Saturday night saw me at Gino's Bar and Grill in Keene, NH to see the guys from
Ghost Dinner perform their own unique melange of rock and psychedelic blues.
I arrived a little early, walking into the scent of stale cigarettes, french fries and
White Rain hairspray. I settled at a seat near the stage, where only a handful of others sat - the rest playing pool or chatting with each other.
When the band finally started, I instantly wished these guys had a bigger and less distracted crowd to play to, because when vocalist Kyle Webber started singing, I knew instantly that I was listening to an undiscovered talent. With a natural rock vocal that sounded like it had stepped out of the 90's Sub-Pop era, Webber's voice can best be described as Mark Lanegan crossed with Joe Cocker sprinkled with Barry McGuire from his 1965 song, "Eve of Destruction." Just awesome raw power.
Their set consisted of a lot of covers, with their own original material sprinkled throughout, but I have to say even the covers were anything but standard. Spanning such diverse artists as Robert Johnson, Johnny Cash, and The White Stripes, they made each song their own. On Nirvana's "All Apologies" and "Polly", the dark heaviness of the original was still there, backed more than ably by Josh Blair's bass and Eric Boulter's drumming. Their version of The White Stripes "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" was just amazing, and sounded as though they were playing to a 10,000 seat arena instead of a little bar in Keene. And though, like many rock bands, they threw in a little Hendrix, they did it just right. Covering his song "Foxy Lady" could easily have been cheesy in the wrong hands, but with Ghost Dinner it sounded as if it had come straight out of the 70's - snaking around Webber's dark, psychedelic guitar and Blair's thudding bass. I would hazard a guess that even their cover of "Hey Joe" would have met with Hendrix's approval!
Fortunately, the group's original material is just as intriguing as their take on others. Songs like "Joseph's Gatling Gun", and "You Think That God is the Honest One", reflect a sound that is a fistful of grungy guitars, rock, reggae, and blues with the distortion of bands like Sonic Youth, mixing into one trippy, headbanging cocktail that feels so darn satisfying to drink. "To the Valley of Love" possessed the vibe of a great Doors slow song, and "Gotta Get a Witness" was a playful, tongue-in-cheek spin on the blues that called to mind The Violent Femmes "Country Death Song." The rock/blues song, "This Typical Morning" saw an influence of Matthew Sweet until it transitioned seamlessly into the roaring Them song, "Gloria." The only way to describe it was f***ing kickass. No joke. These guys can rock.
Ghost Dinner seem to have an infinite number of musical influences, so many I myself couldn't pin them all down. I imagine they can't either. They seem like an unusual trio, but have a great, charismatic presence and almost flawless timing. Lead singer Kyle Webber has the makings of a great rock lead man. Not content to just sing these songs, he wrenches meaning and emotion out of every word, whether a cover or an original, stomping around the stage at times as though he were in his own world. With his shaved head and Abraham Lincoln beard, he exudes a raw talent that is thankfully unpolished, and, at first blush, seemingly a little menacing, but ultimately passionate and powerful.
Near the end of the set, they did a cover of Radiohead's "Creep." Now, if there is one band that is hard to cover, it's Radiohead. It's so hard to match the intensity and vocal range of Thom Yorke and their sound is so uniquely their own, it can never be duplicated. So, when Ghost Dinner started in on their version, I was, at first, a bit hesitant. But, when Webber opened his mouth and that guitar began to buzz and sear, I let out a soft "wow." Not only did they knock this song out of the park as a band (which is impressive in and of itself), but Webber's vocals on it were chilling in all the good ways. And though he couldn't hit that one high note they way Thom Yorke does (and who can?), he came really damn close. And that's saying something.
If Ghost Dinner does one thing, it's that they don't do anything traditionally, and that makes them magnetic to listen to. It's rare to find a band that you just want to keep listening to whatever they are willing to throw out at you, whether its country, blues, or rock. And like a good band, or a good meal, they leave you hungry for more.
Now that I've officially recovered from my weekend with Ruby (who absolutely rocked Londonderry...no surprises there!), I've got all kinds of entertainment goodies for all you 18 Milers - art, live music, movies and more! So lets dig in!
