MP3 Ghostwriter - Wreck the City
A ranting American opus from the original punk-folk troubadour. Primal minimalism and pathological imagery weave a soundtrack for the disaffected.
10 MP3 Songs in this album (35:52) !
Related styles: BLUES: Swamp Blues, COUNTRY: Americana
People who are interested in Tom Waits Nick Cave should consider this download.
Details:
In late 2007, Ghostwriter left the Austin music scene for the hills of central Oregon and started working on his fifth album in an effort to obsolete all previous Ghostwriter works. With a 1” x 16 track tape machine wired through the house, Ghostwriter lays barrelhouse piano, lap steel and banjo over his usual live guitar and foot-percussion takes. Unlike previous Ghostwriter albums which were recorded in a day or two, “Wreck the City / simplify your life” was slowly put together over a matter of months.
The warped traditional “Mobile Line” (a nod to the Holy Modal Rounders), and honky-tonk rant “These Old Songs” bring light to the destructive tone of “Breaking Point” and “Clean Slate”. Departures like “Blue Eyed Girl” where an old friend Ralph White (Bad Livers, Jandek) adds dueling fiddles, and “Idle Hands” where Ghostwriter creates a hillbilly gang vocal are balanced by good old fashioned Ghostwriter pathos like “Captain” and “Hills”. With epic closer “There Oughta Be A Law Against Sunny Southern California”, Ghostwriter pays homage to the prolific Lubbock songwriter Terry Allen.
This fifth Ghostwriter album ignites the periphery of American music and transcends the moniker of one-man band. “Wreck the City / simplify your life” will affirm Ghostwriter’s place as a musical innovator and today’s leading punk-folk troubadour. Available on vinyl from https://www.tradebit.com.
THE ONION - Madison, WI.
Ghostwriter, a.k.a. Steve Schecter, plays abrasive roots-rock (or maybe it''s punk-folk) using a foot-controlled percussion device and a hollow-body guitar, sometimes changing the setup with harmonica and banjo. True to his punk roots, Schecter self-releases his albums-like his most recent, last year''s Darkest Hour- and tours relentlessly. Although Schecter plays alone, he makes quite a racket-but it''s the kind that''s sure to be more than wecome here.
ROCHESTER CITY PAPER - Rochester, NY.
Ghostwriter rides alone. Stripped bare to voice, guitar, and lament, he waxes apocalyptic and noir. Maybe it''s the company he keeps. The first time I saw this Austin cat, he was warming up for the equally dark and romantic crooner Dexter Romweber, formerly of Flat Duo Jets. Ghostwriter rants and strums in the cracks between anti-folk and punk. Ghostwriter - with his dark rants, raw guitar, and lone-gunman stance - can claim membership to both genres. You can, too. first step is to check him out.
AUSTIN SOUND - Austin, TX.
The Creepout Showcase at Beerland is billed as a night of one-man bands, but don’t tell that to Steve Schecter (aka Ghostwriter). He seems adamant that he’s not a one-man band but just a solo artist. I’m inclined to let him call himself whatever he wants, because, frankly, he scares the hell out me. Imagine Scott Biram with a grittier, dirtier voice and even more fuck-the-world apocalyptic attitude, you might be close. With his abrasive strumming and even more abrasive lyrics, if Schecter ever actually teamed up all hell just might break loose. Thank God they’re one-man ban…er, solo performers.