Pop Punk Band GO FOR GOLD Discuss Their New Single and Upcoming EP!

Meet the pop punk quartet Go For Gold! Their newest single “Let Me Go” was released via InVogue Records on January 17th. Their first release on InVogue, “Let Me Go” is a dynamic and upbeat punk-driven track, solidifying the band as a strong up-and-coming pop punk staple.

Connect With Go For Gold Online Here-
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goforgoldar/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoForGoldAR
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goforgoldar/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoU6anj0Dh_f_zn5NNWk6yg
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uTm0qJYe4kohhpRAFbILZ?si=vX7O_D94Tay3b1QI5JktkQ

Learn more about Go For Gold in the following All Access interview-

When it comes to your music, what are you most excited about for 2020?

We have an EP coming out within the next few months and we’re very excited for that. We also are in the process of booking some week-long runs with bands we enjoy. We’re really searching for touring opportunities right now. Our emphasis for 2020 is to play as much as possible.

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this group together? Do you find that your band name still represents you and your music today?

I wrote a song by myself to send around and attempt to recruit people to play music with me. That song was never released and is now “Let Me Go”. Spencer and I have worked on everything having to do with Go For Gold since then. I think at first it was definitely more of a “let’s just have fun with it” thing but that quickly turned into “why would we even do this if we aren’t trying to go as far as we can with it?”.

Spencer and I both have had aspirations  of playing music on a larger scale. We both want to see the world and play shows to wild crowds. It seems like every goal we set, we reach. I think that we just have to keep pushing and fighting. Good things are bound to happen.

That’s an interesting question. I’ve not spent a lot of time thinking on the name. Our name is pretty transparent to our interests. We are definitely taking everything we can get. It also has a light-hearted background story. The name comes from a line in the movie “The Ringer”.  The person who came up with it actually never even played a show with us either. We took his idea and ran with it.

How do you think your hometown has influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group? If not, why is that?

Coming from small-town Arkansas, I’ve learned a lot about hard work and dedication. I’ve learned most importantly what it takes to get out of a small town and find larger opportunities. Some of what it takes is luck but a lot of it is focus and again.. Dedication. I think that my friend’s and family did play a large role in starting me on this path. Thanks to my friends, my first CD I ever bought was American Idiot. Thanks to my family, I was taught to question everything and to go after my dreams. That influence and thirst for knowledge led me to dive into punk music headfirst.

Another part of being from where we are that has definitely impacted us is that our scene completely died for a few years. There were no venues open to having alternative music shows. We all, as a scene, had to group together and become resourceful. Spencer and I both spent a lot of time playing shows to no one before starting Go For Gold and I think because of that, it makes the success a lot sweeter. We’ll never forget where we came from and we understand that at any moment this could all end.

What was the inspiration for your newest single, “Let Me Go”? What was it like making the music video for it? How creatively involved with the making of it were you all?

“Let Me Go” is about a failed relationship and looking at it from a non-biased perspective. Admitting to mistakes and understanding the other person made some as well. The video idea was proposed by John who works for InVogue. We liked the idea he proposed so much that we just ran with it. Visuals are something we tend to be overly-critical of. Sometimes it’s good to receive outside perspective. It was a complete team effort between us and the InVogue crew on this one.

Creatively, we have the freedom to do what we like. We also understand that having that freedom doesn’t mean we need to always use it if there is a better idea on the table.

Do you have plans to release more new music soon? How will it compare to “Let Me Go”?

We’re releasing an EP within the upcoming months. Our first single off of it is coming out in a few weeks. It’s definitely different than “Let Me Go” but I think people are going to love it. Anything that I write and Spencer sings on will always sound like Go For Gold. The music to “Let Me Go” is over three years old so the new songs will be a more up-to-date version of our writing style.

What has it been like being part of InVogue Records? Why is this the right place for you and your music today?

It has been great so far. We are just beginning the relationship. I think Nick is really excited about our music and our potential. InVogue is the right place for us right now because of their drive, roster, and track record. InVogue has always been a place where smaller bands can thrive if they put in the work. They’ve contributed to launching bands onto larger platforms and have a successful core group of artists currently that we can work and grow with. Once In Her Own Words answers my fanmail, it’s over for all of you.

Generally, how does this group go about writing your music? Do you write together or separately? What is the first step in your music-making process?

I write the music on my own. Spencer and I then collab on the vocals. I spend a lot of time by myself writing and creating. I’d say 90% of what I write will never see the light of day. It seems like every time we finish a song, we set a new standard and end up throwing out all of the others that don’t match it.

The music always comes first for us. We have to enjoy listening to the instrumentals before adding vocals. You can dress up a song with tracks but you can’t dress up tracks with a song. The core idea has to be solid first. Sometimes, a full part including vocals will be the beginning of an idea but most of the time, they never get finished that way…and if they do, they aren’t up to par. Each time we set out to start a song, we have a singular goal in mind to accomplish with it.

I always like to ask bands if you all hang out socially apart from the music? When you aren’t working on music, do you guys hang out for fun?

Some of us do. Life is tough and gets in the way often. Spencer and I talk every day but it’s mostly about music-related business. I’m very goal oriented and it’s hard for me to take time to just sit and relax with everyone.. Or anyone really. We aren’t where I want us to be yet so every time I see any of the guys, it’s always about music. I think it’s interesting when we do have time to hang out. We’re all very different people and at the same time are not that different at all.

How do you feel that this band has grown through the years? What has remained the same?

Spencer and I are still doing the same things we’ve always done which is creating and advocating. Other members have come and gone. I think our sound has changed tremendously and will continue to change. We definitely don’t settle for anything less than what we already have and are better at selling ourselves. I think both of us are anxious people on top of being incredibly passionate about this music.. so it drives us to excel and improve every day.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

Definitely on stage. If we could play wild shows every night for the rest of our lives, I don’t think we’d need anything else. Creating music is fun and exciting but there’s nothing like the collective emotion of a full room, feeling exactly what you’re feeling, and forgetting about anything else going on in life at that moment.

What do you think makes for an ideal show for this band? What have been some of your favorite shows and venues lately?

I think that the most fun we have ever had at a show was our “Daydreamer” LP release show. We had 420 people in a room stage-diving, jumping, screaming, and singing. For all 420 people, there was nothing else happening in the world that night.

We just recently played at J&J’s pizza in Denton. The venue space is a basement and the crowd there was just having a blast.

I don’t know if there is an ideal show for us. We bring it no matter the circumstances. We just love what we’re doing and whether there are 10 people or 10,000, we plan on providing a memorable experience.

Do you have any tour dates scheduled for this year yet?

We do have some tour dates but not any that we can currently share. There are talks of some pretty awesome opportunities happening for us but we just have to wait it all out right now. We have one show posted at the moment in Kansas City called “The Mental Music Scene” which is a fest centered around mental health. Boys of Fall and Young Medicine are the headliners.

With all the different social media platforms out there, how do you balance it all? How do you think that social media has impacted this band? How often are you all on your different sites interacting with fans? How have you been able to utilize it through the years?

I think that social media has allowed us to create a following that we wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. Spotify has allowed us to reach tens of thousands of people every month. I think social media has also decreased the significance of “interactions” but it gets our name out there much more. It really can be a struggle to keep up with all of the different platforms, constantly create content that you feel is purposeful, and not offend people in the process as well. We try to post at least every couple of days and will interact with anyone who contacts us at that very moment..normally. We’re just five guys. We love talking to people.. especially about music. So, I don’t see why we would ever not interact with other people.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how you all think being musicians and in this band still gives you the most joy in life today?

I think that we all just try to stay in our lane and stick to what we know and love.. Which is music. Social media and other sources attempt to force us all to have strong opinions on different topics that in everyday life, we don’t normally even think about. We take a small grain of knowledge from a picture with words and then assume we are the judge and jury of a particular issue that we’ve never even heard of until ten minutes ago.

Social media makes everyone feel important and special. It gives us all delusions of grandeur.. When in reality, no one cares what you think about GMO’s, Karen.

Music has always been an escape from what is going on in “real life”. It sets us free from the all-consuming black hole that is the internet. I think that’s why we love it.

What musicians have really been inspiring you all since you first started making music? Who would you still love to work with?

Green Day was the start of it for myself. Those guys and Blink-182 really birthed everything after that I now love. 

I think Caleb Shomo would be awesome to work with. I have a lot of respect for him and his writing ability. I feel like a lot of what Caleb does with writing is create songs that will just pop off live which is something I’d love to have more of(wouldn’t we all?). Dave Grohl would also be a top pick. He is THE rockstar at this point. Dave is also another outstanding performer who doesn’t need help creating badass music.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

I really just hope people find some sort of escape or release from the music we create.. That no matter what is going on in life, we’ve been there as well and let’s just take a couple minutes to step away from it all.