Altsounds Interviews: With ... THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND
 

[altsounds] HOW ARE THINGS IN THE TGOAT CAMP?

[Tom] Just super! Looking forward to all our festival dates in the next month or so.

[altsounds] YOU HAVE BEEN DONG A LOT OF TOURING. IS THIS STILL THE BEST WAY TO BUILD UP A FOLLOWING WHO WILL THEN BUY THE ALBUMS?

[Tom] It’s still the best way to build up a real following as opposed to just kids looking at your myspace and downloading your music... I think you need to go out there and actually connect with people in an old fashioned way to get people onside.

[altsounds] THE MOVE FROM UNDERGROOVE TO EPITAPH. WHAT WAS BEHIND THAT?

Man, if Epitaph come knocking you don't turn them away! It’s the label we all had school boy crushes on, we're so proud to be a part of it and it means we can tour in Europe cos our record is actually out there!

[altsounds] WHO DOES ALL THE TWITTERING? IS IT A PAIN KEEPING UP WITH IT?

[Tom] Me, and yes it is but people seem to quite like it. It’s not that important, I think it just keeps people in the loop a little bit, although it is completely inane most of the time.

[altsounds] AND WHO HAS THE TONSIL PROBLEM?

[Tom] Twas me, tis sorted.

[altsounds] ARE YOU A PUNK BAND FOR THE KERRANG GENERATION? HOW DID THE PODCAST FOR THEM GO?

[Tom] I guess we are in a way. But Kerrang! has always been super supportive so we’re very lucky! I’ve read it since I was little so it’s crazy being in it now. We're useless at podcasts, we can't take them seriously at all but it was very funny.

[altsounds] NEW HOPES HAS GOT ALOT OF GOOD REVIEWS. WHY DID YOU RECORD THIS IN STOCKHOLM? AND WAS IT DONE IN THE LIGHT OR DARK TIME OF YEAR?

[Tom] It was very dark and Pelle Gunnerfeldt lives and works there so that’s why we went. We wanted to record with him for ages and he said yes after hearing the demos we'd recorded. And yes we've had a lot of good reviews which is great because we worked so hard to get the songs right.

[altsounds] TOM. ARE YOU THE LEADER OF THE BAND? WHO WRITES THE SONGS?

[Tom] Jag is the leader, I write the lyrics and the vocal patterns, it used to be just Jag as song writer but now Andy is more involved and obviously Mem provides the beats and general salsa vibes.

[altsounds] BOTH Q AND KERRANG HAVE BEEN VERY COMPLIMENTARY, AND THE PRESS FOR YOU HAS BEEN VERY GOOD. DO YOU LIKE JOURNALISTS?

[Tom] I think that 9/10 they're just music nerds like me and I could have very easily been doing what they do, so yeah I have sympathy for journalists as a lot of bands are complete cunts and don't give them the time of day. I love that Q like us, it means my Dad has some kind of frame of reference for if we're doing ok.

[altsounds] WHAT IS BEST. LIVE OR STUDIO?

[Tom] I love both but for very different reasons. Studio for adventure, tour for thrill seeking.

[altsounds] DO YOU THINK MYSPACE IS ON THE WAY OUT? HOW DO BANDS GET KNOWN THESE DAYS?

[Tom] I hope so, I know we're huge hypocrites because we use it a lot but I think it’s given young bands the impression that that is all it takes, and you need to be in the van selling albums to people NOT just t-shirts either, that too is killing bands. Record first, shirt later.

[altsounds] ARE YOU ALL FROM BRIGHTON? WHERE DID YOU MEET?

[Tom] Only Gaz is from Brighton, we all met at various bars and colleges across the town, except Jag who met Mem when he was born. We just congealed in a gutter somewhere and it all fell into place.

[altsounds] WHAT IS THE MOST STUPID THING YOU HAVE BEEN ASKED?

[Tom] ...my mind’s gone blank. I hate it when people ask us about other bands we're friends with because they then always quote it out of context and it makes it look like I was the one that brought them up in our interview.

[altsounds] WHO WOULD YOU PAY TO SEE? THEY HAVE TO STILL BE ALIVE, SO NOT ELVIS…

[Tom] I would pay to see RFTC, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Converge, ATDI, Elvis Costello...I would pay to see any band, I don't mind! You should pay, all of our friends reading this start buying bloody tickets and stop free-loading our fucking shows!

Check the band out for yourself:
The Ghost of a Thousand - New Album Out Now! on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
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