Ghosty on Daytrotter
Ghosty performs live in the Daytrotter studios. Hear 3 unreleased tracks plus a fine version of their hit “Dumbo Wins Again” from Answers. Check it out here.
Add comment August 8th, 2008
Upcoming Shows
American Catastrophe
June 14th~NXNE Festival at Dakota Tavern~Toronto, Canada
Ghosty
Aug. 8th~Record Bar~Kansas City, MO
Aug. 9th~The Matinee~Cleveland, OH
on tour with bears
Aug. 10th~The M Room~Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 11th~Red & Black~Washington, DC
Aug. 16th~Radio Bean~Burlington, VT
Aug. 17th~The Bug Jar~Rochester, NY
The Pedaljets
Add comment April 14th, 2008
Answers reviewed at ObscureSound.com
Posted on Monday 14 April 2008
When a lack of publicity gets them down, all some bands need is a helping hand from a familiarly comforting face. It can obviously be tough for those with no musical connections or specific geographical ties, but having a friend in the music industry - whether it is on an artistic or solely professional level - can provide for the light but gratifying push that almost immediately grants something that all independent artists yearn for: an opportunity. When I wrote a short blurb about Ghosty nearly two years ago, I made note that the prestigious frontman for The Flaming Lips, Wayne Coyne, contributed to a track on their debut album, Grow Up or Sleep In. The Kansas-based group met Coyne in 2003 while recording in his native Oklahoma. Both sides agreed to collaborate with each other, as Coyne provided vocals on “Clouds Solve It” while the members of Ghosty provided additional instrumentation on The Flaming Lips’ “Ego Tripping at the Gates of ill”, a great track off of the classic Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Now, even though the melodic skill of Ghosty is undeniable, something tells me that Coyne’s collaboration was more vital in appliance to any foreseeable exposure. After all, he fronts a group like The Flaming Lips. It holds little relevance though, as many listeners were simply thankful that Coyne had helped significantly in exposing a band with heaps of potential.
With the sheer of notion of Coyne delivering guest vocals on a debut album from a somewhat inexperienced band providing indication of just how highly the potential of Ghosty is regarded, the revolving (and current) six-piece looks to capitalize on such beliefs with their second album, Answers. The release comes three years after Grow Up Or Sleep In, with the slight hiatus giving several of the band’s members time to excel in the music industry and make even more connections. Frontman Andrew Connor backed up Benjy Ferree on tour, guitarist Jake Blanton toured with Sia as a keyboardist, and bassist Mike Nolte was a sound engineer for tours by Rogue Wave and Dr. Dog. The work gave three core members plenty of additional experience, ridding any “newbie” tags from the band’s name. As expected, Answers proves to be a step forward in the ambitiousness and variety of Ghosty’s songwriting. Released on Robert Moore’s Oxblood imprint, the 11 tracks prove to be a furtherly invigorating display of Connor’s uniquely accessible form of songwriting. A mixture of intricately executed guitar progressions by Connor and Blanton remain constantly steady, and the further supplementation by the rhythm section of Nolte and drummer Josh Adams is tight as usual, just like the work displayed on Grow Up Or Sleep In. The most glaring difference from the debut, however, is the variation between songs. Whereas Grow Up Or Sleep In attracted a variety of fans through its sleek and accessible take on contemporary indie-rock, Answers sees a dramatic increase in the variation of hooks, leading melodies, and cumulative instrumentation.
Commercials from Apple have recently featured the likes of Feist, The Vines, and other acts that were at some point regarded as up-and-coming artists in the world of independent music. Now, even though Ghosty has yet to scoop up a commercial deal, Apple has already shown that they are a fan of Ghosty’s music. Listening to the best tracks from Answers, it is not hard to blame them. The utterly infectious “You Are a Big Screen” has been featured in a few Apple retail stores, ironically played on a crisply clear big screen that showboated all of the company’s hottest products. When Answers drops on May 20th, the group hopes that such indications prove to foreshadow such corporate and artistic successes. “You Are a Big Screen” would certainly be a great choice for the album’s debuting single, as it provides a sense of initial infectiousness with radio-friendly leanings. Despite the constantly revolving variations of interplaying guitars and keys, the song’s composure remains soothing and laid-back, with the progressions never being rushed or embarrassingly melodramatic (common faults in a variety of contemporary indie-rock). Compared to linearly enjoyable greats on Grow Up Or Sleep In like “Henry Greene” and “Big Surrender”, Connor’s vocals appear more polished and there is not one moment of overused repetition. All in all, it simply makes for a greatly enjoyable track.
In addition to the original four members of Ghosty, guitarist Jeff Ferrell and keyboardist David Wetzel provide additional work on the album and on tour. It makes sense too, as the aforementioned variation on Answers includes a more confident usage of keyboards and increased variation of guitar progressions. The opening track, “Dumbo Wins Again”, is a fantastic example of the group’s ability to build upon instrumentally melodic layers. Wetzel and the band’s three guitarists are all actively used, with the use of chords, solos, and bass lines being applied evenly and constructively. “A Man With Answers” also makes great use of this technique, with the backing vocals and multiple guitar progressions contrasting with perfection. The reverbed tinge of drums becomes more subdued for the entry of a light chorus, an unpredictably successful use of structure. “Who would question a man with answers?” Connor asks, hypothetically witty. It is commendable that the group shows no restraint in their style of songwriting, as it allows for a broader range of hooks and instrumental foreplay. “Staring down at my feet, strolling out on another street, asking why I waste my time,” Connor sings after a chorus ushers in an additional guitar progression. Connor’s vocals hold a slight resemblance to fellow collaborator Wayne Coyne and even Dave Grohl’s more subdued tracks, though Ghosty’s approach in songwriting makes a broader comparison to richly serene indie-rock acts in the vein of Rogue Wave more suitable. And with Rogue Wave finding considerable success with their second album, Descended Like Vultures, in 2005, I foresee the similarly laced Answers finding just as much, if not more.
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Add comment April 14th, 2008
Oxblood update!
We have two solid new releases available now. The new recording from Ghosty titled “Answers” is an indie-pop gem and the remixed and remastered self-titled offering from jangle-pop kings The Pedaljets. Check our online store now! Still available are the debut ep from American Catastrophe and our compilation First Blood which highlights the burgeoning Kansas City-area scene featuring Republic Tigers, White Whale, Ssion, Roman Numerals, Softee and many more.
Also, the beautiful track from Olympic Size on First Blood, “Friends” was included in a recent episode of Real World Australia. Republic Tigers have signed to the new buzz label Chop Shop Records. Congrats, lads! Rob Pope of White Whale is busy touring with indie darlings Spoon. Good on ya, Rob. Roman Numerals continue to tour the states as we write. Softee have recorded an ep and are soon to be heading into the studio again.
Our very own American Catastrophe and Ghosty will be hitting the road in the Spring. Look for some dates from The Pedaljets to be announced soon as well. As usual, thanks for your support and buy indie!
Robert Moore
Add comment February 1st, 2008
Am Cat cracks CMJ’s TOP 200 and Ghosty finishes full-length
American Catastrophe’s “Excerpts From The Broken Bone Choir” debuted at #166 on the CMJ charts this week…the first OxBlood release to do so.
Ghosty has finished recording a new full-length (working title Answer) due out October 2nd. The cd will consist of 11 tracks; 5 produced by Paul Malinowski and the rest produced by Trent Bell. We’re very exctied about this recording and would like to give you a snippet why. Check out The Pitch’s Wayward Son blog
here.
Add comment June 28th, 2007
Airplay for First Blood
The comp is receiving airplay on…
WNYU, New York City
WEGL, Auburn, AL
KXCI, Tucson, AZ
KBEACH, Long Beach, CA
KFSR, Fresno, CA
KVMR, Nevada City, CA
KDUR, Durango, CO
WFCS, New Britain, CT
WQAQ, Hamden, CT
WWUH, West Hartford, CT
WVAU, Washington, D.C.
WPRK, Winter Park, FL
URH, Hilo, HI
KWLC, Decorah, IA
WRDP, Chicago, IL
WUIC, Chicago, IL
KRVS, Lafayette, LA
WCCS, Norton, MA
WCHC, Worcester, MA
WKKL, West Barnstable, MA
WTBU, Boston, MA
KOPN, Columbia, MA
KKFI, Kansas City, MO
KRBZ, The Buzz, Kansas City, MO
KSLU, St. Louis, MO
KGLT, Bozeman, MT
WGLS, Glassboro, NJ
WTSR, Ewing, NJ
CHMR, St. John’s, New Foundland, Canada
WCDB, Albany, NY
WICB, Ithaca, NY
WNYO, Oswego, NY
WXBC, Annondale, NY
ACRN, Athens, OH
WCBE, Columbus, OH
WOBN, Westerville, OH
WOUB, Athens, OH
WIRE, Norman, OK
WCUR, West Chester, PA
WKDU, Philadelphia, PA
WMUH, Allentown, PA
WPTS, Pittsburgh, PA
WUPJ, Johnstown, PA
WYBF, Radnor, PA
WUSC, Columbia, SC
KYSM, San Anotnio, TX
KWCR, Ogden UT
KWCW, Walla Walla, WA
WORT, Madison, WI
WWSP, Stephens Point, WI
Thank you to these fine stations for promoting Kansas City area music.
Robert, OxBlood
Add comment June 28th, 2007
Welcome
Megan Hamilton and I started OxBlood after commiserating over our experiences in the music industry. She is a former member of Frogpond, who did time on a major label, while I worked for indie and major labels in Los Angeles in the late 80’s. Soured by the treatment of bands by record labels, we vowed OxBlood would be artist-friendly. With the scene in Kansas City (and Lawrence, Kansas) burgeoning, there is no better time than now. We want to showcase the diverse talent of our scene and what better way than compiling some of the scene’s stars for our initial release? The compilation has an old-school approach…all new and exclusive tracks recorded at the same studio by one producer — Mr. Paul Malinowski (Season To Risk, Shiner).
First Blood includes a mix of new projects from Kansas City area veterans featuring former members of Season To Risk, Shiner, The Pedaljets, The Get Up Kids, Boys Life, Dirtnap, The Gadjits, and Butterglory and from the young lions –the likes of The Republic Tigers, Softee, Ghosty, and more. A heartfelt thank you to the musicians, artists, and friends who made this recording possible.
Robert Moore
January 2007
OxBlood Records
Add comment June 27th, 2007