1. MATT
Who are you and who does what in the band?
I’m Matt Souther. I play bass and really bring the backup singing to the next level.
How would you best describe the sound?
Not really basement rock, but more garage rock, with lyrics about how the fucking kids have made a mess out of the garage.
Dream rock moment (real or not)?
My dream has always been to see the country in a van. I’ve seen the west half of it in previous bands, but still wish to see the east, and now I’m pretty keene on seeing Europe from a van too.
And I too fantasize about playing SNL. Hopefully on a night when Natalie Portman hosts.
Still got day jobs?
Sort of, I own my own business, and co-own another business with Dan the drummer, laser engraving shit.
Any regrets?
Not doing this band sooner, back in the 90’s when they were handing out record deals to anyone with a shitty guitar and a loud amp who was also head to toe in flannel.
2. Mitch
Mitch Wiencken
1. From Portland Oregon.Matt and I Started playing music in highschool (I played drums). It took several years after which I purchased a guitar and not until this last year that I played any regular gigs.
I am Mitch Wiencken. I play guitar and sing. MAtt Souther plays bass and sings backup. Dan plays drums and I think is too busy to sing.
Our sound is kind of a less garage more basement style of punk rock. Simple songs with lots of energy. The lyrics are about living life and the shit that happens. Some shit is bueno other shit is no bueno. All the tales get told.
Dream rock moment hmmmmmmmmm. Well two come to mind. The first would be in the early 80’s my neighbor showed me where to tune in to punk rock radio. KBOO yea! anyway, LA punk rock was pretty huge at the time. I was completely blown away. It really was life changing. The other dream moment or moments ??? would be playing and making music with the Balls. We’ve been having a lot of fun. You couldn’t ask for a better mental, physical, artistical release. And that’s for sure.
During the day I take care of my three boys ages 3, 9 and 11. It’s a real job! I wear earplugs quite a bit.
Regrets. I’d have to say yes I do. But in all honesty I try not to think that way. I want mind to be in the present, not the past.
Super cool – Many thanks!!!!!!!!!! and some more
and then some
3. DAN
DANSWERS…
Where are you from and when did you get started?
From Portland, Ore. Started in the suburbs.
Who are you and who does what in the band?
Mitch writes lyrics, sings them, and crafts mean riffs on the guitar. He also drives us to & from shows and provides snacks at rehearsals
Matt plays bass guitar and sings/ screams backup vocals.
Dan plays the drums and makes weird faces on stage. Capricorn.
How would you best describe the sound?
A bunch of dudes growing up in the 80’s & 90’s with a healthy diet of classic rock and punk. Now living the suburban “dream” and trying to escape via music and desperately clinging to our roots.
Dream rock moment (real or not)?
I have a couple.
REAL: Playing in a 4,000 seat outdoor amphitheater to a capacity crowd of screaming kids and watching the guitarist smash his guitar on the stage on the very last note of the very last song. The place erupted!
NOT REAL (yet): Playing with these dudes on Saturday Night Live.
Still got day jobs?
Yep. Matt and I make custom furniture and crazy things for eccentric clients. We also co-own a laser that we use to engrave and cut the aforementioned crazy shit.
Any regrets?
Leaving music behind as a profession/ day job. It was the right decision at the time but it still gnaws at me sometimes.
Solid Gold Balls is a Family Core Indie Punk Hard Folk rock band from Portland, Oregon. We make music because it is fun. We also make music because it’s a welcome respite from our regular lives of the non-stop hustle – trying to earn a livelihood, maintaining happy home fronts, keeping kids from destroying the house, keeping kids from destroying their pants.
The band is Mitch Wiencken, father of 3; Matt Souther, father of 2; Dan Stieg, yet to procreate. (He might not be doing it correctly. Feel free to offer suggestions.) Mitch plays guitar, sings, and writes the lyrics. Matt plays the bass and sings in the background. Dan plays the drums and pays the studio rent. Mitch is new to the rock band world, but makes up for it with ridiculous creativity. Dan was in a band called The American Girls (Trauma Records) that was good. Dan and Matt were both in a band called Odds Against Tomorrow (Sony Music) that was also good, but tried too hard. Matt was in a band called The Baseboard Heaters that was also good and also tried too hard. When you try that hard, the disappointment of not becoming world famous crushes your nuts and makes you bitter. Therefore, we don’t really give a shit about becoming world famous. That’s not to say we don’t work hard to create quality rock. We usually do. But we don’t wear gig shirts with flames or snakes or laughing devils on them. We use fans to cool off, not to make our hair look like we play in hurricanes. We don’t take band photos in abandoned warehouses with disinterested looks on our faces. Again, we make the music because it is fun. Super-bonus if others enjoy it as much as we do.
Since every bio must include a description of what our music sounds like, and since that description is easiest to achieve through means of comparison, we give you the 3 w’s: The Who, Wilco, and Ween. We try to harness the power of the Who (which comes naturally to us), the musicality of Wilco (everyone knows how good they are), and the lyrical genius of Ween (though we don’t even come close to doing the amount of drugs they do/have done, and therefore probably won’t come close to the level of Buenos Tardes Amigo, Stroker Ace, or Piss Up a Rope). That said, when people say we sound like Pavement, Spoon, or The Hold Steady, we don’t disagree. Pavement was awesome. Spoon makes cool records. Craig Finn sings nice. Those are our aspirations as well. Our music isn’t heavy metal, though at times we get pretty heavy. It’s kinda Indie Rock, but without all the irony. And it’s kinda punk, though you wouldn’t think that from looking at us. It’s hard to look punk and not get thrown out of PTA meetings so we keep our punk on the inside.
See photos, videos, and hear music at The Solid Gold Balls Facebook Page. Email us at solidgoldballspdx@gmail.com. Buy our music at iTunes or CDBaby. Listen to our music on Spotify, Bandcamp, or Reverbnation, or SoundCloud.
Sincerely,
Solid Gold Balls
And here’s an added bonus: A picture of yours truly, Jerry Actually, wearing a mask that arrived with the promo materials. I look like Wes Borland and Jason Vorhees had a love child.
