Thursday, April 21, 2016

Chief Gypsy Goliath Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

AL Yeti Bones: Sure! So we just released the new album, titled, "Citizens Of Nowhere", played two CD Release shows, and both went amazingly well. Packed shows, and we're looking forward to more of them. We have a looming Toronto date soon, as well as a few others in the very near future.

2.Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

AL Yeti Bones: I would describe the sound of the new record with one word: Heavy. While it is much more raw then the last one, both were recorded reel to reel, 2 inch tape analogue, and they both have their similarities when it comes to the band having a certain sound, but I would say the new one, is far more true to the elements we possess in our live sound.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

AL Yeti Bones: Lyrically I write about everything. Sometimes it's about my own life, but sometimes it's just about the world in general. I try and use a bit of my own backstory but it's never really about me as much as it is about someone like me. Someone perhaps in the same shoes. I tend to gravitate towards conspiracy theories, and fun puns regarding life and death, and demons and cool shit. When it's about us personally, it's usually about the struggles of being in a band, and the highway road life that I tend to hate so much these days.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gypsy Chief Goliath'?

AL Yeti Bones: When we were still in the process of closing the doors on the band Georgian Skull, I had this idea to name the next album "Gypsy Chief Goliath". For some reason, those three words separately brought a lot of imagery to my head, and I thought they flowed well together also. Then I began picking up the pieces from the demise of my last band, and starting calling the early GCG demos "Gypsy Chief Goliath". Someone mentioned it as "that's the name!" I said, "yea i guess it is." For me, the name symbolizes a fictitious character that could be on par with a god of some kind, or perhaps even a monster. But at any rate, the name opens doors for me in my mind, regarding concepts. And I've always been big on the idea of a concept record at some point in the future.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

AL Yeti Bones: These past two gigs we've played were definitely highlights for me. The first night played in front of almost 200 people, and then the 2nd night we did it in front of 500. Besides these gigs, in the past some of my favourite shows were with Corrosion Of Conformity, we did a few gigs with them in Ontario here, and then same with Kittie and November's Doom. Made some long lasting friendships and met a lot of really good people.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

AL Yeti Bones: We do! We're just working on logistics right now, and trying to figure out last minute details. Then we'll announce. As for what we're doing exactly, we're just trying to further the reach on this one then what we did last time. We're trying to work smarter and not harder, cause we're a little bit older now, and smarter works better for our situation. We all live in different cities. Half the band is Windsor, and the other half is Toronto. Often times, we feel like "Citizens of Nowhere" as a band, we're not quite from Windsor 100% and we're not quite from Toronto 100% either. Hence the album title.

7.On the new album you had done a cover of Black Sabbath's "Killing Yourself To Live", what was the decision behind doing your own version of this song?

AL Yeti Bones: Sabbath is a big part of my life. I play left handed and a Gibson SG, Tony Iommi is one of my biggest influences. It was always important to me to pay back to Sabbath in some small way. The decision to put Killing Yourself To Live on the album was our label Pitch Black's idea, and when we decided to record it, that initially came from the idea of perhaps having it on a Sabbath tribute or compilation disc in the future. We're not really a cover band whatsoever, so it's nice to show people a side of us, that advocates for our inspirations, such as Black Sabbath. And to me personally, it was important we didn't do a song that was too obvious or a song that was too obscure either. If you love Sabbath, then you know this tune. That's all that mattered to me.


8.The new album was released on 'Pitch Black Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

AL Yeti Bones: Pitch Black Records is from Cyprus. They are a heavy metal label, that took a chance on us, as a Stoner Metal band and I am grateful to them, for the support they've given us and we very much feel like home with them. They've done a lot for us, and continue to stand behind what we do, so for that a loyalty has been forged. I love what they do, and a lot of the other products they put out, so it's been pretty cool working with them on these last two records.

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of metal and heavy rock?

AL Yeti Bones: The feedback has been terrific. I get emails from all over the world, whether they are fans or bands, asking when are we going to make it to Europe or wherever they're from. As well as business talk. I love talking about this industry and I'm a big believer in having process. If you want your band to do well, know what you are doing and have a plan, implement it, and keep moving forward. But on a whole, the world has been very kind to us in terms of the fact if we consider what level we're at. We are an underground band that has received some high praise in the past, and hopefully that will continue.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

AL Yeti Bones: I can see us getting a bit more progressive eventually. We've tried to stay away from the 8 minute tunes long enough! We have a lot of 70's influence in us, so that to me, was the greatest era for progressive music. There was such groove, such funk, such jazz, and blues, yet it was all thrown into a boiling pot of rock and roll magic. We could only be so lucky to do something as good in this day and age.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

AL Yeti Bones: Thin Lizzy is my biggest influence next to Black Sabbath. I love Mountain, and Alice Cooper too. As for newer bands, we are big fans of Entombed, Clutch, Mastodon, Red Fang, C.O.C, Crowbar, Down, Sleep, The Sword, Orange Goblin and everything else in that genre. But I do think we are trying to stick to our guns all the while still getting into new territory for the newer material. We have enough for another album right now as it stands.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

AL Yeti Bones: Well I'm married with children, so family is huge for me. I'm also a Financial Advisor so I take pride in my career, and love my clients, as well as I'm a big fan of Podcasts, and Pro Wrestling and MMA. I used to wrestle in my high school days, as well as in college i took Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

AL Yeti Bones: Anyone out there please feel free to contact me at managementgcg@gmail.com, order a CD off us, some merch whatever… Or hit up our website www.gypsychief.com
Cheers.

No comments:

Post a Comment