The Gold Status of Golden Ratio: Avant Garde Groove Oriented Rock

When asked to describe the sound of his band Golden Ratio, Jereami Mennella replies, "It's a big dark sound that has a groove to it…we are trying to create a wall of sound." A wall of sound is indeed what you will find on Golden Ratio's disc Cesium Parlor. The disc is a true mix of very unique sounds. Songs such as 50 Virgins Sink the Ship and Illusions offer the listener a mix of psychedelic guitars, big rhythms and hip-hop underpinnings.

The local group has been together since 2001 and the members actually met while doing some studio work for the godfather of trip-hop Tricky. The band was able to finance the making of their debut disc by playing shows and as vocalist Talia Mayes adds, by babysitting!! "I ended up babysitting this producer's kid in order to help finance the making of the disc!" The disc can be found on the bands website, Amoeba Records, and they are in the process of making it available at out own Fingerprints.

The band enjoys playing out live but thus far it has been tough for the group to find its niche in the local scene. Jerami explains, "Not too many venues cater to our kind of sound here in Long Beach. It's even harder to find places to play in Hollywood. Our sound makes it hard for folks to book us so we end up playing shows with a lot of glam rock bands." Even with the un-even bookings, the band is dedicated to their sound. "We make this type of music because we like it and because we are not about following trends", Jerami states.

The group is currently in the studio now working on a series of EPs set to be released in November. "We are bringing in different musicians to help us with these next releases…it seems like other musicians are our biggest fans," exclaims Jerami. "The EPs all will have themes running through them and then we will release another full length disc." Manella says that in the future the band will be trying to find its niche in the local scene and they will be shopping around their EPs and their full length disc to record companies. If you are looking for a local band with a unique, diverse sound, put your faith in The Golden Ratio.

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