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MASTERS OF REALITY have returned after sixteen long years with their masterful new album The Archer and it feels like they haven’t been away, given its joyful vibrancy and eclectic groove. We caught up with the band’s main man Chris Goss to hear all about the return of one of America’s greatest ever bands and his rich musical history.
We begin with Chris telling us how it feels to be back with The Archer. “It’s good to be out doing new music again. That’s very exciting to me, to present things live that we haven’t before.”
We then discuss the gap between The Archer and their last record, 2009s Pine/Cross Dover. “There’s a few reasons for that. The main one being, I think the world in the last sixteen years, the world has gone through some profound changes. If one is paying attention to the minutia behind everything, there’s a lot. There was a lot to study and there still is actually. From my perch here in the desert, I lead a pretty quiet, solitary life here, which allowed me the ability to look at things and think about things, and in that period, coming up with song ideas in my brain.”
Chris then divulges about the process of gathering all the ideas into what became The Archer. “I had hundreds of ideas, blurbs of riffs and songs and lyrics and melodies, music I taped off the television. That inspired me to try to go through this catalogue of junk over many telephones, digital recorders and anything I can get it recorded on. It was overwhelming, hence, sixteen years of doom!”
MASTERS OF REALITY fans can rejoice though as Chris declares that the next album won’t have such a massive gap between release dates. “I don’t foresee it being as long at all, because in this interim, I’ve had plenty of time to think about the presentation of music and and where it should go, and maybe needs to go. I could start working on new album tomorrow.”
Chris then talks of his excitement about the forthcoming tour in Europe. “The reception that we have is so lovely, and once again, Europe saves the American blues artists and jazz artists. America is a bitch to tour. It’s so big and few and far between. Europe is much easier to tour, the food is great and the people are very lovely to us there.”
Chris then details the reaction the new material has had at recent MASTERS OF REALITY shows. “We only played two tracks off the new album on the last tour. This time, we’ll be playing five or six at least, which is at least a third of the set. Sugar was the first release that the label picked to put out, and then Mr. Tap N’ Go. We did both of those on the last tour, and surprisingly, they did go down well”. In keeping with live shows, Chris then recalls his most memorable MASTERS OF REALITY gig. “There was one show at Bizarre Fest in Germany. I think it was 1998 or 99 and that was wonderful. Joe Strummer was watching, and he loved the band. That was a moment for me!”
Talk then turns to the influence that MASTERS OF REALITY have had, which Chris is understandably happy about. “It has influenced a lot of music, and I’m very proud of the desert itself, how it’s pretty much worked its way into all kinds of music around the world and my job in doing that and helping present it to the world, I’m proud of that, I just didn’t reap the rewards that I should have. I’m the worst businessman that ever lived.”
As well as MASTERS OF REALITY, Chris has had a storied career working with many bands as a producer. He told us about working with KYUSS and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE as high points. “KYUSS was a riot, because they were so young and playful, the energy in the room was just positive and we literally discussed making the heaviest music that had ever been made, it was so healing! Rated R with QUEENS was a joy to make. We were hanging out, having a lot of fun. The success hadn’t flooded them and drowned them yet but we knew we were on to something, there was a great, definitive sound that they had developed by that record.”
Chris then speaks of his joy at playing and making music with the legendary Ginger Baker when he was the drummer of MASTERS OF REALITY. “It was wonderful, I have more memories of that than any other period. I took it as, I’m going to go to school now and work with an architect of what we do. A man who came from jazz, but understood the pleasure and simplicity of, as he said, a good boogie. Making music with him was always great. I had an instinct of when to approach him and bother him or not, and people who didn’t know that, got their face bitten off. I found it amusing! What an honour.
We finish off with Chris telling us his favourite song off the BLACK SABBATH album that gave MASTERS OF REALITY their name. “Into The Void. I mean, that riff! There’s just so many from Tony Iommi, riffs that move the body, and that’s where it’s at for me, you can’t help it, your spine turns to jelly!”
The Archer is out now via Mascot Records. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS120 here:
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