Ghostride Interview

Q: What do you get when you put three members (Jeff Irwin/Guitar), (Mike Martin/Bass), (Mitch Wheeler/Drums) from the now extinct Will Haven, (Cayle Hunter/Guitar) from the band Oddman and (Rey Osburn/Vocals) from Tinfed in the same room.

A: Ghostride

Hailing from Sacremoneto CA. This five piece outfit are preparing take the rock world by storm. Music-News caught up with Cayle Hunter the guitarist from Ghostride and this is what he had to say on the new band.

How did Ghostride come about?

Ghostride came about because of the friendships between 5 guys. My other band, Oddman, used to tour with Will Haven a while back and our bands became good friends. After Grady left Will Haven I started jamming with the remaining members and we just had an amazing chemistry so it stuck. When it came to the search for a singer, it actually started out with Scott (the singer for Oddman) but he decided it was a little to light for him. After that Jeff contacted Rey from Tinfed because everybody always loved Tinfeds music and Rey's vocals especially. So we gave him a tape of songs and he came to practice. He came in and blew us all away, taking our music in to directions we didn't even see that it could go. So after that we were Ghostride.

So where did the name come from?

Jeff came up with it. Jeff saw an article in the paper about a guy in a wheelchair who jumped off a bridge and the wheelchair kept going all the way down the street. Now when we were little, we used to hop of our bikes and let them keep going until they crashed and called it a ghostride. When Jeff read that told us about the article at practice he was like now that's the ultimate ghostride right there. So it stuck.

How would you describe Ghostride's music?

It sounds like Will Haven mixed with Oddman mixed with Tinfed. Haha. Really though, I know everybody says this about their own band, but it's very tough to describe. The goal from the beginning was to sound like us and nobody else, so if people hated it or liked it, atleast they could recognize it as Ghostride. It's also tough because it is always changing. It started out on our first EP sounding like a new Will Haven cd with Rey from Tinfed singing over it. Now it sounds different, more like a heavy metal Depeche Mode or Radiohead or something. Just because it is still riff-heavy and loud, but it's still got it's spacey qualities that take it in a whole new direction and give it a very unique texture. It's just like that because we are just now realizing the abilities or Rey and what we can do with him on the mic.

What are the bands musical influences?

No specific bands really. Just any band that makes music for the art and keeps music interesting. I am a huge Helmet fan and sometimes that comes out in my playing, but not too often. Really the goal is to inspire each other and draw music from within the group so it sounds as unique to us as possible.

You decided to release your debut four track EP yourselves and recently recorded some new material with producer Eric Stenman (responsible for Will Haven's El Diablo & WHVN.) What was that like?

Well the first EP was kind of a rush both figuretivley and literally. First of all, we recorded the EP in 2 days, so it was rushed. We had just got Rey to start singing and hadn't even heard what some of the songs were going to be like before we got to the studio. So their was a lot of nervous energy and excitement there that I think come across on the EP. Once we heard how the songs turned out on our EP it kind of opened our eyes to what type of potential we really had as a band. So the next time we recorded we were a lot more together as a band because we knew exactly what we were capable of, and it comes across in the new songs. They sound so different and captivating to us and we are very excited about them. Let me say though, that without Eric Stenman this whole process would have been a lot more difficult. He is a total pro and a good friend. VERY easy to work with, and he really knows how to capture our sound and our vision for each song (and in a short amount of time too). He knows when to stay out of the way and when to speak up, and is an awesome set of extra ears since we all respect his opinion so much. We recommend him to everyone, check him out at www.ericstenman.com

What's planned for 2004?

We are really hoping and planning on 2004 being our year. We feel we are just about to hit our songwriting peak and come up with the best music of our lives, so that's exciting. We also look forward to getting our EP (and our new demo) out to anyone and everyone that will listen to it, even if we have to go door to door. We hope to do so with extensive touring both in the US and Europe and wherever else we can go. We also look forward to doing a lot of press, making a lot of new friends, and a lot of new memories.

Is there a Major/Independent label involved?

Not right now. Maybe some time in the future. We were in negotiations with some labels VERY early on as a band, probably too early, but that ended up falling through. We don't really care about labels. But unfortunately they are almost neccisary since they have more money then us and can afford to send us on tour and put our record in more stores. The truth is though, it's going to take some label that is willing to take a chance. Our music doesn't neccisarily fit on a certain radio station, or cater to a certain demographic, so it might be tough for a label guy to take a chance on a band without a ready-made audience. But hopefully we make enough noise on our own to where the labels will realize that people don't want 10,000 Linkin Parks and Disturbed's diluting the airwaves. Hopefully we can prove that people want to hear things that are new, original, real, and not watered down for the masses. But that's tough for a label to grasp so we'll just continue making waves and fans on our own. We are totally fine with that.

Can we expect a full-length album?

Yes. It just remains to be seen who we will release it through. We may do it on our own eventually, we may do it through a label. We're not sure. We have enough songs to release a full length today, with tons of songs and ideas waiting in the wings, so that's not a problem. We're just going to have to see how things play out. We don't want to rush anything and put our a low quality product. If we're going to do it, it's got to be an incredible album and nothing less.

Where's the best place you've played so far?

Tough to say. Maybe the Colonial Theatre in Sacramento or Spaceland in Hollywood. But we also have a show with the Deftones at the Memorial Auditorium that holds about 4,000 people so I have a feeling that will probably be the best.

Any plans to play the UK?

We are constantly getting questions about that, and trust us, we are CONSTANTLY trying to find a way to get over there. It just hasn't happened yet. That is a huge priority for us as a band, to get over there as soon as possible, so if anybody reading this can help us out let us know!!! haha.