Marlon Rabenreither :: Gold Star Interview
LA-based singer-songwriter Marlon Rabenreither has been cutting his tonal teeth in the City of Angels for the last decade and a half with bands like The Sister Ruby Band and C.G. Roxanne And The Nightmares, before establishing his own melodic moniker Gold Star shortly after. While expressing an atmospheric attitude that pulls from several elements of previous decades, Rabenreither’s ability to bridge those generational gaps is both exciting and compelling as his journey continues to unfold like a perfectly preserved Lincoln Rose in the dead of winter.
Photo: Dani Doll
Born in AUS, raised in LA, how did you initially become fascinated with music, specifically the guitar, and songwriting? As a multi-instrumentalist, whose roster includes percussion, piano, and several others, I’m curious to know when you made the critical connection that this was how you wanted to not only live your life, but as something you wanted to use to explore the world around you. Coming from LA, there’s so much iconic influence, creative culture, and history. Having been inspired by so many different elements within the city’s landscape, how did you first begin to navigate your own direction, particularly in style and approach?
Photo: Kealan Shilling
I think I have always been compelled by music. It was always around growing up. My parents were in a band called The Sugarplum Fairies when I was a kid, and they always had great taste in music. I think I was drawn to songwriting in particular because it was a way for me to make sense of my life and vocalize thoughts and feelings that I have always had a hard time expressing conversationally. Ultimately, I feel like it was music that chose me more so than me choosing to pursue music. I think I have always been deeply influenced by Los Angeles’ history and this city's contributions to music and literature in particular. I think most artists find their own voices — be it style or approach — simply by creating. I think when I was starting, I wanted to sound like other people, but now I think it’s most important to sound more like myself.
Photo: Cameron McCool
For the last decade, you’ve been releasing material under Gold Star. How did this project initially come about? I understand you connected with Lael Neale and the Black Lips crew around this time. I’d like to jump ahead to your most recent work, “How To Shoot The Moon.” I’m curious to know about the overall atmosphere, what was most important for you to express and explore with this material, and how it compares to previous titles from the past.
The Gold Star project started when Lucinda Williams caught a gig of one of my old bands (The Sister Ruby Band). She offered me an opening slot for some dates, but she wanted an acoustic opener and not a band, so I had to figure out a way to play my songs without amps and drums, etc. Lael Neale sang harmonies with me on a lot of these early shows. I met the Black Lips through Zumi Rosow, who is a dear friend of mine, and she and Cole actually play on the Gold Star song called “Chinatown” off the album “Uppers & Downers.” This one was unique because we played a residency once a week for a month at Gold Diggers in East Hollywood with all this new material and right at the end of it we went in to the studio with Sean O’Brien in Echo Park and we cut it live all together while it was still fresh and felt alive but also we had a good feel for the arrangements.
“I think I was drawn to songwriting in particular because it was a way for me to make sense of my life and vocalize thoughts and feelings that I have always had a hard time expressing conversationally. Ultimately, I feel like it was music that chose me more so than me choosing to pursue music.”
Photo: Dani Doll
Is there anything else you would like to share further with the readers?
We have a new song coming out this month, produced by Adam Granduciel from War On Drugs and featuring his guitar playing as well, so keep an eye out for this one!
https://www.goldstarlovesyou.com/
