Beltway Bambinos

There’s no better way to start the New Year than with a giveaway! On January 9, Gustafer Yellowgold will be playing at Jammin Java and you won’t want to miss it. Doors open at 10:00am and the show will begin at 10:30am. Tickets are $10, but head to our Facebook page for a chance to win tickets!

This article was written by Carolyn Ross of Kindiemusicdc, promotor of musicians playing in the DC area.

Sometimes at a crossroads in life, we choose the path, less traveled by or not, and we strike gold. In the case of musician and cartoonist Morgan Taylor, his treasure trove comes directly from the golden rays of the sun, in the form of his indescribable character, Gustafer Yellowgold.

A parent himself to two young children, Taylor, a one-time collaborator with the band Wilco, writes about subjects that appeals to kids, but many of his lyrics are clearly written for the amusement, and perhaps as a kind of wake-up call for adults.  The reason for this is simple. Taylor wants to encourage parents to put down their cell phones, and truly enjoy experiences like listening to live music with their children.

The music offers lessons through the perspective of foods  like onions that will have you “crying for something, so much better than nothing,” or the Beatles-like sounds of “I Sandwich” with talk of  filling “this empty place.” The final track, a number one single on Sirius XM Kids Place Live, “Cakenstein” is about building a robot from cake with cherries for eyes.  With a featured
electronica style verse, this song  is truly the cherry on top of Gustafer Yellowgold’s random and surreal kind of life.

Gustafer songs de-emphasize the importance of the “outside stuff,” as mini-odes to the little things in life that bring us joy, as simple as a pine cone (“Pine Cone Lovely”), or socks (“Slim Get in ‘Em”). In the video for a theme song of sorts, “I am from the Sun,” Gustafer relates how hard he worked making a living on the sun before escaping the heat, and coming to down to earth. Relaxing on a field of flowers with his sunglasses resting on his chest, he perhaps dreams of a return to his origins, but not before he treats us here on earth to a little of the warmth he brings to our world.

See Morgan Taylor and Gustafer Yellowgold live at Jammin’ Java, Vienna, Va. on Saturday January 9, 2016.