We Are Scientists), all of whom play a beautiful array of hand-made instruments including: Ewe, Gungon and Djembe skinned drums; Gankogui, Bananna bells and claves; Kashishi, nut-rattles, goat-toe rattles, Chekeres, Axatse shell gourds and an over-sized tambourine Mizhar bought on the street in Cairo, Egypt.
At first listen, it might be tempting to label Fool’s Gold as “world music,” but the band is, in its essence, a Los Angeles band; it is music made for hot nights in a sweltering desert. The multi-cultural group of players was born from a city that is a melting pot of neighborhoods and cultures.
Fool’s Gold has shared bills with artists as diverse as Cat Power, Fujiya & Miyagi and a Senegalese kora master Youssoupha Sidibe. Last autumn they will toured with Metronomy over in the US and then played five solidly packed shows in London in one week, as well as a XFM live session, and have since toured with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and Local Natives. They will also be playing venues such as Hollywood Bowl and Central Park Summerstage this summer, as well as Sasquatch Festival. Remixes come courtesy of Of Montreal, Micachu & The Shapes, Memory Tapes, Sizzla, Mad Decent, Acid Girls and Phaseone.
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Dates
September 23, 2010 – West Hollywood, CA
Troubadour
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September 24, 2010 – San Diego, CA
Soda Bar
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September 29, 2010 – Riverside, CA
The Barn
October 8, 2010 – San Francisco, CA
Rickshaw Stop
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Current Release
TV
Radio
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Fool’s Gold: Surprise Hotel