Weeks ago the blogosphere went nuts over My Gold Mask’s cover of Kim Carne’s classic song Bette Davis Eyes. I decided to dig a little deeper and find out who and what is behind the gold mask.
I was able to chat with Greta Rochelle for a short Q&A about the band who will be making their way over to New York for a top secret CMJ show later this month. I also have for you the first listen of a rough unmastered demo of a brand new track called Violet Eyes from the band’s upcoming EP. And yes, the choice of songs with the word ‘eyes’ was intentional for this post. Enjoy!
MP3: My Gold Mask – Violet Eyes (Rough Mix) or zShare
MP3: My Gold Mask – Bette Davis Eyes (Kim Carnes Cover) or zShare
> What artists, films, and/or books are you currently excited about?
GR: Jack is a big horror movie buff, but lately he’s been very into Fritz Lang and German Expressionism. He just watched M and won’t stop talking about it. I’m into Bollywood. One of my favorite directors is Deepa Mehta. I really like her commentaries on women. Reading wise one of the things I’ve always been into is Southern Folktales. And I’ll admit a guilty pleasure for Vampire novels. Right now I’m reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
> Is there any message or personal goals you hope to fulfill through your music?
GR: We just hope that we’re connecting with the listener. When you can effectively convey mood or emotion through music it’s such a gratifying experience. Lyrically we can be personal or be telling a story, depending on the song, but in general we tend to like music that allows some level of interpretation. There’s a connection between people that is unique to music or art and when it actually happens, it’s pretty rad.
> Your cover of the classic Bette Davis Eyes got a lot of blog love. Why did you decide to cover that particular song?GR: We didn’t plan on doing a cover at all but while we were practicing and writing new songs, Jack started playing the main riff and we just kept coming back to it. We think it’s a wonderful pop song that leaves itself open to many interpretations. We think we were able to come up with a take on it that felt like our own.
> What is/has been your tactic in getting your music out there. Are you pursuing getting signed to a label?
GR: Our only tactic is to make music we care about and share it with people who we think might appreciate it. We are not pursuing a label deal and are very happy to be doing everything ourselves. If the right deal came along, we might consider it, but total control over our music is our number one priority.
> Are you anticipating playing New York or any upcoming showcases here such as CMJ this year?
GR: We are playing during CMJ this year, and it’s gonna be a great showcase that we’re really excited about. All we can say is it’s Oct 22 in Williamsburg and there should be more details coming out very shortly.
> In 140 characters or less tell our readers what My Gold Mask is.
GR: My Gold Mask is an audio art project that creates extrinsic pop. Gretta sings and plays drums. Jack plays guitar. We hope you like it.
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