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UK Gold play one of their last shows before the world closed down, 2019. Photog by Ballard Vox.
The new UK Gold album Epigram No. 2 was scheduled to debut May 3, 2020, the same day UK Gold were set to open for Mudhoney at the Capitol Theater in downtown Olymp. Well, you know what happened. The album did make it's appearance, but the Mudhoney show is another coulda woulda victim of these Global Pandemic times. The good news is the ver same Mudhoney event from May 2020 is set to happen this weekend, Saturday April 9 (if you have tickets for the May 3, 2020 show, they will be honored). UK Gold are the Olymp rock'n'roll trio consisting of Forrest Peeker, Matt Murillo and Matt Lebens. They've rocked many a basement/art gallery/birthday party since forming in the mid-teens and have a 7" 45rpm EP (Auto Responder) and Epigram No. 2 to show for it. Matt Murillo recalls the response to their album wasn't what they anticipated. "It came out with a wheeze. When you can't play shows to support your album...we got rid of a bunch, still have a healthy stack."  UK Gold in the "Auto Responder" 7" EP era: Forrest, Matt, Vadi The Mudhoney show came about because Matt is a surfer, and so is Mudhoney singer Mark Arm. They first met on the Olympic Peninsula: "I was standing at the surfin' spot, looking at the no waves, flat water. Mark was there. A pleasant fellow. I didn't see him for a couple years, then one day I was surfing at Westport, having a good day, paddling out after catching a wave and I hear 'Hey, Matt!' and there he was, as handsome as ever. Amazing he's still so handsome after all those face-melting solos."  Another Mudhoney connection is their bass player Guy Maddison, who like Matt is a hospital nurse who has been working through this terrible era. "He's a really smart guy. He has a podcast [with journalist Matthew Hall] Emergency Room: The COVID Diaries. I really look forward to meeting him." Having seen the ravages the pandemic has had up close, Matt has not been attending shows and UK Gold have no plans to play any more. "I don't feel any big pull to get out there. We're only doing this now because the numbers are low and it's fun to play with Mudhoney. I'll always have a band, i always want to play music. This is playing music to me, sitting around with Calvin listening to 45rpm records." As for the show on Saturday with Mudhoney at the Capitol Theater, Matt asks only "Be kind to your neighbor. If you are going to the show, wear a mask. Please. Please get vaccinated, everyone." As a nurse, Matt feels strongly about that. "I really do."  The UK Gold album Epigram No. 2 is available on both LP and CS from The K Mail Order Dept. |
