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- Formed: 1999, Lawrence, KS
- Genres: Rock
- Representative Albums: "Answers", "Grow Up or Sleep In
- Representative Songs: "Hey! Somebody", "Five Short Minutes", "Faith
Biography
Ghosty were born in a music venue in Lawrence, KS, where guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Andrew Connor met drummer/guitarist/songwriter Richard Gintowt while they were both attending a concert. They forged a bond chatting about music (surprise!) and started practicing and performing as a duo in the fall of 1999. As they collaborated more and more, their path started to transform from a "dueling acoustic singer/songwriters" sound to the context of a rock band. Gintowt found himself on full-time drum duty while Connor supplied the vocals and guitar, and both searched for a bassist to provide a connecting balance. By the summer of 2000, still no bassist had stepped in, so Connor trekked back home to South Dakota and recorded his debut EP, Nineteen Now, Always, while Gintowt recorded parts of what was to become his album Self Help Songs, released under the pseudonym OK Jones. When they reconvened at the University of Kansas in the fall of 2000, Connor and Gintowt wrangled in the talents of Mark Hurst for the bassist vacancy, but Hurst only lasted until December of that year, forcing the band back to square one.Ghosty didn't return as a full-on rock unit until April of 2001, when they enlisted guitarist Jacob Baum to fill the low-end void. Baum purchased a bass and left behind the world of treble for a slot in the rhythm section and, in the fall of 2001, the trio went on to record The Five Short Minutes EP with Baum acting as the engineer. After The Five Short Minutes EP was released in 2002, Ghosty continued to grow together and wrote more songs, and the decision was made to put together another EP, this time recorded with Mike Mogis, a producer and engineer who's worked with the likes of Bright Eyes and Lullaby for the Working Class. Ghosty invited along their pals from Son, Ambulance for some musical support, and in a weekend they cut Three Pop Songs. Son, Ambulance subsequently invited Ghosty out on the road for a quick jaunt through the Midwest, and Connor and Gintowt returned the favor by offering their services in the Son, Ambulance lineup.
In November of 2002, just after coming home from the tour, Ghosty expanded their sonic textures by bringing aboard keyboardist David Wetzel. Ghosty recorded their debut album, Grow Up or Sleep In, during 2002 and 2003, but the lineup that made the disc had split up by the time it was released by Low Transit in 2005. Retaining Wetzel, Connor reorganized the group to include bassist Mike Nolte, guitarist Jake Blanton, and drummer Josh Adams, and signed to Oxblood Records for the release of Ghosty's second full-length CD, Answers, in May 2008. ~ Gregory McIntosh & William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
