RDGLDGRN

RDGLDGRN is an American group from Reston, Virginia, in the Washington, DC area. The act forms in 2011 and remains active. The name is pronounced “Red Gold Green”.

Style and membership

The group is associated with hip-hop, rap rock, alternative, alternative hip-hop, and go-go. The group is identified with King Green.

Recording and releases

RDGLDGRN records its debut album at Sound City Studios in 2012 with producer Kevin Augunas and engineer Clif Norrell. Its debut self-titled full-length album appears in September 2013. Before that, the group issues The Red Gold Green EP, which reaches the top 100 on the US iTunes album chart. The song “Million Fans” is released by NME in January 2013, and “I Love Lamp” is later released by Rolling Stone with Dave Grohl on drums.

Breakthrough and performances

The group records “I Love Lamp” in late 2011 and uploads a self-produced, self-directed video to YouTube, where it gains more than 100,000 views within days. In June 2012, a demo of the track is used as the theme song for the world record Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare at the 2012 X Games in Los Angeles. RDGLDGRN makes its television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in March 2013, performing “I Love Lamp” and “Million Fans”. The group also performs at SXSW in March 2013, the DC101 Chili Cook-Off in May 2013, and the Vans Warped Tour 2013.

Collaborators

RDGLDGRN works with a number of notable musicians, including Dave Grohl and Pharrell Williams. Grohl drums on the album except for “Million Fans”, which uses a sampled breakbeat. Pharrell Williams co-writes and co-produces “Doing the Most”. Kevin Augunas, whose credits include The Lumineers and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, is involved in the album sessions at Sound City Studios, and Clif Norrell engineers the recordings.