I have heard The Ghost of Paul Revere catch references to Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers, and others…which, I suppose you could make a case for. The boys of the Ghost certainly bear likeness in the fact that their music is percussive, almost drum like without having actual drums and damn if it doesn’t make you move a bit. But that’s about where the comparison ends. The fellas have a whole lot of heart and soul in their music. With harmonies, great instrumentation, and an energy and vibe that explodes from the stage. The Maine based band has been touring constantly since the first time I was lucky enough to share the small stage at Toad with them a number of year’s back. Honing their craft, building their audience, and loving every minute of it. I caught up with Sean McCarthy who plays bass and sings in the band…check it out and check out the fellas tomorrow in the Museum for the Converse Rubber Tracks curated stage!
RLR: For the fine folks who may not be as familiar with your work, how would you sum up your sound in a short phrase?
GoPR: We like to throw the term Holler Folk out there to describe our sound. We pull from traditional Folk and Americana, but we try to put as much energy as we possibly can in every performance.
RLR: What projects are you currently working on or have you recently released?
GOPR: At the moment, we are writing for our second full length album. We’re going to be heading into the studio this fall, and we’re excited to get back in! Also, we’ll be headed to the Rubber Tracks studios later this month which we couldn’t be more thrilled about.
RLR: Newport Folk is celebrated for its collaborations, community and bringing folks together for a weekend where they may not see each other otherwise. How do you feel about that preservation of unity and family sentiment in the folk music community? How does it play into your own music and where you come from? Is there a “scene” or community that you feel especially attached to?
GoPR: We are so grateful to be able to be a part of the Newport Folk community this year. It’s incredible to witness musicians and artists of this caliber come together and create something amazing. In Portland, the music community is incredible, so it’s very cool to see kind of the same thing happen on a much larger scale. At home, the music scene is pretty tight knit. I don’t want to over generalize and say that everyone knows everyone else, because that’s not entirely the case, but you see a lot of the same folks out at live shows. But the cool thing is, it’s for all types of shows! We’ve been part of hip-hop shows, big band shows, hard rock shows…We’re very lucky to be a part of a “scene” that supports music so genuinely.
RLR: Do you have a favorite moment on stage from your career? Something that just stands out as special and has given you the urge to keep on going.
GoPR: Over the past couple years, we’ve had so many incredible moments on stage, but I will never forget during our album release show in 2014 when we played San Antone and it seemed like the entire audience sang along. To have your community rally and show that kind of support and affection was unbelievable
RLR: If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive) musically, who would it be?
GoPR: I’m sure that each member of the band would say something different in terms of who we’d like to collaborate with. For all intents and purposes, you could pick any artist or group off the Newport lineup and we’d be completely beside ourselves.
RLR: 1 record that shaped you when you first started playing and 1 ‘lesser known’/independent record or artist that you are now/are listening to now that you think folks really need to hear about?
GoPR: Again, this question would probably have 4 different answers. Zeppelin IV, The White Album, No Separation, O.C.M.S…the list goes on and on. Right now we’ve been really into And the War Came by Shakey Graves, Shovels and Rope by Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, and if people don’t know who Posessed by Paul James is, then they best do something about it quickly. Aaaand The Ballroom Thieves new album, A Wolf in The Doorway gets us all hot and bothered as well.
RLR: So, why is creating music important to you? Why do you hit the stage night after night, pull out the old song notebook every day, or whatever else you do to let loose your creativity?
GoPR: I think the reason we do this is because we are madly in love with music. The ability to transport someone to a certain feeling or time, the breadth of emotion that can be felt…and it’s all something that can be shared. For each of us, there’s nothing we enjoy more. I get to go out and share my biggest love and passion with as many people as i can, and I get to do it with some of my best friends. There truly is nothing like it.
RLR: Aside from music, do you have any other pastimes? What would you want people to know about you aside from your musical endeavors?
GoPR: Besides music our individual interests vary as well. Matt loves surfing, Max and Griffin are both phenomenal artists. I enjoy anything to do with food and drink. We love board games. Griffin, Max and I have been best friends since we were 4, so I can say with no lack of certainty that there are few things we enjoy more than floating down the river, then cooking something delicious, and having a good time around a fire with our crew. I’d be willing to bet Matt wouldn’t mind that either.
RLR: Anything else you want to plug?
GoPR: As for the plug, I suppose just our website, our upcoming work with Converse Rubber Tracks, facebook, instagram, twitter, etc…. (well, check all those links out below folks!)
http://www.ghostofpaulrevere.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ghostofpaulrevere
https://instagram.com/ghostofpaulrevere/
https://twitter.com/NorthernGhosts