Golden Bear
Why climb Everest? Because it's there.
Matt Wright
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Like so many smaller bands these days, Austin's Golden Bear opted for a digital-only release of its new EP, Everest—but with a personal twist. Much as the group defies listener expectations with its hook-laden psychedelic pop, its “Golden-Grams” project surprised the first 100 of its fans to buy it with a hand-delivered, fake-fur-encased copy, brought to them personally by a band member dressed in a bear suit. Naturally that attention to detail—and willingness to be playful—extends to Golden Bear’s songwriting process, as Decider learned when we asked singer-guitarist Chris Gregory to help us climb Everest track by track. Download the EP here and follow along.
"NightLights"
Chris Gregory: The lyrics are from the perspective of someone that I'm not, but sometimes I envy. I have a normal day job. I go to bed early every night. I like it, but there are people on the other end of the spectrum who get up toward the end of the day and stay up all night, and that's when a lot of the exciting things happen. [The line] "Take all the chances at night"—it's a little easier with the darkness. There's more possibility.
"All The Stars"
CG: "All The Stars" was actually one of the very first songs I ever wrote, in 2002. It was originally kind of a country song. We reworked it, and I like it better. When I wrote it, I was in a period where I was trying to be like Gram Parsons or the [Flying] Burrito Brothers. One of the first lines talks about how "before it seemed like all the songs were sung." Most of my lyrics I'm not that proud of, but I always liked that. There's a feeling—and most songwriters would agree, I think—sometimes of futility, because there are a million songs that are so good, and you're thinking, "It seems like all the good ones have already been written." But then sometimes you pull one off, and it's the same for an addict—that high you get from drugs, or gambling, or smoking.
CG: "All The Stars" was actually one of the very first songs I ever wrote, in 2002. It was originally kind of a country song. We reworked it, and I like it better. When I wrote it, I was in a period where I was trying to be like Gram Parsons or the [Flying] Burrito Brothers. One of the first lines talks about how "before it seemed like all the songs were sung." Most of my lyrics I'm not that proud of, but I always liked that. There's a feeling—and most songwriters would agree, I think—sometimes of futility, because there are a million songs that are so good, and you're thinking, "It seems like all the good ones have already been written." But then sometimes you pull one off, and it's the same for an addict—that high you get from drugs, or gambling, or smoking.
"Future Blues"
CG: That ‘s probably my favorite. It's named after a Canned Heat album; I just liked the idea of "future blues.” To me it's Motown mixed with Pavement mixed with the Beach Boys. I like the optimism of it. You might be down about the future, you might have the blues, but it hasn't gotten you. I still have my soul, my heart, whatever.
CG: That ‘s probably my favorite. It's named after a Canned Heat album; I just liked the idea of "future blues.” To me it's Motown mixed with Pavement mixed with the Beach Boys. I like the optimism of it. You might be down about the future, you might have the blues, but it hasn't gotten you. I still have my soul, my heart, whatever.
"Everest"
CG: That ‘s one of the most honest songs I've ever written—maybe the most honest song I've ever written. Anybody who plays music, or does anything they really wish could be full-time but it's not, you have to believe it's gonna happen. Every year it's like, "Wow, it's now five years that I've been doing this!" Sometimes you get little bits and pieces, or things that are like, "Okay, we've accomplished something," and sometimes you find yourself saying, "We're not any farther than we were a year ago. This doesn't feel any different." And that can be frustrating and discouraging, and that's what that one's about. Everybody that plays music is having the same aspirations, and they're worn out, and it would be a miracle if it happened. You were optimistic when you were 16, and things seemed possible, and [now] you're starting to realize it might not come true. Not sad, but just realistic. I called it "Everest" because it's the tallest peak in the world, and that would be “success.” And to be honest, I read somewhere that Abbey Road was almost called Everest, and I thought that was a cool title. It's about achieving something, something to be proud of.
CG: That ‘s one of the most honest songs I've ever written—maybe the most honest song I've ever written. Anybody who plays music, or does anything they really wish could be full-time but it's not, you have to believe it's gonna happen. Every year it's like, "Wow, it's now five years that I've been doing this!" Sometimes you get little bits and pieces, or things that are like, "Okay, we've accomplished something," and sometimes you find yourself saying, "We're not any farther than we were a year ago. This doesn't feel any different." And that can be frustrating and discouraging, and that's what that one's about. Everybody that plays music is having the same aspirations, and they're worn out, and it would be a miracle if it happened. You were optimistic when you were 16, and things seemed possible, and [now] you're starting to realize it might not come true. Not sad, but just realistic. I called it "Everest" because it's the tallest peak in the world, and that would be “success.” And to be honest, I read somewhere that Abbey Road was almost called Everest, and I thought that was a cool title. It's about achieving something, something to be proud of.
"Miracle Machine"
CG: That's another one with a keyboard riff that turned into a heavy guitar riff. I just wanted to kinda rock on that song. It seemed perfect for this EP—which kinda rocks. It has a Dinosaur Jr. type of feel to it. The lyrics are just ideas: "There are a million people who would tell you that you've got it wrong / That you're wasting time." You know, that's true. You're always gonna have people saying it's not the wisest thing to be doing what you're doing. It's one we usually close with, because it's really heavy and fun. It's got almost everything about a song that I like. Most qualities of songs that I like are in that song.
CG: That's another one with a keyboard riff that turned into a heavy guitar riff. I just wanted to kinda rock on that song. It seemed perfect for this EP—which kinda rocks. It has a Dinosaur Jr. type of feel to it. The lyrics are just ideas: "There are a million people who would tell you that you've got it wrong / That you're wasting time." You know, that's true. You're always gonna have people saying it's not the wisest thing to be doing what you're doing. It's one we usually close with, because it's really heavy and fun. It's got almost everything about a song that I like. Most qualities of songs that I like are in that song.
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