Golden

If you're looking for a Monday pick-me-up, look no further. Chicago-based vocalist Golden might be best known for his feature on The Social Experiment's SURF project, but he continues the theme of creating euphoric music on his new track, 'Workin' On Myself'.

Whilst the theme of the song is overcoming a break up, the rock and soul elements can be described as uplifting. Rather than dwelling on the experience, he harnesses it to create something special, which can be felt when listening to 'Workin' On Myself'.

'Workin' On Myself' has a different aesthetic to previous releases such as 'Mornin' Momma and 'Hey Jane' but that only serves as a reminder of his dynamism. With ties to the likes of Vic Mensa, The Social Experiment and Donnie Trumpet, Golden has the ability to become one of the best emerging artists of 2015. - The 405 Music and Culture Blog

Mike Golden
I have to say, I’m really fucking with Mike’s contribution. It’s all the more dope when you hear his stuff with Mike Golden & Friends. It’s literally nothing like Surf. Shit, it’s not even hip-hop. Dude is crazy versatile, there's a lot of life in his vocals. - DJ Booth

Premiere: Say Happy Mother’s Day with Golden’s “Mornin’ Momma”

Written by: Caitlin LoPilato Posted on Sun, 05.10.15 at 1:47pm

Just realized you forgot a gift for Mother’s Day? No worries—we’re premiering the perfect little musical present, courtesy of Golden, that’ll surely melt your momma’s heart.

On “Mornin’ Momma,” the latest offering from the genre-fusing Chicago group, frontman Mike Golden (of Mike Golden and Friends), unspools a heartfelt note to his matriarch over a foot-tapping groove that calls upon elements of soul, rock, and rap. With lines like “The more I’m hurtin’, the more I grow,” Golden has to hand it to his moms: even when he’s blind to her wisdom, she always knows best.

Golden fits in nicely with one of Chicago’s most relevant rising hip-hop cliques; in the past, he’s hopped on tracks with Vic Mensa and Donnie Trumpet, and he’s even rumored to be blessing Chance the Rapper & the Social Experiment’s forthcoming record, SURF, with a verse. - Green Label

Archie Powell & the Exports. JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. Mike Golden & Friends. The ampersand is certainly having its day in the sun here in Chicago. In the past two years, Powell and Brooks permanently won their places in the local music scene's heart with the best releases of their careers. Now, Golden is poised to take 2015.

Last Friday's headlining set at Tonic Room was a celebration of past, present and future for the Chicago singer/songwriter. Barely a year out from Utopia, hands down Golden & Friends' best and most cohesive album to date, he's already looking forward to new material coming out this summer. Before getting too far ahead of himself though, Golden kicked off the show with a look back to the piercing, near a capella melody of "The Stage" (off 2010's Trees Pt. 2 EP).

Golden isn't a flashy frontman. With an average build and style, he was simply another face in the sold out crowd Friday night until he took the stage. It was at that point we discovered what the hype behind him was all about.

Armed with only an acoustic guitar and a tambourine at the start of his first set, Golden approached the mic and the previously chattering audience turned to face him at whiplash speed. His instant control of a crowd was especially notable.

Golden's songwriting was another aspect of his appeal that made itself immediately evident. Obviously, we'd heard his records before catching a live show but Golden's minimalist performances of the first few songs of the night highlighted their strong backbones. A pop-soul single like "Hey Jane," typically noted for its guest verse from Vic Mensa, still held up without the production and without any help on vocals.

Slowly, Mike Golden's Friends began to join him onstage and before long the show's energy level had hit its peak. The gradual ascension was symbolic when considering Golden's history at the Lincoln Park venue.

It was Tonic Room's Thursday night open mic that helped launched Golden's career five years ago. Some 150-plus shows later, Friday's setting was yet another bridge between past and present. As Golden's swirling cast of Friends and his catalog continues to grow, we won't be surprised to see him selling out venues twice that size soon. - The Chicagoist

As college students, we are consumed by a culture that emphasizes the importance of receiving a college degree. But Chicago artist, Mike Golden, is the perfect example of success when you follow your heart and take the road less traveled. Check out the video below to hear his inspiring story. (see URL for full video) - White Noise

Fresh off an appearance on Surf, Chicago’s Mike Golden releases a new solo offering in “4 Year Interlude.” The talented singer/songwriter’s new release is a must listen; it’s something that most people can relate to. Over production crafted by frequent collaborator Scot Stewart and himself, Golden croons about a past relationship. Featuring vulnerable, honest, and emotional lyrics like“Your takin off, and I’ll hate you for it but I’m man enough, to be thankful
this was true love, and you know it to cause, I wanted all, of you., ” “4 Year Interlude” is powerful and has a futuristic R&B sound to it. This will be on repeat for the next couple of days.

Take a listen to “4 Year Interlude” below and stay tuned for Golden, his new project dropping in the near future that will feature collaborations with Social Experiment, Save Money, Capital Cities, AWOLNation, and more. - Hard in The Paint Mag

Radio interview to better understand the roots of Mike Golden - Vocalo, WBEZ Chicago

Chicago Made, Illinois Entertainer, Dynasty Podcast at SXSW - Dynasty Podcasts

SBG and Mike Golden go back. In fact, in 2011, Mike was our very first interview. While we've stayed close with the MG&F family since then, doing things like filming shows, holding contests and sitting in on listening sessions, a new interview is something that's been long overdue. With the band's new album on shelves, a big show coming up this Friday and a placement in the new video game Watch Dogs, we felt it was the perfect time to sit back down with the Mike Golden & Friends frontman and get something on the record...
Let's start off by discussing your latest album, Utopia...

Utopia was really the first time that I got to sit with a record while it was actually being mixed. I was able to really take my time with this one. I got to work with more people than my normal producer too, which was cool just to go outside the box with everything - working with Gift (of The Cartoonz) and going to classick studios, and being in that Chicago atmosphere. While we were mixing Utopia every other day someone who’s been making moves musically in the Chi would be dropping in for their respective sessions, and I think that movement and progression helped guide Utopia. I was trying to progress the sound, and not so much change it from Groceries, just make it a little more interesting. Trying to boost the musicianship, the production and hone together a project with an overall more dynamic sound. Utopia has been awesome for us. People seem to be digging it, which as a bonus makes us happy campers.
Which tracks have been getting the best response?

It seems like “Every morning Love” has caught the most attention so far. Since EML is the only song from Utopia to have a video it’s pretty much the most accessible. A lot of people are liking “Best Part” and “Cash Is King.” “Hey Jane” with Vic Mensa and Donnie Trumpet as well, they definitely blessed me on that one, and I think I served them up a good one to nail it on, so that one is doing great of course. But yeah still some of our older songs are just getting attention now, so it’s interesting to see which songs could possibly grow into something bigger still.
Talk to us about the evolution of Mike Golden & Friends - when we first started going to your shows years ago it was a packed stage full of your friends with beer bottles and stomp boxes, and now it’s something a bit more traditional...

True, I had to slowly condense it. How do you pay fourteen people to bang beer bottles on stage (laughs). I wanted to show what I can do with different shit, bring different elements into it and not just be stuck to one thing. I feel like its all about progression to me. Once we got a groove going we found out who we were. I like to make music with drums, guitar, bass and everything. Not to exclude the industrial sounds, I didn't want to totally stop but I had to incorporate more of a system. I didn’t want to just pull out my computer and press play and make the music like that. I could probably do that and get away with it nowadays. I like jamming with other people up there and feeling it, feeling the music. That is the shit that inspires me. We've gone through changes, but James (bassist) and Jason (drummer) have been playing with me for ten years now, so we get along and gel well together on stage. One of our guitarists moved to Indianapolis, and so we got another one and he just so happens to be fucking awesome and I’m really excited about him and the direction where he's taking us too. I think every lineup, anything I've tried to bring into the equation has only been positive. I'm just trying to increase the progression.
You guys just got your song “No Number” featured in the video game Watch Dogs, how did that come about?

I got lucky as hell (laughs). Nah, but they were looking for Chicago music, and I got hit up by a buddy that they wanted to hear some of the stuff from Groceries and they picked “No Number.” They actually picked a couple other artists from Chicago that I know. They were looking for a couple local acts to throw in to make the environment a little more realistic, which was pretty cool. They also happen to get major label artists that made it really cool for us to be on the in game playlist. It’s opened some crazy doors for us as far as just new listeners and new audience. Now “No Number” is the track people want to hear the most. You know, “Stay Here” was that for us for a long time, but it’s a different story when 8 million people buy a video game which has your song on it. I've been waiting to have a song on a video game since I was like fucking 12 when Blink-182 had “Action” on Madden. But yeah, we actually got to play a GameStop event for the release of Watch Dogs and people loved it. Watch Dogs has def been a blessing, hopefully theres a Watch Dogs 2 and they hit me up (laughs).
Additionally, you’re set to be appear on OnCue’s new album right?

Yeah I was introduced to Cue through Mike Waxx like four years ago because he thought we would make some good music together. We got along musically right away, and since then we’ve always tossed ideas back and forth about working together. He's seemed super into other genres of music like indie rock and I’m into rap shit as well so we have a lot of the same tastes. We tried to get a song together a while back but it just didn’t happen, then more recently he told me he was working on a real big project for him and Just Blaze was doing it, and I was like “damn dude if you need any vocals on there at all just background, harmonies, octaves, whatever, I got you just send me the track.” So he literally sent me like five songs and was just like do you, whatever you want, and I did. Then like 6 months later he hit me up and was like “hey dude did I tell you, you made the album.” I was super pumped, Just Blaze is a legend to me and Cue has a fucking the brightest future ahead of him, so I’m excited to be a part of that Angry Young Man shit, cause I am one myself (laughs).
Let’s talk visuals - really like how you added the “Pancakes & Beer” reference into the “Every Morning Love” video.

You know what that was funny because that was extra. We came back the next day to add more stuff to make it more me, instead of just this fairytale guy in a romance video. A lot of the guy fans are just like “What is that?,” but I don’t just make dark grunge rock, I like to go all over the place. Everyone I knew said we needed to make a visual for that song and I agreed. It might not have been the best way to market me, like you have a song about one night stands and then you're next album you have a lead single about being in love, but thats how I write. I want to have a song for every mood. I think the visual for “Every Morning Love” really brought the song together, brought the lyrics out and everything, it was awesome. We dropped it on Valentine's day, after a two day shoot. Elijah (Alvarado) was great, when I saw his treatment I thought it was so insane, but had no idea how he was going to pull it off. Sure enough I showed up at his crib and everything was set up. Him and his assitants spent hours putting it all together and the work showed man. I’m super happy how that came out. Austin Vesley is doing my next video, but I can’t talk about that one just yet.
You’re playing the House of Blues on Friday - a venue you guys have had some pretty monumental shows at in recent memory - what can you tell us about the show and the importance of that venue?

The HOB has been awesome to me, we played there once about a year and a half ago, and now like every six months they ask us to headline another show. At first they were booking the opening bands for me, but now they trust me to book my own bands. It’s the biggest stage we've played in Chicago, and this will be our third time. I try to do a different show and set every time. Last time we had the banner and confetti, this time we’re gonna have some crazy visuals and a new guitarist. It’s a milestone show for us everytime, we can show fans what we’ve been working on these past six months, this is what we learned and this is what we can do now. We’re going to show you how much we've stepped it up, and the kind of show we put on is well worth a $10 ticket price.

Looking forward, what can we expect to from Mike Golden & Friends?

Got a new track called “Filthy” that should be coming soon. I’m really just trying to make new music, not looking to make a new album as a whole right now, just going song by song. We’re gonna keep tracking new ones, and keep progressing the sound. I feel like most fans really like one certain album because they’re all very different. Trees is the lo-fi, almost acoustic-electronic album, then Groceries is the garage pop type of album, and then Utopia is a mixture of both with a hi-fi sound. Going forward we’re taking bits and pieces of the past and trying to get better, adding whatever is right for for whatever we are doing. The music is happening, and I want everyone to hear it. - See Beyond Genre

Still sleeping on Mike Golden? Get your shit together! Check out his dope new music video for one of our favorites ‘No Name’ off his brand new album Groceries that dropped last night. He’s bringing rock back straight outta Chicago, and we’re behind it one hundred percent. - www.iLLroots.com

The very talented Mike Golden has done the impossible: The Chicago singer/songwriter has created a gritty junkyard jam band for the new generation. Bringing raw blues back to the city where it was born, Golden and crew use “beer bottles, stomping, and industrial sounds” to give their live shows an incredibly unique feel. The 22 year old artist belts with the emotional energy of a younger Jack White and the aggressive, country soul of artists like Otis Redding. No smoke and mirrors here, folks. Just true, honest music at its very core. Kudos to Mike and his gazillion friends for doing something truly original.

Check out the video below as a start— Mike is definitely somebody to look out for.

VIDEO: Mike Golden And Friends- \”The Stage\” (Live at Schubas in Chicago) - URB mag

Mike wrote "I Got Front" and had the idea of bringing his friend CP on the track. Took it to the studio and cranked it out in a couple hours. "I Got Front" is free thanks to Simple Behavior Ent. Mike Golden & Friends play at the Elbo Room on June 20th. MG&F have their debut EP Trees Pt. 1 on Itunes and Amazon as of 4/20. Check out the website for more info. - Philadelphia Deli Magazine

After letting the album play all the through three times I’m finally able to shift my attention enough to post it. Earlier tonight, Mike Golden & Friends released their highly awaited debut LP Groceries for free on the band’s website. The 11 track album is a great listen start to finish, seamlessly blending amped-up, gritty, in your face tracks like “No Number” and “Down the River” with softer, more melodic songs such as “Pancakes & Beer” and “Daydreams” – Listen and download it below! - See Beyond Genre

Mike Golden & Friends is a talented Chicago act ready to be unleashed into the music scene. Singer/songwriter Mike Golden, age 22, has been writing material for years and gathering friends along the way. Mike Golden & Friends (MG&F) is an acoustic jam band, for now, with all music/lyrics produced by Mike Golden, and performed live with a variety of different friends at each show. Although the band lacks a drum set and bass guitar, MG&F use beer bottles, stomping, and industrial sounds to give each show a unique affect on audiences and a different feel at each performance. With Mike’s unique vocal range, intense lyrics, melodies and most importantly his friends, the sound comes to life on stage or in your headphones. With Mike’s goal of no “target audience” he is opening up doors many artists struggle to open. From Schubas to Jbar, Chicago is taking MG&F from an ‘indie street cred’ crowd on a Friday night, to a hip-hop based bar on a Wednesday night.
MG&F has recently released their debut EP “Trees Pt. 1”. The EP is co-produced by Scot Stewart, with Mike being the other co-producer. “Trees Pt. 1” is available via Amazon and iTunes as of last April. An official music video for the single “Stay Here” was directed by an up-and-coming director Davy Greenberg (GLC, Big Sean.) Currently Mike Golden finished up in the studio with Scot Stewart and recorded his 2nd EP “Trees Pt. 2.” This EP takes it up a notch in the sense of creativity and overall tone of the new tracks. “Trees Pt. 2” will be released worldwide in September 2010, and will also be accompanied with a music video for the upcoming single “Bones.” To listen to bones or download go to www.mikegoldenandfriends.bandcamp.com/track/bones.
Mike Golden was also gracious enough to give a short interview for the Inferno in order to give all of us a better sense of who he is, what he’s about, and what we can come to expect from his music:
Chicago Flame: What does your music stand for?
Mike Golden: Live long and prosper. Love is the ultimate goal for everyone and that’s what I try to show it in my music also the sorrows that come with it. I try to be as truthful as I can about life, whether it’s mine or my friend’s lives; I guess really anyone around me.
CF: When did you start this project?
MG: December of 2009.
CF: Who influences your music/ life?
MG: Everything in life; anything that happens to me is an influence. I try to relate anything about my life into my music. Musically I like good music (haha): Led Zeppelin, Blink 182, Kid Cudi, Beatles, Jim Morrison, Jay-Z, Joe Cocker… I mean, really the list goes on but anything that has a good melody is good music.
CF: In ten years, where will you be?
MG: Playing a show, then going home and making a meal for my beautiful family! I’m a family man, but I love music… Music and family can’t get better.
CF: Any new music coming out soon?
MG: Yeah! We are recording a video for my single off my new EP song is called “Bones” and our second EP will be released digitally September 21st; I’m super excited. The group behind me has been working hard to get this out! We have to live to dream right?
To get the latest news and hear music from Mike Golden and Friends, go to www.mikegoldenandfriends.com. Mike on Twitter @mikegoldendaily. - Chicago Flame (UIC Newspaper)

This is definitely one of my favorite songs right now, and we’re humbled to be able to premier the new single from Mike Golden’s upcoming Tree’s EP (Part 2). The song, which was recorded entirely on homemade microphones and co-produced by Mike Golden himself, features booming vocals that challenge the what if’s and why’s of an everyday relationship. A music video for this track is on the way, but be on the lookout for more content from Mike Golden on illRoots and his new EP which will feature much more instrument based material that we’re very excited for. - illroots.com

There is really nothing to hate about the approach and delivery of Mike Golden & Friends. As you read through the posts on their blog and listen through their debut ep Trees Pt 1. This group of musicians is dedicated to having fun, and making songs that you can stomp you foot to.
- The Deli Chicago Magazine

Had d singer Mike Golden not checked his phone last year, he might have missed his biggest opportunity yet.

“After SXSW, I went to California to work on my album. My buddy and I were on the way to go to the beach for a break day when I got a text from Nico [Segal, aka Donnie Trumpet] asking for my email,” the 28-year-old Indiana-raised and now Pilsen-based songwriter excitedly says over lunch at Wicker Park’s Dove’s Luncheonette. “I was like, why did he ask me for my email? Is he going to send me ‘Surf’? My mind was going crazy.”

It wasn’t just “Surf” Segal sent over: It was an almost-finished song, which already had a hook and a Joey Purp verse but needed a first verse. Golden continues, "He told me, 'I want you to write that verse, but the thing is, I need it by tomorrow night because we need to finish the album.' " So, of course, Golden hightailed it back to the studio. “I came back to the studio, sat in the room with my team and played the track, then kicked everyone out and wrote it."

"I knew it was the biggest chance I had so far in my life so I knew I had to kill it,” Golden explains. Segal ended up loving it, telling him, “Bro, you killed it—you sound like a rapper here with an amazing voice. We wanted to get people out of their comfort zone, and that’s the idea of the project.” That track became “Go,” a highlight on the full-length project that was downloaded 618,000 times in its first week. “The funny thing is,” Golden says, laughing, “was that Chance the Rapper had wanted another person for that verse, but he ended up changing his mind as soon as he heard me.”

Golden has another opportunity to seize the day, and this time it’s with his upcoming album, “Just Be A Better Person,” which is due out Thursday, Aug. 25, and is being released under just his last name. It's a party of a pop album that features a parade of genre touchstones like dance, hip-hop and jazz, along with guests Donnie Trumpet, Kweku Collins, Kelechi and more. It’s the latest endeavor in a career of handwork, grinding through shitty day jobs and taking every chance he could. Now, with his album and record release show Friday at Double Door, Golden’s ready to take the next leap.

Golden's career (and yes, his last name is actually Golden) hasn't always been one of ebullient pop music, though. Born in Hammond, Ind., a steel mill and casino town between Gary and Chicago, Golden's first love was bands like Blink-182 and Red Hot Chili Peppers, which made him pick up a pawn-shop-bought guitar. After finding a post on purevolume.com (think Bandcamp but for pop-punk-loving music fans in the aughts), he successfully tried out for a band called Comeback Kurtis, becoming their lead singer and guitarist and changing their name to Cardboard Cutout. "It lasted around three years, but we never played Chicago. But we did open up for Hit the Lights and All Time Low," Golden remembers.

College obligations and the band members' getting serious jobs led to Cardboard Cutout's dissolution, so Golden took the hiatus to attend Purdue. He only lasted a year and a half studying public relations, but his real education was getting back into music. Following multiple trips to Von's Records in West Lafeyette, Ind., his taste expanded to bands like Fleet Foxes and Animal Collective and rap artists like Jay Z, and so did his passion for songwriting, creating material that would become 2010’s "Trees Pt. 1," his first EP release as Mike Golden and Friends. He explains, "I called it Mike Golden and Friends because I didn't have a band, but I wanted it to be more than just me playing acoustic guitar." The project included a rotating cast of musicians, including his current and longtime producer Scot Stewart and his old Cardboard Cutout bandmates Jason Riordan and James Roth.

While he was incubating his music, road trips from Hammond to the former River North establishment JBar Lounge kickstarted his career in Chicago. "At that bar, I feel like that was where it all started for me in Chicago," Golden says. It was there that he booked acoustic shows, made connections with filmmaker Davy Greenberg and entrepreneur Joe Freshgoods and began to network with the local scene. Through Greenberg, they collaborated on a video for Golden’s single “Stay Here,” which led him to more local attention as well as the ears of another band Greenberg was directing videos for: Kids These Days. “We started booking shows together, and I knew something amazing musically was happening in Chicago when I met those seven kids,” Golden says. “How they made me feel when I saw them live is how I wanted to make people feel when they see me live.”

From there, Golden continued to hone his craft. There was “Trees Pt. 2,” another acoustic-heavy release that found him going into more soulful territory, and on 2011’s “Groceries,” he channeled the rock-loving part of his palate with hard-hitting cuts like “No Number.” 2014’s “Utopia” was another leap, taking on the compelling genre-stew of acts like Kids These Days and translating it into his biggest song, "Hey Jane," which featured Vic Mensa and Donnie Trumpet. While all these efforts were released under Mike Golden and Friends, he wanted his next project to be a clearer encapsulation of himself: "I knew I wanted to be on my own, control my sound and release something under my name—just not as Mike Golden and Friends."

Hence the moniker he now performs under: Golden. "I wrote 'Mornin' Momma' about a year and a half ago when I moved to my parents' basement so I could write, travel more and save money to just focus on music," Golden explains. "They still charged me rent, but I needed to work on music and myself—being a better person was all part of making the project to be the best it could be. I needed growth, both personal and musical, to get it right." There was also "Workin' On Myself," an anthemic, horn-led number that set the triumphant tone for what "Just Be A Better Person" would hold. "Once I wrote 'Workin' On Myself,' I realized that this would be the theme of the project," he says. Getting the call to be on Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment's "Go" also formed what would follow.

But what precipitated that growth was the end of a four-and-a-half-year relationship documented on album cut "4 Year Interlude." He says of the relationship's demise, "I was stuck and complacent and didn't focus on my music enough. You need to give time to yourself before you can dedicate it to another person." The growth he experienced over the past year and a half, constantly writing, regrouping and re-centering himself, proves wonders once you listen to the project, his most fully realized artistic statement yet. But that personal growth wasn't what inspired the title: It was a fan who DM'd him on Twitter, saying his music "drives me to just be a better person." That message served as Golden's inspiration to keep going.

Now months out from moving to Pilsen, he's ready to see if this project will have the same impact on his fans that this city had on him: "I want people to take away from it the positive vibes, like what Chance did on 'Coloring Book,' and that I could bring it to life in my own way and find my own lane." - RedEye (Chicago Tribune)