Genre-blending has become a practice embraced by many of today’s artists, but few bands accomplish this as effortlessly as Spanish Gold. The group itself may be fresh to the scene, but the three members of Spanish Gold are veteran musicians. Consisting of My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan, Adrian Quesada of Brownout, and Dante Schwebel of City and Colour, this band is chock-full of talent. The trio brings to the table a variety of musical styles and perspectives reflected in their debut album South of Nowhere. This past Tuesday, we here at 88Nine had the pleasure of hearing Spanish Gold perform a few songs in our studio before their show at Turner Hall. They started their set with “Out on the Street,” one of their most-played songs, and had no trouble getting everyone in the room hooked on its punchy bass line and driving rhythm. The group followed up with “Movin On,” a tune musically reminiscent of the Black Keys, with Schwebel’s vocals giving it an interesting soulful kick. Both performances were equally vivacious and imbued the studio space with a palpable groovy vibe. Each song they executed onstage had a variety of subtle undertones that ranged from soul to folk to classic rock-and-roll, and even hip-hop. The trio went on to explain why they likened their debut release South of Nowhere to a hip-hop album: “Something that hip-hop does really well is…it beats down this groove that’s really infectious and stays throughout the song,” explained Schwebel, “it’s all about the groove and the hook, and that kind of songwriting is something that we all are familiar with.”
What makes Spanish Gold so captivating is that although its members share years of musical experience, they came together to produce something completely new and refreshing. Each part of the trio pours their signature blend of sounds into the foundation of every song, making for an expertly crafted, cutting-edge debut album. “From a listening perspective, very few of us listen to one sound for an hour,” they said of the record, “it’s a mixtape kind of feel…and everybody can get what they need from it.”
Click here for more information on Spanish Gold, listen to some of their songs, and if you like what you hear, buy South of Nowhere on iTunes.
