CANNABIS CONGREGATION

Boy Golden’s Church of Better Daze

IF 2021 HAS A CANNABIS ANTHEM, IT’S UNDOUBTEDLY “CHURCH OF BETTER DAZE,” the debut single from Winnipeg’s Boy Golden. Over a barrelling country rock groove full of sawing fiddle and twangy slide, the charismatic singer-songwriter with a smash-toothed smile rattles off a tongue-twisting, weed-themed sermon — think the delivery of “Subterranean Homesick Blues” mixed with the lyrics of “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.”

He sings, “You’re gonna light it up, flick, sip, puff / Pass it along when you’ve had enough / Share it with the crowd, don’t let it hit the ground / And when it comes back, just start another round,” offering a manifesto of sorts for cannabis consumption and collective good vibes.

Boy Golden makes weed references in every song on forthcoming debut album Church of Better Daze — out July 16 on Six Shooter Records — although the title track is the only one explicitly and entirely about his favourite plant. “I did not intend for cannabis to be a theme in my music, but when I finished the record, there it was,” he acknowledges. “On almost every song! I was a bit surprised with myself. However, it is not possible for me to lie in song. It is not possible and certainly not desirable.

Pot is a part of my life as it is a part of many people’s lives, and that’s fine. It’s not what the record is about, but it’s a part of it.”

He explains that, despite releasing a lead single that’s all about cannabis, he’s not actually a particularly heavy user. “I don’t really smoke large amounts,” he says. “Some people can consume a surprising amount of cannabis and still function perfectly. For me, it’s all about a slight perspective shift. Also, when combined with a fair bit of coffee, it turns into what I call a ‘studio speedball,’ and I can work all day.”

So really, that means one thing: music. While he sees “no point in shifting my state of mind” for normal day-to-day activities, he uses cannabis in his creative process “as a way to come back to whatever I’m doing with fresh ears and a different frame of mind.”

So whether you consume a lot of cannabis or none at all, it doesn’t matter to Boy Golden. He says, “For me, cannabis is my sacrament. However, not all the members of the Church feel the same. Many people I work and play with do not smoke, and that is fine. I don’t drink these days — that’s fine too! It’s about a state of mind and a shared vision, not about the substance. Smokin’ weed works for me.”