Audition: Ghost Shirt resurrects the hook
By Travis Hoewischer |
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Toss the word 'pop' into rock circles and watch musicians scatter, hoping to avoid the shiny shrapnel.
Then there's Ghost Shirt, a band happy to stomp on the musical landmine with a smile.
Long an incubator for grunge punk acts, alt-country throwbacks, and what front man Branden Barnett calls "art noise," Columbus is getting a new hook.
"I don't want to be confrontational, because a lot of my friends are in those bands − I think you need both," he said of local acts that have made some noise by . . . making noise. "But, it's very under-represented and almost shameful in Columbus to be poppy. I think it's completely ridiculous."
"I think you can write a really good pop song and dress it up in interesting clothes without being pretentious about it."
Pop certainly suits the state of mind for Ghost Shirt, the incestuous offspring of fragmented Columbus bands The Shatters and The Judas Cow, and a dream project for Barnett.
Writing songs on his own for the last two years, Barnett got some inspiration from Samantha Kim, a classical violinist, who after a chance encounter at the Tree House, was soon working with Barnett on arrangements. Barnett had the rest of his preferred lineup already mapped out; he just had to wait for longtime friends Ryan Haye (bass) and Dave "Murph" Murphy (drums) to become available.
Since then, Ghost Shirt has barely even unplugged. They set up residence at the Tree House for months, piecing their sound together throughout a string of local shows, and new songs quickly were added to Barnett's originals.
Then, in the biggest step in the band's early stages, Shane Sweeney of local force Two Cow Garage scooped the foursome up "in their bosom," as Barnett put it, and took them on the road for a 10-day tour in mid April.
It wasn't "real touring," Barnett said with laugh.
"They booked it, they brought their fans to it, their people were putting us up in hotels, comping us drinks . . . Two Cow, they were literally our Mr. Miyagi."
It was a fortunate break, said Murphy, a veteran of countless local bands.
"In 72 hours, we made contacts that would have taken seven trips on our own," Murphy said.
While being vouched for on tour is a solid show of local support, Barnett said local bands are as much an influence as they are cheerleaders.
Major label 'indie' pop acts like the New Pornographers or Belle and Sebastian are on the band's collective radar, but they say local music by bands like The Whiles, Paper Airplane, and The Kyle Sowashes urges them to further the pop agenda in town.
"There's a lot of local music that I'm pretty affected by," Barnett said. "I almost felt a sense of duty to make something lush, to have these big string arrangements − like Pet Sounds; of course, we'll never sound like Pet Sounds, but it's a good bar."
So, Ghost Shirt isn't carrying the pop flag by themselves, but Barnett − dubbed by his bandmates "Captain Hook" for his sensibilities − certainly wears it on his vintage shirtsleeve. Ghost Shirt's EP, released on April 11, is at once smart and singable. "History of the Radio" swoons in chorus-first, "oh-oh-ohs" in lieu of solos, while "Waitress" and "Sick With Love" could inspire impromptu dance floors and head-nodders alike.
With the Two Cow "bosom" tour, the band hasn't just surpassed the typical trajectory of the average local band; so far, they also seemed to have avoided the jaded cool and fractured relationships that come with it.
"Playing in a lot of bands, it's really hard to find that kind of chemistry," Murphy said. "There's no group of people I'd rather being playing with."
And when you see Ghost Shirt on stage, you get the genuine sense there's no place they would rather be. At this point, the band may be too grateful and eager to have an ego.
They will, more than once, crack a smile on stage; they use the term "best friends" to describe their band mates with not one hint of false modesty. Live, Kim will switch to keyboards, and Murphy plays the Levon role with an occasional crowd-pleasing horn part. Both contribute vocals, with plans for Haye to take the mic in the near future.
"If there's an ego in this band − I haven't seen it," he said.
Being ego-free is not only endearing, it is also good business. Two Cow Garage's Sweeney told Barnett, any band should feel grateful to play their music for people, not entitled to perform.
"Just don't be a jerk," Barnett said. "There are so many good bands, it really is completely dependent on how you treat other people."
A few good hooks won't hurt either.
Stream tracks from Ghost Shirt's upcoming full-length album (cut at Central City Recording, out this summer) at myspace.com/ghostshirtband or catch them live May 2nd at The Tree House (887 Chambers Rd.).
Originally Published: May 1, 2009
