This week’s guests are Gold Steps singer Liz Mauritz and guitarist Zach Duarte. Though the band is currently making a name for itself in Milwaukee with frequent shows, garnering loads of listeners on streaming sites, and winning over new fans on a nightly basis during its ambitious tours, the up and coming “alt-pop-hyphenated-punk band” actually got its start in Austin. After a few years and a couple hundred shows in and around the musically vibrant Texas capital, Mauritz and Duarte—who are married, by the way—moved back to Mauritz’s home state and set their sights on the Milwaukee music scene.
Not long after getting back from Gold Steps’ latest U.S. tour and before Sunday’s show at X-Ray Arcade, Mauritz and Duarte met up with My First Band host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters to talk about the recent run of shows, the reception their great new EP (That Ain’t It—out now on Revival Recordings!), and hitting the ground running in their new home base after close to two years of pandemic-prompted inactivity. Over the course of the conversation, Mauritz and Duarte talked about their brief stint in another band, what led to the start of Gold Steps, opportunities and obstacles they experienced in the competitive Austin music scene, the move to Milwaukee, and plans for the future of the band. Along the way, Liz talked about her love of Lakefront Brewery, her employer and the beer sponsor of this very show!
My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”) and Gold Steps (“Petty”).