Can you briefly tell how the band started working?
Erich: Mariam and I met in 2006 in Bamako, Mali. I was fortunate enough to spend almost three years living in that culture. During that time, Malian musician Abdoul Doumbia was my host. Abdoul introduced me to djembe teacher Matche Traore. Then Mariam & I met at one of Matche’s ceremonies.
Fast forward to 2016, when I visited Bamako. Matche Traore and I were listening to Toubab Krewe. “Matche looked at me and said, ‘Hey, I get what these white folks are doing. They are taking our music and mixing it in with theirs. You know who would be a great singer for that kind of thing? Madama.” That planted the seed for me to start working with Mariam on songs. Mariam is the likely heroine of the story. Mariam faced many challenges in relocating to Oakland to pursue her musical journey.
Mariam: There are always difficulties when you leave your culture and go to a new one. You will find the courage, the stamina, the perseverance to pass through any difficulties if you have that love for what you're doing.
Mariam comes from Mali, from the Fulani people. The songs that come from that part of the world are usually interpreted, let's call it that, in an Afro-pop manner like what Salif Kieta does. How did you decide on this fusion of African music with psychedelic rock?
Mariam: It's sort of this organic thing that happens when our worlds collide. It’s the product of this ever-evolving musical conversation between Mariam and myself. That’s what happens when two people spend a lot of time in each other's world and those two worlds are radically different.
Mariam, how do your relatives comment on the music performed by Orchestra Gold?
Mariam: It makes them happy. They are very encouraging.
There were many great musicians in Africa during the 20th century. Did any of them influence you?
Erich: Fela Kuti. Songhoy Blues is a really great young band from Mali. They push on boundaries, the sound is gritty, driving, and has a lot of rock inside of it. Lobi Traore - amazing Malian guitar player/songwriter. He plays music from the Segou region of Mali.
Mariam: Baaba Maal from Senegal, Salif Keita, Ali Farka Toure. I like their melodies.
Do you use the lyrics of some old, traditional songs in your work or is it your own material?
Mariam: There are a few old folkloric songs, but most of them are my own original creations.
I've been following your work since the first EPs ("O", I") and I think that "Medicine" is definitely your best album in your career. Can you tell us something about the creation of this album? How long did it take, where did you record, and do you have any interesting anecdotes from recordings?
Erich: Thanks so much for your kind words. We took the stylistic preferences of the first two albums as inspiration for "Medicine". Then we tried to take it further. Adding a wider palette of sonic frequency - more bass, more mid ranges. The engineer, Jacob Winik was amazing to work with. Jacob really used a lot of different tools (compressors and distressors) to gain stage the signals, so everything sounded crunchy, vibey, and loud. In the studio, we were recording for 2 days. The band was really well rehearsed and ready to go. There were 7 musicians involved in the recording. We recorded at Tiny Telephone in Oakland. TT is known for being good at working from tape to digital.
A lot of the heavy lifting for this album was born out of the pandemic. The pandemic made it clear that we are living in a state of sickness a lot of times in this world. Mental, spiritual, and physical. A source of strength came from knowing that there are lots of ways to heal ourselves. For us, music has been one of the primary sources of healing. With the release of Medicine, we hope to spread light and healing to the community through the universal gift of music.
Since the beginning of its work, Orchestra Gold has not had a publisher, but you do everything in a DIY manner. How difficult is it to work in such a way? Are there any publisher offers for future releases? How much is it necessary to have a publisher in this day and age, considering all the digital platforms available to everyone? Do you think that it is easier for bands from bigger publishing houses to reach the media space?
Erich: Yeah, of course. The question is, are they turning back more revenue? With the label behind you, you can reach a larger audience, but the label takes up a percentage of everything.
We self-released "Medicine", and it made it to the #1 spot on Seattle’s KEXP Global Charts. It was the only self-released title on the list. It's harder to do it our own way. Vinyl sales have been helpful. It's challenging to find sources of revenue. I’m not sure where a label comes in for everyone. I’m not sure if people make more money through a label or on their own.
What's the scene like for the music you play in Oakland and California in general? What kind of clubs do you play in?
Erich: California has a pretty strong music scene. Some remarkable bands have come out of California that you may know, such as The Doors, Santana, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. In general, despite the high cost of living, I think the climate of California is very conducive to creativity. If you look at our list of shows for this year, you’ll find us performing at clubs large and small, museums, and festivals. It’s really a mix that keeps us going. My personal favorites are small to medium size clubs because I like the intimacy. But festivals are good because they introduce tons of new people to your music.
In recent years, bands have appeared around the world that draw inspiration from traditional music that comes from some other parts of the world, not from their own country. How do you explain that? What is it about the elements of traditional music that attracts musicians?
Erich: I think it's the depth that we sense in traditional music. I was listening to a playlist on Spotify, and it was a Psychedelic Rock playlist. Though I noticed probably more than half the songs are heavily influenced by non-western genres of music. So, I think there’s also a collective opportunity to hear from voices that historically haven’t dominated the mainstream narrative as much.
From: https://izvorista.substack.com/p/interview-orchestra-gold
