Trevor Watson, Jewel Loree, Patrick Broz and Kelsey McGee of the Golden Idols after an afternoon set Saturday at the Stikine Inn. Based in Seattle, the psych-surf group was invited to play in conjunction with the Alaska Day Half-Marathon and 5K in Wrangell.
Bar-goers and fun-runners were able to enjoy a rarity in Wrangell last weekend, with a band from the Lower 48 on hand to play some live music.
The Golden Idols are a relatively new creation, a four-person group whose members first found each other on classifieds website Craigslist.
The spooky surf indie group was started by Patrick Broz and a friend a few years ago. On lead vocals and guitar, Broz originally hails from Montgomery City, Mo., but ended up in Seattle after spending several years in Germany.
Dissatisfied with the alternative sound becoming prevalent with some of the bands he played in, Broz said the idea behind Golden Idols was to incorporate more familiar sounds. Through the want-ad site, the project started accumulating new members in 2013. Jewel Loree began playing bass for the band that spring, though her background is with saxophone and jazz combos.
"This is the first band I really played bass with," she explained. She found she enjoys the sound, and what the instrument adds to a piece.
Trevor Watson, from Ashland, Ore., plays the keyboard and guitar for the group. Actively playing and touring since his mid-teens, he said he's played through every state in the Lower 48, and abroad in Canada and Europe. The trip to Wrangell was his first trip to Alaska, however, as it was for most of the band.
The Wrangell visit was a homecoming for drummer Kelsey McGee, who joined the band this year. Active in the Wrangell school band programs since 4th grade and playing sets in the basement of radio station KSTK, he expressed thanks for the early influence of music teacher Mary Kurth and Peter Helgeson, station manager at the time. After spending eight years in the Anchorage area he headed south for Seattle, where he met up with his future bandmates shortly after.
The Golden Idols moniker originated with Broz, who explained the concept is partly an allusion to the Book of Exodus, partly Raiders of the Lost Ark. The bandmates described their sound as a blend of genres that could be characterized as psychedelic surf rock.
"We cover a lot of territory though," McGee explained, spanning the decades from the 1940s to 1980s.
"We now make music that all of us grew up listening to," Broz said. At practices, he will usually bring ideas to the group, with members adding elements and tweaking the sound as they play.
"Nothing is really off the table," Watson said. They explained a sense of fun has allowed them to create music relatively quickly.
"I feel like our best songs are the ones that just come from practice," McGee commented. The group recently came out with an EP, available at their Bandcamp.com page. They also tried making a music video, enlisting the help of a high school friend of Loree's.
Though mostly playing around Seattle's Ballard and Fremont sections, the Golden Idols have played several festivals and events, and after returning south will prepare for more tours in the spring.
"It's going to be back to the grind for us," McGee said.
What brought the group to Wrangell was Southeast Beast's 2nd Annual Alaska Day Half-Marathon/5K on Oct. 17, which celebrated statehood and raised around $1,300 for cancer care expenses. The running club's sponsors paid for the band's travel and lodging expenses and Rayme's Bar covered their fee to play.
In addition to appearing at Rayme's two nights, the group performed a lower key show at the Stikine Inn. Loree pointed out it was nice for the band to play outside of the bar scene, in part because they are reaching a different audience.
Watson explained there had been something inspiring for him about seeing live music for the first time, which compelled him to follow that path. "For me it was just a hook, and I could not stop playing," he said.
Broz added that music is an excellent outlet for working through frustration and expressing oneself creatively.
The trip was also a chance for the band to experience some local hospitality, getting to check out some of the sights and treated to a big seafood dinner.
"It definitely made us feel very welcome," Broz said.
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