RS Article

Former Cover Band Has Break Through Album

Ghost Dance's self-titled debut album is a curious mix of influences that strangely enough work. With songs like 'Testament' and 'Last Stage' to their hit 'Girl Wild' which is currently racing up the charts, Ghost Dance demonstrates a hard rock base with punk influences. Leanings, that give them a different and wildly original sound from their contemporaries. While they're young and new to being recording artists they're old hands at touring, having paid their dues, crossing the country playing small clubs and bars.
"Ghost Dance very clearly has its origins in classic rock."
"Yeah, we all grew up listening to the radio when rock from the seventies was played a lot, Springsteen, Aerosmith, The Stones, but we also have a punk element that we're trying to expand on all the time."
"Where did you guys get the name Ghost Dance?"
"We grew up in the Madison, Wisconsin area," lead singer Johnny Rydel answered. "There are still some tribal remnants up there. I visited a reservation quite a few times with my parents when I was a kid and I always thought these trips were the greatest things in the world. Once I kind of had a mystical experience on the reservation, so I became interested in Indian things. And I thought the name was different and cool sounding."
"A mystical experience?"
"Let's just say I thought I had discovered a new science." He said chuckling.
“Kind of like Jim Morrison.”
“Kind of.” He smiled, wanly, “but Jim Morrison doesn’t have a monopoly on mystical experiences.”
“The reason I mention this…”
"The time we toured as a classic rock band." Lead guitarist Brian Leto cuts in.
"I read somewhere you guys got started playing in a tribute band."
"Not exactly, we were already a band, we just couldn't get a gig, and one day we met up with this guy. We grew up in Madison and he went to school there or something. We'd seen him around town when we were growing up. We considered him something of a weirdo, a dude who wanted to be young so he hung around the college years after he graduated. He had this idea for a cover band. We couldn't get a gig, so we did it to keep the band together and be able to practice without having to work some lame day jobs.”
“Of course we admired The Doors and their accomplishments, we just didn’t want to be forever tied to them.”
“Forever a tribute band.”
“We knew we always had something to say and we wanted that voice.”
“Well, he did manage to unite us as a band."
"Yeah, he gave us a common enemy."

(The Last Stage is available on Kindle, Nook Books, or if you would like a signed copy of The Last Stage they're available from my website (only $20!) at Jymsbooks via Paypal (jymwrite@aol.com, please don't forget your mailing address!)

Chapter XII: The House