Between performing big-name tours and scooping out some Jeni’s Splendid ice cream, Los Angeles band Fool’s Gold is set to “leave their trace” in Columbus.
Fool’s Gold will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Summit, located at 2210 Summit St. It will be joined by other local bands Maza Blaska and The Beers.
The band formed in 2007 when longtime friends Luke Top and Lewis Pesacov decided to combine musical interests.
“We thought it was time to start playing a different type of music, so we started having some jam sessions in backyards and other random places,” Pesacov said. “It caught on and, before we knew it, we were touring and having the career of a band.”
By 2009, bandmates Garrett Ray, Salvador Placencia and Columbus native Brad Caulkins joined the two friends and released their first, self-titled album.
Fool’s Gold’s sound and aesthetics originate from the band members’ diverse backgrounds and “music of other times,” Pesacov said.
“Our sound is like, if you took the Congo, America and England and pureed it in a blender,” Pesacov said. “It’s a little bit of everything and a lot of the things we love. Everything we love gets filtered into our music.”
Fool’s Gold recently finished touring the East Coast with fellow LA band Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. The tour kicked off May 8 in New York and ended Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C.
Following its brief, six-show Midwest tour, Fool’s Gold is planning on returning to LA to work on its next album, which will be its third full release. The band’s latest album, “Leave No Trace,” was released last year.
“A lot of people who didn’t hear the first album were turned on to them by the second,” said Patrick Tilley, of Pitch Perfect PR, a public relations company that represents Fool’s Gold. “Their fan base grew quite a bit after its release and it eventually led to an international tour with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
In 2011, Fool’s Gold toured the United Kingdom with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and performed a total of 12 shows with the band.
“(The Red Hot Chili Peppers) are really cool, awesome dudes, really inspiring and friendly and fun to watch,” Pesacov said. “The shows we played with them were awesome because there were so many people in the audience. We were playing huge arenas in front of 20,000 people, which was pretty nuts.”
Saturday’s show will not be the band’s first Columbus visit or first show at The Summit. Fool’s Gold played at the venue in July 2010, and Pesacov said the band will always remember the performance.
“It was the hottest show we’ve ever played,” Pesacov said. “It was probably about 100 degrees with really high humidity. We thought we were going to faint on stage.”
Despite unfavorable conditions, Pesacov said the show was a great one overall, and the audience “had a great time dancing and enjoying themselves.”
While Fool’s Gold might be returning to Columbus in the heat of spring, Saturday’s show is sure to be a cooler one, said Kyle Sowash, The Summit’s booking agent.
“The air conditioner has since been re-worked and it is now nice and cool in the Summit,” Sowash said.
As Caulkins is from Columbus, Fool’s Gold’s members have grown familiar with the city, and have even found a go-to destination within the Short North.
“We really like to go to get Jeni’s ice cream,” Pesacov said. “It’s our favorite ice cream in the country. It’s some pretty special stuff.”
This event is open to anyone age 18 and up. Tickets are $8 for anyone over 21, $10 if under 21.
