Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?
The band name is actually just my last name with the vowels removed. I started using that name when I was making more synth-based music as a solo artist. When I got the band together, I had a long list of names we might be able to use, but they convinced me to stick with GLDN, much to my chagrin at the time. But now that it’s been a couple of years, it feels right.
Currently, the band consists of 5 members: Dan Lupkin on drums, Cara Radom on bass, Kevin Marambio and John Gonzalez on guitars, and myself on vocals and samples.
I do generally write most of the music alone (save for a few songs that I’ve worked on with my creative partner and former guitarist for the band, Collin Cleaver), but I have immense faith in this group of musicians to bring life to my ideas. As much as I tend to be a loner, I know that the band and the music itself wouldn’t be where it is today without my time with them.
Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?
As is often the case in a city like New York, we are all from different areas originally.
Around mid-2017, I started making music on my own. I have been around and involved with music my entire life, but it was my first time trying to compose my own. In the beginning of 2019, I got my first guitar, and that became my main mode of composition. By that summer, I was very much aware that the music had become something that only a full band could do any justice. So, that was when I started searching for band members.
It was a little difficult to convince them to make a blood pact with me once they found out I’d sold my soul to the devil, but I convinced them eventually.
Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?
I have a very long list of favourite artists, but I’d say the most influential to me are Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. Still, I’m very inspired by plenty of artists from many different genres and eras. Everything I listen to has an effect on my psyche, whether that comes through the music in an obvious way or not.
Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?
I’ve been performing all my life, but it was never my intention to become a musician or be in a band. I knew I’d end up being a performer in some capacity, but I never imagined it happening this way. I guess music as a mode of expression just struck a chord with me.
What songs or albums are on your current playlist?
- Poppy – Say Cheese
- Puscifer – The Undertaker
- Deftones – Elite
- Kittie – Spit
- Marilyn Manson – Rock n Roll N****r
Do you sing in the shower?
Absolutely.
Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?
Hopefully to just keep consistently performing. We just released our first EP, First Blood, so I just want to keep pushing forward from here. Hopefully we can do a small tour soon, but who knows.
Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?
We do! We have a remix album, Hemophilia, coming out on September 16th. It’s got a bunch of remixes of the songs from First Blood, and it has two covers and three new original songs. The first single, ‘Animal’, which is a cover of the Antinowhere League song, is going to be released along with a video on September 2nd.
If you could play at any venue in the world, where would you choose?
Damn, this is a hard one. I’ve honestly never thought about it, but I’d probably have to go with The Belasco in LA. I just love super old theatres because they have so much character. Also, they might be haunted, which makes it even more fun.
Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?
That’s gotta be a tossup between Antichrist Superstar (Manson) and The Fragile (NIN).
Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?
Honestly, I just looked through my entire library of music, and there isn’t a single thing I’d be embarrassed to admit listening to. There are some surprising things in there, though: Milla Jovovich, Lana Del Rey, Peaches, and Roberta Flack, to name a few.
If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?
Marilyn Manson (circa 1997), Slipknot, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails, Korn, and Rob Zombie.
Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?
Yeah, I believe it was Evanescence’s Fallen. I don’t have it anymore, sadly.
As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?
I guess I’d just like to say thanks for listening, and that you can expect bigger and better things from us coming very soon.
Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!
Instagram
Instagram (Band Page)
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
TikTok
Website
We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there anything further that you would like to add?
Thanks for taking the time to speak to me. Make sure to check out the “Animal” video on September 2nd and Hemophilia on September 16th!
This interview is purely the property of The Metal Asylum.