Higher power Singer-songwriter's new musical project sees him preaching the golden gospel of good vibes By: Eva Wasney Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Friday, Apr. 30, 2021 Last Modified: 10:49 AM CDT Friday, Apr. 30, 2021 Updates

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This article was published 30/04/2021 (1621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a new minister in town and he’s far from your average clergyman.

For one, the moustachioed, pot-smoking, mullet-sporting, aviator-glasses-wearing Boy Golden has no religious affiliation whatsoever. He’s also much more interested in spreading good vibes than the good word.

Boy Golden is the priestly new persona of local musician Liam Duncan, formerly of Middle Coast, and despite the pageantry, the role feels more authentic than anything he’s done before.

“It came up pretty naturally,” Duncan, 25, says. “Truth is, the character is very close to me — I don’t have to really change the clothes that I like or anything — but it just allows me to exaggerate everything a little bit more and write from this different perspective.”

While many Winnipeggers will connect the dots between Boy Golden and the giant male nude perched atop the Legislative Building, the moniker hits closer to home. “My mother’s maiden name is Golden and I am her boy,” he says.

Boy Golden’s chosen sanctuary is the Church of Better Daze; once a rosy metaphysical place Duncan visited while songwriting, now a virtual house of worship that celebrates community, stoner culture and playful positivity.

“The church was formed around me trying to figure out how I wanted to go about my days, live my life and make music,” he says.

Middle Coast split in early 2019 and Duncan released a solo album the same year under his own name — after which, he promptly pumped the brakes. The album quickly lost its lustre and the constant grind of promoting himself as a solo act wasn’t paying off. He stepped away from the spotlight to focus on songwriting while backing other bands as a keyboardist for nearly two years.

“Taking the pressure off the artist side allowed me to write a whole different set of music that I’m much happier with,” he says. “Not all of these songs are directly about my life… a lot of them are aspirational as well, just talking about things the way I wish they were.”

Last Tuesday (on 4/20, appropriately), Boy Golden unveiled the title track of his forthcoming album, Church of Better Daze, which is set to release July 16 on Six Shooter Records. The upbeat, bluegrass-infused song and accompanying music video are an apt introduction to a character that’s both larger-than-life and utterly approachable.

“Taking the pressure off the artist side allowed me to write a whole different set of music that I’m much happier with. Not all of these songs are directly about my life… a lot of them are aspirational as well, just talking about things the way I wish they were.” – Boy Golden

Wearing a canary yellow vintage suit with a joint tucked behind his ear, Boy Golden and his congregation — a collection of Duncan’s musician friends — are seen zipping past farmer’s fields on dusty gravel roads in a 1995 Toyota Previa van. A close watch reveals a discrepancy in Boy Golden’s appearance: in some scenes his teeth are intact, in others his wide grin is interrupted by a jagged space. A quick stop during filming sent him careening head-first into his guitar in the back of the minivan. Or was it his skateboard?

“Honestly, I got a little bit concussed so I’m not really sure,” he says with a chuckle. “And it happened way too early to quit… so, I was like, yeah, let’s keep going.”

Inspiration for Church of Better Daze, the song, came after hanging out with a bandmate of American theologian and gospel singer Rev. Sekou at a music festival.

“He showed me how to roll a really big blunt and I thought that was really funny because he was, like, a very pastoral guy,” Duncan says. “That sort of got the wheels spinning in my head.”

Weed wasn’t initially going to be a major part of the project, but after combing through the plethora of songs he had written, it stood out as a recurring theme.

“It’s certainly been a part of my life and it’s a part of how I get to that place creatively,” he says. “It helps my imagination go to different worlds and be a little freer in that respect — I can get pretty caught up in the day-to-day, and the day-to-day right now is really not great.”

Touring is still a far-off possibility because of the pandemic. Instead, Boy Golden will be chatting with followers and playing music during regular livestreamed Sunday Sermons on Instagram (@ya.boy.golden). He’s also looking to make the Church of Better Daze website — the design of which is a slice of early internet nostalgia — a more immersive experience for fans. Those who wish to become church members can visit churchofbetterdaze.com or text 1-450-800-2205 to join and receive a welcome package.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney