The roots of Sugar & Gold go back to the first meeting between Nicolas Ian Dobbratz (aka Painless) and Philipp Alberto Minnig (aka PAM) in a small coastal town in California, which is famous for John Steinbeck's writing and Jimi Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire. Dobbratz, who grew up in Maryland, had a musical childhood at home, while Minnig, who was born and raised in Germany, spent his formative years kneeling in front of a record player trying to translate for himself and his brother the English lyrics of their favorite bands. Once Nic and Pam moved to California in 1990 and met in middle school, they became inseparable friends and formed a musical brotherhood that has endured the better part of a decade.

After previous stints in such infamous outfits as Dura-Delinquent and Connexion, the boys began to refine their recording techniques and were anxious to break new sonic ground. Dreams of orchestrated dance music and psychedelic guitars awash in synth sweeps and rhythmic pulses had grown into a vision that was too strong to suppress; especially when pirating software programs and the abundance of used computers promised to make this vision a reality.

Meeting old acquaintance and production wizard Jerome Steegmans in an Astronomy class in the city put the final touches on the new sound. A production team was now in place to see the new Dobbratz-Minnig compositions onto tape and hard drive. Recording started in March of 2004 at 24/7 Webster and the first show was played five months later as a three-piece in a punk rock warehouse in the tenderloin district of SF.

Recruiting neighbors Fatima Fleming and Susana Cortez into the mix made things more refined and added a feminine element that helped ground the male energy. Song writing became smoother and lyrics more thoughtful; love and the city became mirror images of a troubled self in an isolated society. Rather than complain about the political climate in the country or worry about economic setbacks, the band decided to celebrate its short comings, and that of its surroundings, by singing and playing music together. To this day, S&G still don't have a practice studio and rehearse for tours and concerts in their living room. This could explain the intimate and care-free atmosphere at their live shows.