Brooklyn – Hiding out in the eye of NYC’s polar vortex early Saturday night, I phoned fellow Brooklyn-dwellers Blue & Gold for an interview. In the conversation that followed, band mates Chloe Raynes (guitar, vocals), Alex Kapelman (guitar, vocals), GG Gonzalez (drums) and Derek Cabrera (bass) spoke graciously with me about their foray into NY’s new music scene, their latest endeavors and what they’ve got on deck. This group’s music is rock-heavy with a defiant bluesy edge, and they are poised to win your regard with certain force. With their first full-length album on the horizon, you should get to know this gang immediately. What’s more – Blue & Gold is about to make a serious play for your hearts, as they are gearing up to play a free show this Friday, St. Valentines Day, at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar.
LR: Blue & Gold is a relatively new outfit, as you released your first, self-titled, debut back in July. Can you share a bit about how you got the band together?
CR: Alex and I met back in college, where we played in an epic cover band together. Eventually we found ourselves in NY looking to start a band. We met GG through my roommate and best friend, and then we met Derek through GG. We started playing, and here we are now!
LR: Is the name Blue & Gold an homage to your favorite colors, or…?
GG: I like green more.
AK: Well actually, after I graduated, my friends and I just loved this bar in the East Village called Blue and Gold. We found out recently that the reason the bar is called that is because the owner is Ukrainian… and their flag colors are blue and gold. So, I guess we’re going to be huge in the Ukraine.
LR: What’s the vibe like during band practice?
CR: We have a lot of fun with each other; we really enjoy each other’s company, so practice is always a good time.
GG: In a platonic way.
LR: You’ve listed bands ranging from The White Stripes and The Black Keys to Zeppelin and Hendrix as influential to your work. Would you agree that your sound is at the intersection of blues and rock?
AK: I think one of the hardest things in the world when you’re in a band is trying to describe what your music sounds like. Everyone thinks that the band they’re in sounds unique, like nothing that’s ever happened before. But, inevitably, it’s going to sound like something. The way that I’ve been describing it recently is like a mixture of The Black Keys and No Doubt.
GG: I think “late No Doubt.” Or, you know how when you do directions it’s not just North, South, East and West, but North, Northeast? I like to think of us as rock-blues-rock, because it’s more towards rock than blues-rock.
LR: Let’s talk about your songwriting process. Who writes most of the material, or is it a shared endeavor?
CR: So far the process has been that Alex and I write the foundation of the song, and bring it to the band. It’s a very collaborative process. We try out everyone’s ideas to see what works and what doesn’t, until we come to a consensus. Ultimately it starts out with Alex and I coming up with the keys of a song, but then we bring it to the band to turn it into a proper song.
AK: That’s what it is, essentially. What we’re doing for this next album is working together more. We’ll be singing on each other’s songs more, and there’ll be a lot more duets. The tracks were written this time more for each other, if that makes sense.
LR: You’ve already played at some notable venues in NY; do you have any memorable performances to speak of?
GG: YES, I very much enjoyed Brooklyn Bowl because there was bowling, which was cool. And we got free food, which was delicious. I had a halfback of ribs and corn and the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had in my whole life. And I had free beer and we had our own room with a private bathroom. And it was very nice, and we were treated very well.
CR: We also loved opening for The London Souls. The show was amazing, the sound was amazing, it was the biggest gig we’ve played and we were really stoked to be there.
AK: And just to add to that, it was really awesome to play for a lot of people who hadn’t heard us before. Great crowd.
LR: You just released a music video for your track “Ghost Man.” Can you share any details in terms of the production process?
CR: The video was directed and made by this awesome director Martine Charnow, with cinematography by Toby Miller. They were awesome, and they collaborated with us to come up with the concept. We shot in a bunch of different locations in New York City, which was really fun, and we had really cool actors working with us who were great. We did actually have some friends as extras in a bar scene. We shot that at the Living Room, a venue on the lower east side that just closed unfortunately. But we’re really happy with how the video turned out; we’re all really excited about it.
LR: Your next gig is going to be a romantic affair – February 14th at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar alongside Team Spirit. Why should we spend Valentines together?
AK: I think that every single song we play is about love, in some way. It runs from pinning for someone to trying to figure out relationships to breakup songs.
CR: Because we will take everyone out on personal date to a food truck at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar. I think there might be mini golf there, too, so we can definitely have a romantic time after the show. I might have made that up; they might not have mini-golf there.
LR: Beginnings can be rough for some new bands, but you’ve already managed to stack up a sizable fan base. What challenges have you faced in your first year together?
CR: We’re all really passionate about making music and being in a band, and really being in it to win it. It has definitely been a big time commitment, for all of us, but we love doing it. Mostly scheduling things have probably been the most difficult. But, ultimately, we’re so happy with how far we’ve come and we’re really looking forward to the future.
LR: What groups would you file under best new bands/what new groups are you listening to?
AK: We’re friends with the band Cult Fever, and they’re currently writing an album right now and recording it. I’m just really excited for them to come out with some new music. I really love them.
CR: I’m really digging Speedy Ortiz right now. Really into them, I think they’re great and love their new record. They’ve really put out some great content in terms of new music.
GG: I really like the new Beyoncé visual concept album. I’ve watched it maybe 30 times, all the way through. And I think Blink 182 is recording right now, so I’m really excited for that because they’re my favorite band of all time.
Derek: I’m really into this new Balance And Composure record called The Things We Think We’re Missing. It’s really well done, produced by Will Yip, and I’m just super into it right now.
LR: What can fans expect next from Blue and Gold in terms of releases? What direction are you hoping to steer the band in down the road?
CR: We’re now preparing to record an album, which we’re really excited about, it’s our first full-length. We’re hoping to release it sometime this summer and we’re also hoping to tour sometime this summer. We hope to play lots of shows, and get out in front of as many audiences as we can. That’s the next step for us.
Photo By Sean O’Kane
Liz Rowley
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