Goldfinger

Goldfinger
Background Information
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genre	Pop Punk Ska Punk Punk Rock
Years active	1994-present
Label(s)	Universal Mojo Jive Maverick SideOneDummy
Associated Acts	Electric Love Hogs The Salads Black President Reel Big Fish
Website	http://www.goldfingermusic.com
Members
John Feldmann Kelly LeMieux Darrin Pfeiffer Charlie Paulson
Former Members
Simon Williams Brian Arthur

Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer. The band is widely considered have been a contributor to the movement of third-wave ska, a revitalization in the popularity of ska music which occurred during the mid-1990s. However, since the release of 2000's Stomping Ground, the band has become more commonly placed in the pop-punk genre. Apart from the band's music, Goldfinger is also noted for their political activism, particularly in the area of animal rights.

History

Formation and early success

Goldfinger was formed by former Electric Love Hogs member John Feldmann on vocals and guitar, Simon Williams on bass, Darrin Pfeiffer on drums, and Charlie Paulson on guitar. At the time the band was formed, Feldmann and Williams were working at the same shoe store. Before they were signed to a major label, they released an EP titled Richter, which received favorable reviews and a substantial amount of airplay on college radio, leading to Goldfinger signing a major-label contract with Universal Records. Many of the songs on Richter are demo versions of songs on their full length debut, Goldfinger, which was released on February 29, 1996. The song "Here in Your Bedroom" from the album was especially popular and helped the band gain a solid fanbase. In 2006, Alternative Press listed the self titled Goldfinger album as one of the "10 Albums That Shaped 1996" alongside No Doubt, Weezer and others.

Hang-Ups, Stomping Ground, and Open Your Eyes

The band released their second album, Hang-Ups, on September 9, 1997. Although the album was less successful than the band's debut, the band still maintained a devoted fan base in the hardcore community. During this time, the band released a popular cover of the song "More Today Than Yesterday" by Spiral Starecase, which also helped the band stay out of obscurity. Their third studio LP was Stomping Ground, which was released on March 28, 2000. The album sold poorly in the US but was a modest hit in some European countries, thanks to their cover of Nena's "99 Luftballons" sung partly in German. In 2000, during their tour of England, Goldfinger recorded one of their sets, issuing the live Foot in Mouth, available only at shows and through the band's official website. Their next album, Open Your Eyes (2002), was the first for their new record label, Jive/Zomba. On this album, the band abandoned much of their reggae influences in favor of a more heavy sound. Furthermore, the some of the lyrics discussed animal rights, a subject which had not been touched upon in earlier albums. The band recorded a music video for the title track of the album, which was also focused on animal rights.

Disconnection Notice and return of Charlie Paulson

In early 2005, they released their first album for their new label, Maverick Records, titled Disconnection Notice. The song "Wasted" from the album was released as a single. The CD was less well received compared to former Goldfinger albums. Former band members include founding bassist Simon Williams, who left the band following Hang-Ups, and former Unloco guitarist Brian Arthur, who was fired by Feldmann because Feldmann "did not want to work with him anymore".

Also in 2005, Goldfinger announced that their old guitarist Charlie Paulson would return. Charlie's return to the band was on stage playing 3 songs at the Key Club in LA when the band finished a Western USA tour.

Hello Destiny, 2007-current

Goldfinger signed to the independent record label Side One Dummy in 2007. On April 22, 2008, the band released a new record called Hello Destiny. To promote the album, the band embarked on a successful North American tour with Less Than Jake in summer of 2008. They also played in the UK at the Reading and Leeds Festivals on 22–23 August 2008.

Recently, frontman John Feldmann has produced records for Mest, The Used (whose vocalist Bert McCracken sang some guest vocals on "Open Your Eyes", "Woodchuck", "Ocean Size", and "Handjobs for Jesus"), Hilary Duff and Story of the Year. He also produced Good Charlotte's single "The Anthem" (whose guitarist Benji Madden provides guest vocals on "January", which was originally named "Oracle of Elcaro"). He also signed the band Unloco with Maverick Records.

In November of 2010, Goldfinger played a handful of shows on a west coast tour with Reel Big Fish. These were the first shows performed without Darrin Pfeiffer on drums. Drumming duties were handled by Branden Steineckert from Rancid. At the House of Blues show in Los Angeles, original bassist Simon Williams came out to perform several songs off their first album. This was the first time Williams had performed with the band in over a decade.

Animal rights

Since the band began, Feldmann has become a vegan and animal rights supporter, as can be seen briefly in the music video for "Open Your Eyes". They also donated the song "What Gives You The Right" to the Southern Animal Rights Coalition benefit CD, "Until Every Cage Is Empty", as well as writing the song "Free Kevin Kjonaas", an animal rights prisoner, known as the most involved individual in the SHAC 7. He also advocates and supports the Animal Liberation Front. For the song "Behind the Mask" from the album Disconnection Notice, Feldmann convinced PETA president and co-founder Ingrid Newkirk to allow him to sample one of her speeches on animal cruelty.

In film and video games

"99 Red Balloons" is featured in Not Another Teen Movie, Eurotrip, the video game Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, and along with their cover of The Spiral Starecase's "More Today Than Yesterday", during the ending credits of The Waterboy . "Superman" is featured in the comedy Kingpin. "Walking in the Dark" is featured in the movie Dead Man on Campus.

The band's video game debut was in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with the song "Superman". Goldfinger's song "I Want" from Disconnection Notice is featured in Burnout Revenge on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360, and is also featured in Burnout Legends on the PlayStation Portable. "My Everything" is featured on SSX On Tour also by Electronic Arts. The single, "Spokesman", is featured on Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. Goldfinger also appeared in the Reel Big Fish video "Sell Out" for a couple of seconds.

Discography

Studio albums

• Goldfinger (1996)
• Hang-Ups (1997)
• Stomping Ground (2000)
• Open Your Eyes (2002)
• Disconnection Notice (2005)
• Hello Destiny (2008)

Live albums

Date of Release	Title	Label	Billboard 200	US sales
November 9, 1999	Darrin's Coconut Ass	Mojo Records	-	-
2001	Foot in Mouth	Mojo Records	-	-
March 23, 2004	Live at the House of Blues	Kung Fu Records	-	-

EPs

Date of Release	Title	Label	Billboard 200	US sales
1995	Richter	Mojo Records	-	-
1996	Tiger Meat/Teen Beef	Mojo Records	-	-

Compilation appearances

Year	Album B	Song
1997	Violent World: Misfits Tribute	"Ghoul's Night Out"
1997	Duran Duran Tribute Album	"Rio"
2000	Sleighed: Other Side of Christmas	"White Christmas"

External links

• Goldfinger official website
• About "Disconnection Notice" album
• Interview with Bombshellzine.com

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Goldfinger (band). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Less Than Jake Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.