Gypsy Chief Goliath Explores “Low Cost of Living High” (premiere)

“Low Cost of Living High” is the latest single from the fourth album, Masters of Space and Time, by Ontario-based stoner metal group Gypsy Chief Goliath. If you already imagine the detuned guitars, sludgy chord progressions, and lyrics that embrace the fantastical and the absurd, grab the needle and pull it off the mental record. It’s not that the tune completely lacks stoner tropes but rather that the Canadian cats nicely subvert expectations with guitar harmonies and musical passages that lean toward classic rock. And no, not the dead horse classic rock that everyone knows. This is the deeper stuff, the Head East track that should have been a hit, some obscure Michigan band that had a regional hit in the winter of 1974 but never gained traction outside Ann Arbor. Whatever. The point is, you’re gonna love it. It’s not another Kyuss or Clutch retread. It’s something deeper.

Al Yeti Bones explains the tune’s origins. “The song ‘Low Cost of Living High’ was written very quickly. Musically, it is probably among the more ’70s classic, progressive rock type songs we have in terms of style. It was definitely written with bands like Boston, Steely Dan, Poco, and of course Thin Lizzy in mind, it’s a great example of how diverse and interesting the album truly is.”

He adds, “Lyrically it’s all about chasing success. Getting so caught up in that mess, we watch others succeed at double the speed, and while that’s totally cool, we’ve been doing it for so goddamn long, it can get really discouraging at times. We made a lot of mistakes along the way, but we’ve always kept our integrity in terms of what we sound like. Never tried to play music we didn’t like. But then you also realize, we’re married, we have kids, we have careers outside of music that support our families, we own homes, we have amenities that are five-star. And then I think to myself, wherever the music takes us, whatever opportunities this band has allotted us, none of it compares to the success we’ve already earned in our lives. We are successful. It’s all in how you define it and then perceive it. The reality is, it may not have come the way I had hoped it would initially, but I’m happier today with how my life turned out way more than if we were in that alternate universe.”

“The ‘Low Cost of Living High’ is seriously all about the struggle. The chase, and then ultimately, the parallel payoff that came to us in a different form. It’s all we could have asked for!”

Masters of Space and Time arrives 22 February via Kozmik Artifactz and will available on LP, CD, and all digital services worldwide. The album was recorded at Empire Recording Studios in Windsor, Ontario, co-produced by Adam Michalczuk, Nick Kinnish, and Al Yeti Bones, engineered by Adam Michalczuk, mixed by Nick Kinnish, with additional tracking by Bones. The tracks were mastered by Phil Demetro at Lacquer Channel and the album completed with cover art by Will De Villers.

TOUR DATES

3/02/2019 Willie Johns Big Easy – Niagara Falls, ON

3/16/2019 Dominion House – Windsor, ON *record release show