The Incredible 'Secret' of We Have a Ghost
When you are haunted, the secret reveals more. It sounds like nonsense, and it might be nonsense coming from some manufactured modern pop music star. But it's all part of the considered methodology of We Have a Ghost (WHaG), whose first album, Debut, dropped on Halloween. We Have a Ghost is one person, and yet legion. As Ghost himself says, It's not 'I have a ghost', it's WE. It's akin to the Plastic Ono Band. John Lennon used to say everyone was a member of the band (YOU are the Plastic Ono Band), although I never saw my name on an album cover. In this digital age, WhaG has made sure his audience is an intimate part of what he does, and yes, your name just might wind up on his album cover. Or at least the credits. To begin with, who is 'he'? No one knows. This is not just hollow mystique. According to Ghost, who comes from a visual arts background, it should be all about the art, not the artist. You don't walk into a gallery and like a particular work more because of what they look like or where they live. You never hear "OMG Francis Bacon was so hot!". The fact you never see his face allows him privacy, even while art itself is, as Ghost says, a private moment made public. With that in mind then, let's focus on the basics: the words and the music. Debut is a powerful, driven, cinematic, heavy yet danceable, sleekly synthesized with awesome real drums, organic and electronic. No wonder listeners are having a hard time classifying it. But one listen to the lead-off track, The Secret, and you'll feel like you do when someone whispers an enigma in your ear. It's something incredible, and you want to tell everyone. But this Secret is meant to be shared. Ghost doesn't really mind though. For anything to have staying power, things need to be talked about, written about, and experienced. People need to know it exists in the first place, it requires exposure. Which means it needs to be understood on some level first. And it's receiving exposure, but not via traditional routes. The music industry is changing rapidly, and WhaG is taking full advantage of this. Debut has been released independently, and promoted by social media and word-of-mouth. So what's the upside and down sides of being part of the revolution? The advantage is being involved in every element along the way. There is almost no barrier between myself and my fans. Its an education. There are challenges with this approach. It takes me 10 times as long to get things done. Indeed, he describes himself as a one-man record label. But the success WhaG has enjoyed so far puts him in a place where I am no longer doing everything myself. I've met like-minded artists and fans. We are helping each other get to where we need to go in the areas we are best at. But he adds that this is the result of years of hard work by himself to get here. WhaG also realizes that while social media platforms like Facebook are good for building a fan base, it's horrible at keeping you informed. Admittedly, what's needed doesn't exist, but Ghost intends to help build it. He feels the closest anyones gotten is Rockstar Motel, where he is an artists advocate and advisor. Still, I know what's coming, and it is revolutionary. He's driven for sure, and Ghost readily admits he is also haunted. But he just as quickly adds that we are all haunted. And it's this that lead him to a deeper connection with his burgeoning audience. He's heard from many people after asking fans to share their hauntings with him. And it's affected Ghost intensely; it's life changing. It turns out I am haunted most by the hauntings of others. It brings out things in me I never knew were there. It is mentally, physically, technically, and spiritually overwhelming. It's much bigger than me, bigger than anyone who knows about this can understand until I can show them. And that is the next step. Ghost Hunter, his next (possibly double) album, will infuse the stories listeners have shared in order to create ...something beautiful out of it, and make it something they will want to return to again and again. It is art therapy really. While he's not relentlessly promoting the album (available at his website, on CD, mp3 and vinyl), WhaG is hoping his unique cinematic music might be coming to a theater near you. I'd love to work with David Lynch; I submitted the album for consideration for the new Lynch documentary. And just to put it out there, if James Cameron is listening I'd like to have one of my soundscapes used in Avatar 2. Relentless, indeed. One gets the definite impression of an artist who has just begun and is hungry for more. Once I burst through this bottleneck, you will see. We Have a Ghost is an artist who admits he didn't get into making music until he knew he had something to say. But he isn't saying it without you: The fears / hauntings / desires of my fans. I'm doing it for them. LINKS:: https://www.facebook.com/wehaveaghosthttps://www.rockstarmotel.com/http://wehaveaghost.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GPkIJFxUuM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCrBS4AvEyo http://wehaveaghost.bandcamp.com/album/we-have-a-ghost