A Chicago indie-rock band from the mid-1990s. Gold Medal’s “Drive to the Supermarket with Emotions Included” 7-inch on Sweet Pea Records was its only release. Gold Medal’s sound could be described as a cross between Polvo and Jawbreaker.
Gold Medal band members
- Anthony T. Rolando (guitar, vocals)
- Other bands: We Ragazzi, Pazz*Duo
- Aliases: Tony Rolando
- Michael Lenzi (drums, vocals)
- Other bands:The Fire Show, Number One Cup, the John Huss Moderate Combo, Tart, Resplendent, Lenzi
- Aliases: Lenzi, Resplendent, M. Resplendent, Olias Nil
The backstory:
Michael met Tony in Chicago around 1994, after Tony came to a Number One Cup show at Metro and gave Seth Cohen a tape of his band, Pazz Duo. Michael liked Pazz Duo, and after Tony’s drummer, CB, left the band, Tony and Michael started playing together. They played some Pazz Duo songs and wrote some of their own. The sound was different, so they didn’t want to use the Pazz Duo name. Instead, they named the band after a faded banner advertising flour on the side of an old building. Gold Medal played here and there around Chicago, including at Lounge Ax with Polvo and again with … And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. Alas, Gold Medal released just one 7-inch and Gold Medal came to an end around 1997, when Michael’s other band, Number One Cup, started touring a lot. Tony tried to start another duo, but nobody else was into duos at the time, so he started a trio called We Ragazzi. According to Tony, “The best show we ever played was in Freeport Illinois. After that show, Gold Medal became legends of the Freeport Hardcore scene.”
To contact Gold Medal:
Email Michael at m.lenzi@att.net. Michael is co-owner of Sweet Pea Records
Email Tony at tony@makenoisemusic.com. He is founder and president of Make Noise in Asheville, N.C. He makes modular synthesizers. http://www.makenoisemusic.com