The Go is an American rock band from
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. Founded in 1996, the group released seven studio albums before their indefinite hiatus in 2013.
History
The Go was established in Detroit in 1996 by Bobby Harlow, John Krautner, and Marc Fellis. Mentored by Los Angeles producer
Kim Fowley, the band signed a record deal with
Sub Pop in 1998. Their first album, ''Whatcha Doin'' featured Dave Buick on bass and
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
on guitar. The album was produced by
Outrageous Cherry
Outrageous Cherry were an American psychedelic pop / power pop band from Detroit, Michigan, United States.
Outrageous Cherry formed in 1991, and soon expanded to a four-piece after performing live in 1993. The group has released 13 albums, includ ...
frontman Matthew Smith and supported with three national tours. After ''Whatcha Doin','' the band parted ways with White, returning to the studio in 2000 to record their sophomore album ''Free Electricity'' with Dion Fischer on lead guitar, John Olson (of
Wolf Eyes
__NOTOC__
Wolf Eyes is an American experimental music group from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1996 by Nate Young. Currently a duo, Wolf Eyes are a prominent act within contemporary noise music. They have collaborated with a variety of artists from ...
) on saxophone, and Cary Loren (of
Destroy All Monsters
is a 1968 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the ninth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and features eleven monster ...
) on tamboura. The sound of Free Electricity significantly differed from its predecessor and the album was ultimately shelved by Sub Pop.
Another round of personnel changes saw the departure of Buick and Fischer along with the addition of guitarist Kenny Tudrick. Under the management of Howard Hertz, the band signed with
Lizard King Records
Lizard King Records was a London-based independent record label founded in 2002 by Martin Heath and Dominic Hardisty.
History
The label signed US rock band The Killers in July 2003. According to Heath in an interview with HitQuarters, "Everyo ...
. The Go's self-titled third album was recorded in the UK and released in 2003. It was bolstered with an opening slot on the
White Stripes
The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wi ...
' "Elephant" tour. With little promotion for The Go in the United States, the band parted ways with Lizard King Records and returned to Detroit with new guitarist, James McConnell.
While in Detroit, The Go received word that Welsh singer Adele Nozedar had taken an interest in the band, securing funding for a new album. With Harlow serving as producer, The Go released ''Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride'' in 2007 to critical acclaim. It won Album of the Year at the
Detroit Music Awards
The Detroit Music Awards Foundation is a Michigan 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to recognize Detroit area musicians working on a national, regional, and local level. The Foundation supports and nurtures the musical community in Detroi ...
and received the approval of the Allen Ginsberg Foundation for Harlow's musical interpretation of the poem "Refrain". The Go promoted the release with extensive American tours supporting
Guided by Voices, and were invited to perform at the Peace Jam Foundation Conference in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
in 2008. The conference earned the band a private audience with the 14th
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...
. After further performances, a follow-up double LP was released jointly on Bellyache Records. The band also began collaborating with
Don Was
Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced so ...
, recording a song produced by Was and engineered by longtime friend Steve King.
By 2007, The Go had begun working with
Burger Records
Burger Records was an American independent record label and record store in Fullerton, California, United States. The label was founded in 2007 by Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard, members of the power pop band Thee Makeout Party. The record/video s ...
, whose owners Sean Bohrman and Lee Rickard had long been fans of the band. In 2010, Burger released an LP by the Go's alternate project, ''Conspiracy of Owls'', which featured songwriters Harlow, Krautner, and Fellis, along with a live lineup of fellow Detroit musicians (Steve Nawara, Johnny Lzr, and "Magic" Jake Culkowski). Singer Robert Pollard of
Guided By Voices provided artwork for the LP as well as inspiration for the name of the band. After supporting the Conspiracy of Owls record with shows at
SXSW, Harlow and Culkowski formed a new band, Magic Jake & The Power Crystals, in which they shared songwriting duties.
In 2012, Burger Records released a five-cassette box set of previously unheard and alternate Go tracks spanning 1996–2007. The Go followed this up with ''Fiesta,'' which was released on limited edition colored vinyl on Burger Records (US) and on black vinyl with alternate artwork by Mauvaise Foi Records (France).
In 2016, The Go were included in
Third Man Records
Third Man Records is an eclectic, vinyl-focused independent record label founded and owned by Jack White, Ben Blackwell and Ben Swank. The company operates out of three locations—Nashville, Tennessee, Detroit, Michigan, and Soho, London—with ...
' Live at the Gold Dollar Vault package, which released a live LP from the band's 1999 lineup featuring Jack White. The Go were also featured on
Iggy Pop's satellite radio show.
The Go's music has been included in commercials, television, and films, including ''
My Name Is Earl
''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Ja ...
'',
''Entourage'' and
''The Hills Have Eyes''.
Discography
References
External links
Band websiteBBC's review of ''Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Go, The
Sub Pop artists
Musical groups from Detroit
Garage punk groups
1996 establishments in Michigan
Garage rock groups from Michigan
Third Man Records artists