about us
// biography
Lusitanian Ghosts features ancient Portuguese chordophones and other European string instruments, promoting ancient sounds in the 21st Century.
Re-casting these heritage folk violas into rock n roll songs, the artist collective writes from a socio-political perspective on building a better world, creating songs from and for the heart and the mind.
It is a musical project that mixes indie songwriting with traditional Portuguese instruments like the Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Terceirense and Amarantina guitars – or violas as they are called in Portugal: each with its own string arrangements and tunings.
Lusitanian Ghosts was founded by Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost, when Leyton took a viola Amarantina from Lisbon to Stockholm; Leyton then decided to make an experimental album mixing the various regional Lusitanian (Portuguese) chordophones with their usual brand of singer-songwriter rock n roll.
The collective gathered at Canoa Studios in Portugal, with producer Ricardo Ferreira, and recorded ten songs, featuring Leyton on bass as well as the viola Beiroa; Micke Ghost on the Amarantina; Vasco Ribeiro Casais aka OMIRI on the Braguesa and Nyckelharpa; O Gajo on the viola Campaniça; and Primitive Reason’s Abel Beja on the viola Terceira. In the absence of Lil’ Ghost, who would join later, Ricardo also played the viola Toeira: making it 6 regional chordophones on this unique record.
Along with the debut album there is a feature documentary film that also interviews several chordophone experts who explain why most of these Portuguese ancient instruments became forgotten – almost extinct – over time.
These historic instruments… they are the real Lusitanian Ghosts.
// meet the ghosts
