TNA Impact Wrestler And Scrounge-Rock Queen GOLDY LOCKS Finds Her Purpose In “Just Say Yes” Single
When you need a pep talk on how to get the most out of life, you always want to turn to a woman who grows food out of her own poop.
Okay, hear us out. Yes, it’s true that Goldy Locks, lead singer and mastermind of Nashville’s house-shaking Goldy lockS Band (yes, that’s how she spells it), recently appeared on 2023 of TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates to explain how she uses her own feces as garden compost. She also mentioned that she collects stray socks from the laundromat to use as sanitary napkins and cuts down on her bar tab by finishing strangers’ discards. But before you dismiss her as some sort of crackpot, you owe it to yourself to take a listen to her band’s new single, “Just Say Yes,” a simply undeniable instant anthem that could convert just about anyone to her philosophy that the glass is always half full (especially when it isn’t yours).
No mere novelty record from a freegan lifestyle guru, the song soars on a can-do spirit and a musical oomph that make it as invigorating a statement of intent as “I Will Survive.” Strings saw away melodramatically, guitar power chords crash and churn, and Locks spews optimism in a voice that sure doesn’t sound like it’s been weakened by second-hand bourbon. Far from it:
I’ll stop at nothing ’til I reach the top
I’ll keep on moving and I’ll never stop
I’ll start a motion where the money’s free
I’ll make it happen where we all agree
Just say yes
Don’t put me to the test, oh baby
Don’t say no
Just how far can we go
If you would just say yes
Don’t make me have to guess
Just stop making a mess of my life
And just tell me yes
Now, who could resist an entreaty that direct? Locks says she wrote the song specifically “to empower people to say ‘yes’ to quitting their deadbeat jobs,” and also as “a female empowerment song showing that women can ALSO be the boss.” But its appeal is as universal as the unexpected joy of finding a perfectly good sofa somebody left out on the curb.
Even the hoot-and-a-half of a music video Locks and her band have whipped up finds liberty in liberation: The vacuum cleaners and other household totems they wield as props were all rescued from the trash and the kitsch-Americana costumes they’re wearing come from either thrift/secondhand stores or the nearest dumpster.
That’s pretty appropriate for a woman who was discovered while rifling through the refuse at Prince’s Paisley Park complex. (Clarification: She was discovered by the police.) What followed was a circuitous path to show-biz prominence: first as a seamstress to boy bands, then as a pop chanteuse in her own right (she opened for Pink and others), and then, perhaps most famously, as a commentator/manager/wrestler for TNA Impact Wrestling. For years, she’s preached better living through frugality from a variety of media platforms, including her own TLC show, Call in the Cheapskates, and a podcast, Goldy’s Closet (a sub-cast of ex-WWE writer Vince Russo’s The Brand).
But there’s nothing cheap about the bang-for-your-buck reputation she’s simultaneously carved out as leader and frontwoman of The Goldy lockS Band, whose 100+-song repertoire of originals and covers has made the lineup of Locks, bassist Johnny Oro, and drummer Rod Saylor a top draw throughout their region—and an in-demand opener for everyone from Saliva, Sevendust and Nickelback to Stevie Nicks, The Bret Michaels Band and Maroon 5. On record, their mastery of rock, pop, and beyond has shifted over 65,000 CDs and EPs since 2008, plus more than 2,500 DVDs. Their 2019 collaboration with Smith & Hay x King Tech on a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Black” was the first single from an album that hit Number Two in Billboard—on the Jazz chart, yet!
And when it comes to charitable causes, this bunch is anything but stingy. Their 2021 single/video “All to You” aided suicide-prevention efforts, “Black” did the same for child abuse, and their previous hit “Today I Won’t Be Afraid” has helped raise thousands of dollars for organizations like the YWCA and Soles4Souls, which helps get new shoes and clothing to people in crisis situations. Now that’s the kind of recycling anybody can get behind.
Asked to offer a thumbnail sketch of the Type-A personality that’s taken her so far down so many avenues, Locks describes herself as “driven, professional, a neat freak and an occasional hot mess.” Maybe so, but what a fabulous disaster it is. Now we can all “Just Say Yes” to the mess.
Hi Goldy, care to introduce yourself?
I absolutely care to introduce myself to such a “More Than Media” platform for all that is good! What an honor to be here and I am enjoying reading all of the beautiful content on your site. It’s aesthetically so clean and easy to follow along. Thanks for putting out such inspiring stories!
I’m Goldy Locks, the frontwoman of the Goldy lockS Band. Some of you may recognize me from my experience in pro wrestling! I was the original TNA “IMPACT” Wrestling Knockout and currently, you can catch me on TLC hosting the entertaining and eye-opening show, “Call In The Cheapskates”. When I’m not in the world of sports entertainment or television, you can find me and The Goldy lockS Band rocking stages and melting faces near you. I’m lucky to share the stage with my BFF Rod Saylor, guitarist Johnny Oro, and our Brazilian bassist, Wandley Bala, who will soon be joining us in the US after working remotely.
Tell us about the process of recording “Just Say Yes”?
Wow, thanks for asking. I’d say it’s a brilliant way to record and one I’d like to share as a source of inspiration for all other artists and music enthusiasts. It’s all about making the most of what you have and utilizing your resources to the fullest.
1. Time on the road: Make the best of it. Johnny, our guitarist, always brings his acoustic, and we hammer out ideas.
2. I start putting down melodies and coming up with lyrics, as I did in “Just Say Yes.”
3. I have the guitarist over to my studio in Nashville, and we lay down more tracks.
4. We usually go to Rod, our drummer’s studio, and do even more production. We are so blessed for our studios!
5. We send over those tracks to our friend and bassist in Brazil; he does his part.
6. We then get a FAT mix! In this case, Wandly himself did it. We love it and love this process.
People have other jobs and responsibilities, even my friends touring with major acts. While spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in big studio bands then having to recoup is one way, this is another. ALWAYS look at what you have to use and WHO you know you can trade to help you if you’re low on funds or saving money to use to promote. This is the “cheapskate” in me making sure you have what you need to create.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
The first artist I really connected with was Alanis Morissette. That album… Jagged Little Pill. It haunts me because it’s just flipping perfect. How many hits can you put on one album? How many times do we refer to the song “Ironic” with something going on in our own lives? She and Glen Ballard just completely hit a home run on that epic piece of history. I’ve been in love with Canada and Canadians ever since.
Recently, a musical artist who blew me away is Justin Bieber. That dude has been through so much and is still standing. As a fellow child artist, there is a lot of “dirty stuff” going on behind the scenes. The fact he is as grounded as he is today speaks volumes of his soul.
One last artist or artist would have to be some of my Canadian friends I’ve been meeting in the television and doc world. I have to mention! This IS a Canadian media outlet! 😉
Paul Kemp of Paul Kemp Productions, who took home a 2022 & 2023 Canadian Screen Awards win, is creating some bangers. Searching For Satoshi, The Rise Of Jordan Peterson, Transformer, Nike’s Big Bet, Check him out!
Edward Peill of TELL TALE PRODUCTIONS INC. Halifax, NS, Canada, founded in 2003, is seriously the KING of DOCS. Forever Young, Into The Hurricane, Trek of the Titans. Not to mention shows like: “The Curse of Oak Island”, “Halifax Underground”, & “Ghost Towns”. Make some noise for this Canadian, please.
Also, from the same Canadian cloth, Jamie Brown of Frantic Films. Based in Toronto and Winnipeg, Frantic has access to talent in two incredibly creative communities. Their work has allowed us to produce over a quarter-billion dollars in production to date, winning over 165 awards in lifestyle, factual, reality, sports, comedy, and drama along the way. How’s that for some loaded answers, Canadian Beats? You said artists! There are FIVE!
What’s an album that you have in your collection that would surprise people?
Ooh, great question! I’ll give two because they both shaped me as an artist.
1. D’Atra Hicks, self-titled.
2. Teaser and the Firecat, which contains a track I would be named after, “Moon Shadow”. Also, Tea for the Tillerman, which would pump through my home growing up, gently inspiring folk melodies into my veins. D’Atra Hicks would ignite the fire with her sultry, non-autotuned soulful licks and runs. One can’t help but subconsciously emulate all of this goodness. You throw all of that into a blender and songs like “Just Say Yes” magically appear. I’m grateful for all of the amazing influences I’ve had along the way.
What are your plans for Spring and Summer?
We have a new trilogy of tunes: “Talkin To Myself”, “Unholy”, and a really special one called “I Didn’t Know”. For this one, TNA, WWE, & NWA pro wrestling diva, but ALSO Hardcore Country singer/songwriter/artist Mickie James will feature with us. It’s a non-conventional duet about two women singing the same words but from two completely different perspectives. We are over the moon to have her grace us with her vocal talent on this, creating a solid, sexy rock song AND video produced by Josh Shreve, who also worked on “Just Say Yes.” We’re already working on the treatment, coloring inspirations and locations for a soon to be a new masterpiece! Josh left me from our last creative meeting saying, “Mickie James? This one needs to be epic!”
We will continue to tour and hopefully meet some of you reading this very article. It’s just our joy and passion to do what we love and connect with people along the way. After going through the pandemic, something I’d never embarked on before nor care to again, I realize that friendships and family are really all that we have. And music. Cherish them all and treasure the opportunity to create and share that art.
A most humble thank you, Canadian Beats, for having me.