The Ghosts of Johnson City
Am I Born to Die?
self-released
Click to hear: “Faded Coat Of Blue”
The nearly unbroken stretch of warm, sunny weather last month made it challenging to review Am I Born to Die?, the debut album by The Ghosts of Johnson City. This ain’t reggae, folks. The Ghosts play dark, haunted, traditional folk songs about all manner of misfortune: mining and logging accidents, the murder of loved ones, the Civil War. This is a record to savor when the thunderclouds come and pelt the panes with cold rain, when you sit and worry whether the river will rise and rush in under the cabin door.
The Ghosts may seem an unlikely group to be playing these acoustic tunes. Lead singer and banjo player Amos Libby is renowned for his mastery of music from India and the Middle East, not the Deep South. Guitarist Doug Porter shreds metal, punk and prog with Covered In Bees, Confusatron, Johnny Cremains and several other heavy acts. Keyboardist Erik Winter, who’s on harmonium here, is also in Cremains, and Erik Neilson is best known as the force behind the indie-rock band Rural Ghosts.
But the death obsession of metal and the nihilism of punk can trace their lineage back to the Gothic folk songs of old. (Listen to Nirvana’s version of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” for a good example of this.) Libby has basically traded one traditional music for another, and as the band’s online bio explains, his childhood roots are in the dysfunctional country of rural Tennessee, which inspired him to rediscover this genre and form this band.
The title track, which opens the album, has a mournful, droning quality that echoes the Eastern sounds of Libby’s group Okbari, but that’s as close as the Ghosts come to fusion. Instead, they play it straight for 14 more tracks, resisting the temptation to indulge in any post-modern witchcraft. Likewise, Libby avoids the trap of trying to adopt a Southern drawl, staying true to his own trusty tenor.
It’s a trip and a treat to hear players who’ve astounded you on other instruments apply their chops to these songs — especially Porter, whose six-string wizardry never fails to amaze. Though the subject matter of the songs is unrelentingly grim, the group wisely mixes up-tempo numbers like “Darling Corey” and “Faded Coat of Blue” among the ballads and dirges like “The Dying Californian.” The vocal harmonies aren’t fully developed yet, but this project is less than a year old, so expect that to improve with time.
Again, this is not the best beach music, but Am I Born to Die? is a great soundtrack for the dismal days to come.
— Chris Busby
The Ghosts of Johnson City play Portland House of Music, with openers Dark Hollow Bottling Company, on Sat., Oct. 24, at 9:30 p.m.
