Chordophone Rock n Roll
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.
Their second album, recorded on analogue tape at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg, will be out towards the end of 2020.
Lusitanian Ghosts’ debut album will be released in Germany on August 23rd. This International Edition will be available in digital formats as well as gatefold vinyl LP and Deluxe Edition CD, distributed via Broken Silence.
Produced by Ricardo Ferreira and recorded at Canoa Studios in Portugal, the album was mastered by John Golden in California and sees its German release on the European Phonographic record label ahead of the artist collective’s showcase performances at Live at Heart Sweden and Reeperbahn Festival Germany.
The Lusitanian Ghosts vinyl LP and the painted cover art received support from DGartes. / O disco em formato LP bem como a pintura a óleo para a capa do álbum receberam um apoio à edição da DGartes:
Chordophone-powered rock n roll collective Lusitanian Ghosts performed their very first live show at Auditório Carlos Paredes in Benfica, Lisbon, this past month of April 2019.
Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost were joined on stage by percussionist João Sousa, as well as bassist João Pascoal aka Lil’ Ghost and a host of chordophones: O Gajo on his viola Campaniça, OMIRI on the viola Braguesa and Swedish medieval Nyckelharpa, and Primitive Reason’s very own Abel Beja on the viola Terceira. Lil’ Ghost also played Toeira and of course Micke Ghost had his APC Amarantina – the original, no pick-up – that started the Lusitanian Ghosts to begin with when Leyton bought it at a Lisbon store and gifted it to Micke Ghost in Stockholm.
All of which made for extra fun times for Nelson Canoa, who not only did sound crossing rock n roll drums, bass and guitar with some properly amplified chordophones while others were simply mic’d; but also took the time to run down the auditorium to join the Ghosts onstage to tinkle the ivories on “Memories of a Once Familiar Future” and “Capitularium”. Lights and set design complete with kitchen table and stools by Aldeia da Luz.
How was it, you say? Well, all Ghosts are busy: The show was done with just a couple of rehearsals, first with Leyton, Sousa, Abe and Lil’Ghost; then with Leyton, Abe, Sousa, Lil’ Ghost and Micke Ghost the day before the show – so we were of course very happy at reading the following reviews that ensued both on a national and international level.
Thank you to all who came out and bought the vinyl LP! See you further down the road.
Ritmoterapia: https://ritmoterapia.blog/2019/04/20/quando-as-vozes-do-alem-se-fazem-ouvir-no-silencio-da-noite/
Some audience videos from the soirée can be found on our YouTube Channel.