Ghost X Gardens is an idiosyncratic artist who has delivered a bit of a peculiar record. The album was recorded while maintaining permanent residency in the legendary Chelsea Hotel, weaving in fascinating, gin-soaked chats with the famous cross-dressing matriarch of the Hotel, Storme’ DeLarverie.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Ghost X Gardens about the project, how much Tennessee played a role in the recordings, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Originally from Las Vegas, but have been in NYC long enough to “officially” be considered a New Yorker.
I make music for epic movies that haven’t been made. I make theme songs for TV shows that don’t exist.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
My father is a retired cop / drummer. I grew up around guns and drums. Some of my earliest memories are sitting next to his drum set while the band practiced. Making music is something I’ve always done. There isn’t a moment I’m aware of where I consciously made that decision.
I tried to stop making music once. I packed up all my instruments and became a painter. That lasted about a year. It’s how I get all the bullshit out of my head. Some people have yoga, some have drugs, I have this…and drugs 🙂
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Everything I’ve done is different from the thing before. I don’t have a process or a sound I’m trying to capture. The song tells me where it wants to go. It leads and I follow. Note to note. Lyric to lyric. But this one was a lesson in having faith and giving up control. I sent the tracks out to friends spread across the country, gave very little direction, and trusted them to hear what I heard in my head. Somehow someway they did.
I wanted to tell a story nobody else could tell. I mean, the story part was simple because I wrote exactly what was happening to me, but time and place made it something more.
As much as I want people to hear my songs, I want people to hear the last recordings of Storme’ DeLarverie (which act as interludes between every song on the album). She was fascinating, hilarious, talented, and so fucking real. She’s a part of history and I feel lucky to have preserved her voice for other people to enjoy
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
I made an album with an impossible goal. My goal is for people to listen to it as one complete thought. From start to finish. Who do I think I am, asking somebody to give me 45 minutes of uninterrupted time this day and age? Also I go into every project knowing that I most likely won’t make back the money I put into it. And I don’t care. This isn’t the first time, and probably not the last.
I for one welcome our robot overlords. This album wouldn’t have been possible without technology. From sending the tracks via email and recording in different cities, to editing from a laptop on the go, building an app from the ground up, and distributing the album through a digital aggregator, tech might be the one of the biggest unifying factors of this album. At the moment, it’s a digital only release. I love to go into “computer nerd” mode. I can disappear for days.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
You can go to the regular old boring website www.ghostxgardens.com OR you can download the awesome Ghost x Gardens app for iPhone and Android. Both have the full album and a second album called “Storme’ Sings Jaz The Blues” by Chelsea Ghosts, which focuses on the Storme’ recordings with instrumental interludes from the full album. “Heartbreak Hotel Chelsea” is available on all major streaming platforms.
Anything else before we sign off?
Tennessee actually plays a significant role in this album, and I’ve got a lot of love for the state. The track “Hittin’ The Bricks” is about my cross country drive from Las Vegas to NYC. Crossing the Mississippi River was a milestone for me on that trip. My best friend and I drove 24 hours straight from Vegas to Memphis. I was, like the song says, “stoned and rightly out of my mind” when I crossed that bridge. Visited Sun Studio, Stax, and Gibson. Had to make a stop in Jackson and blasted Johnny Cash pretty much across the entire state. The wife of my drummer Patrick is from Chattanooga. The strings on “Louisiana Liar” were recorded in Memphis by a friend who was living there at the time. I’ve thought about moving to Memphis more than a few times.
