INTERVIEW: Holy Ghost Tent Revival

We caught up with Holy Ghost Tent Revival to discuss their new album Right State of Mind. Read below to find out what their favorite part about making the record was, their fall tour and more!

For anyone who hasn't listened to you yet, how would you describe your sound?

I always tell people we sound like 60'-70's inspired soul-rock with a hornsection. Plenty of harmonies as well as guitarmonies.

What would you say makes your sound unique than all of the other artists in your genre?

We've got a lot going on musically. In any one set, you may hear the styles change from ragtime to rock, new -Age to Do-Wop.  In any one song, you can expect to see our trumpet player put down his instrument and walk over to the organ and start playing.  I'll switch out to bass from guitar, Kevin will jump on keys, and Hank will be over on the other side of the stage whipping out his ... clarinet.  Throw in a couple of beautiful backup singers adding lush harmonies to everything, and you've got one big, beautiful musical smorgasbord.

Your new album Right State of Mind released on September 16th. What song are you most looking forward for your fans to hear?

I think Trouble with the Truth is an exciting track that will surprise people.  In it, we really channeled the spirit of Shaft, that is to say, we tried to imagine ourselves walking through the streets of Harlem circa 1977.  It's very slick, with a soulful outro featuring an extended guitar solo. Its a song that sounds completely unlike anything we've done before.

What was your favorite part about creating songs off of Right State of Mind?

I liked the solitude.  We took the winter off from touring and most of those songs were written during that period.  We really got a chance to dig into our deepest selves, and then, in the recording process, there was this ...gravitas that seemed to color everything.  We were in Philadelphia for three weeks laying these tracks down, and at that point in our recording career, we'd never been farther away than thirty minutes down the road, so we all knew our time constraints.  We knew we only had twenty days to make the best album of 2014, and that pressure balanced all of our decisions with a sense of efficiency as well as, and most importantly, efficacy.

What made you chose "Right Stage Of Mind" to be your first single off of the record?

It's arguably the most catchy tune on the record.  It's a very accessible tune with a simple, repetitive progression;  the story-line is linear and involves staying up all night, partying in the city, falling in and out of lust and love.  These are themes that everyone can relate to, and when choosing a single for your record, its important that you invite as many people into the party as possible.

You played a couple album release date shows in North Carolina. What songs off the new record were you looking forward to playing?

I'm real excited about playing a tune from the B-side called Blackout. It's a song that used to actually be three until producer Bill Moriarty cut and condensed all of his favorite parts into one. We just ran through it the other day and got it on its feet for the first time in like a year. I hear the backup singers have some killer vocals to add, so I'm expecting that we'll all surprise ourselves in a great way.

What can fans expect when they come to a show this fall?

They can expect us to sound bigger and tighter than they've probably ever seen or heard us before.  We've been rehearsing constantly, adding new and better pedals to our boards, adding piano and organ into our sound.  It’s an exciting time for Ghosts.

Any plans for after tour?

We'll probably be taking January and February off to rest and write more material.  Who knows what other adventures we'll get ourselves into.