This article was originally published in the Revelstoke TIMES Magazine. Gold Mynd will perform at the Grizzly Plaza Gazebo as part of the REVY.Live Outside concert series on July 8.
One artist making his Revelstoke debut this summer is hoping to bring the sounds of the beautiful island of Jamaica to this peaceful little mountain town, furthering his journey to expanding the reggae scene in BC.
Gold Mynd is a reggae artist based out of Kelowna who will be visiting and playing in Revelstoke for the very first time this summer.
We sat down with him ahead of his first show in the community to discuss his unique journey to BC.
“I’ll have to summarize that one,’ he laughed, talking about his life story.
Before setting out on his journey in music, Gold Mynd was teaching at a prominent high school, Jamaica College in Kingston, Jamaica, but always had his mind on music.
He made his first mixtape, ‘My Life’, and uploaded it online in 2016 before migrating to Kelowna in 2017.
“I was just looking for a wider market, a wider reach,” said Gold Mynd.
His newest album, Love and Life, produced by Launch Code Productions, looks to bring its titular aspects of everyday life together through reggae and soulful music.
“Love is one aspect, life is another aspect, and somewhere in the middle is utopia. Everybody living in love.”
His first single off the album sticks with that very message, the track Everything is Gonna Be Alright.
“There’s so much happening in the world right now. Financial crisis, wars. People just needing something to turn to.”
“Music has always been an outlet for the artist and therapy for the listener.” Apart from being an entertainer, he added that he feels like it’s his duty, given his talent, to get that message across through the universal language of music.
The reggae scene in BC is pretty lowkey, with most of the representation of the genre coming from the coast, specifically Vancouver. Gold Mynd said that he’s been to a few shows around the Interior, but that there is a real lack of representation in the region.
That didn’t deter Gold Mynd and his team though, as they saw this lack of reggae as a real opportunity to fill that void and show people what the music is all about.
“It’s a perfect spot for a musician who’s looking for an audience to reach,” he said.
While sharing news of upcoming shows, he says the reactions he gets from people who didn’t know that there were any reggae acts in the region are met with excitement and positivity. “Winning already,” he said.
Gold Mynd also noted that there may be a lot of people in the region who may be into the genre but may not even know it yet. The thirst for indie and low-fi in the Interior is evident through the number of festivals that take place throughout the year, and Gold Mynd says he’s ready for reggae to become a part of that sphere.
This will be his very first time in Revelstoke, adding that he is ‘super excited’ to experience the community and its people. Other shows he’s done in the Kootenays, like in Nelson, have opened his eyes to the market of would-be reggae fans in the region.
Gold Mynd has shows lined up across the country this summer to connect his music to more people and to share his sound.
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