What can somebody expect at The Gold Souls show? Fierce funk with a California soul. Good time music with a vintage sound. Original funk soul from the heart straight to the dance floor.
These are the descriptions of the charismatic lead singer of the group, Juniper Waller.
“The vibe that we are trying to encapsulate with all of those is that we write music that you can dance to and will make you feel good, but it’s also about something,” Waller said. “We’re wrestling with life questions with our music.”
The Gold Souls played Feb. 22 as the Crystal Bay Casino Red Room after-party band for Steve Poltz, who performs in the Crown Room.
The band members each live in Sacramento, all but one migrating north from the Bay Area.
Darius Upshaw plays guitar, Alex Severson plays keys, Billy D. Thompson is on the drums, and Jace Dorn plays bass.
Everyone contributes to the songwriting.
The Gold Soul released a self-titled EP in 2017, the year the group formed. “Good to Feel,” a full-length record came out the following year and two singles were released in 2019. A single, “Got It,” comes out this spring and most of the work on an LP has been completed. Summer is the goal for the release.
Waller traveled “a winding path” to the bandstand. After studying poetry at Sarah Lawrence College, she remained in New York for five years working as a paralegal with a civil rights law firm and participating in Occupy Wall Street protests.
Waller also moonlighted with a blues band and wrote songs.
“I come from a musical family and I always knew I was (going to be a musician),” she said. “I was Just trying to get some life experience. I was trying to do some living so my songs could be meaningful.”
It was be The Gold Souls second Crystal Bay Casino appearance. The band played at the Hogs for the Cause benefit last fall. It also played recently at The Saint in Reno’s midtown as well as the Joshua Tree Music Festival and the last two For the Funk Of It festivals.
The Gold Souls will perform Saturday afternoon, March 7, at Squaw Valley.
-Tim Parsons
