GHOST TOWN PLAYS ITS OWN COUNTRY, OR IS IT ROCK?
by John Wirt, Music critic
Baton Rouge Advocate, Fun section
Friday, June 8, 2007
Christian Serpas and Ghost Town are a country band in a place not known for country music.
Mandeville resident Serpas grew up in St. Bernard Parish, minutes from New Orleans, the city famous for jazz, rhythm-and-blues and funk. But it was classic country by Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Buck Owens and classic rock from Led Zeppelin to the Ramones that mostly shaped Serpas and Ghost Town.
"We were exposed to everything," the singer, guitarist and songwriter said this week. "We were hearing rock and Hank Williams and a little bluegrass, a lot of pop music and the New Orleans stuff. We like to think that we pull elements from all of it."
Ghost Town thinks of itself as a country band, but it makes its own kind of country.
"When we play 'Folsom Prison,' it doesn't sound like Johnny Cash," Serpas said. "But we hope that we have the same spirit that's in those early records."
Many concertgoers are surprised by Ghost Town's performances, Serpas said.
"People are like, 'Man, I hate country music, but I love what y'all are doing.' I tell them, 'Well, you don't really hate country music. If you like Ghost Town, you'll like Dwight Yoakam and the Derailers.'
"So we try to make Ghost Town the country band that we would want to see."
Even being called a country band, though, can be a disadvantage.
"A lot of people, when they hear 'country' pegged to our band, that turns them off," Serpas said. "But we don't play things you hear on the radio. We play the old things revved up."
Being a country band in an area that has few country acts has advantages, too. For instance, Serpas and Ghost Town — featuring guitarist George Neyrey, bassist Brian Broussard and drummer Jeff Oteri — have opened about 60 shows throughout the Gulf Coast for touring country stars.
"We've had some people say to us, 'Y'all aren't a country band, y'all are a rock band.' But if they see us open for Dwight Yoakam or Montgomery Gentry, they go, 'Oh, this is country with rock in it.' "
If Serpas' memory serves him well, Ghost Town played its first show April 1, 1999. Four months later the band won the New Orleans Jimmy Dean True Value Country Showdown.
Ghost Town soon opened for Randy Travis and Terri Clark. Through the years, the band also opened for headliners at Baton Rouge's Varsity Theatre, including Pat Green, Dwight Yoakam and Jerry Jeff Walker.
Many of the stars have been kind, Serpas said.
"We make it a point not to be the annoying opening act," he said. "I never go up to them, 'Hey, how you doing?' But several of them watched our set and told us they liked it. Those Montgomery Gentry guys, they've been really friendly. Blake Shelton was the same way. Merle Haggard was, too.
"When you're shaking Merle Haggard's hand after he just told you he liked what you did, it makes you think, 'Wow, maybe we're getting through.' "
Times Picayune Lagniappe
By Keith Spera
A LOT OF ROCK IN THEIR COUNTRY
Ghost Town wants a hit, but they want it their way
At a recent performance by roadhouse country band Christian Serpas & Ghost Town, an audience member shouted, "Black Sabbath!"
"I guess he thought we didn't know who Black Sabbath was," bandleader Serpas recalled. "We were doing a song with a section where we sometimes (improvise). So we went into the riff from Black Sabbath's 'Electric Funeral.' I think he was stunned."
Had he known Ghost Town's pedigree, the Sabbath apologist might not have been so surprised.
Serpas and his bandmates grew up on a steady diet of Hank Williams and early Elvis Presley, icons of the country/rockabilly canon. But they also rocked Led Zeppelin and the Ramones. Serpas took his first shot at stardom with True Faith, a rock band that paid its dues in Los Angeles.
"We come at country from a unique position," Serpas said. "There's a lot of rock in our country. Hopefully you can hear all the influences. When we play a Hank Williams song, it doesn't sound like Hank. It sounds like how Ghost Town hears a Hank song.
"A comment we often get from people seeing us for the first time is, 'I hate country music, but I love what you guys are doing.' It's obvious that they don't hate country music -- it's just that they've been listening to the wrong kind of country music. If you hear us and like us, then you're going to like Dwight Yoakam, too."
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town perform Saturday night at Carrollton Station. The show is a CD release party for the band's new six-song "Six Pack," and will also be recorded for a future live album. Opening the show is Ovis, the producer of "Six Pack"; he scored a minor pop hit in 1993 with "Regular Thang." Country cover band Louisiana Southern Junction closes out the night.
Serpas grew up in Arabi and graduated from Holy Cross High School. An inability to play others' songs spurred him to write his own anthems inspired by the Alarm, Big Country and other earnest '80s rockers. He formed True Faith in 1984, then moved with the band to Los Angeles. That proved to be their undoing; momentum flagged, True Faith broke up and Serpas came home.
After a hiatus, he took a spin around the Nashville singer-songwriter circuit, but found he preferred working with a band. He and former True Faith drummer Jeff Oteri began recording Serpas' country-leaning songs, and formed Ghost Town in 1999.
Original country music does not figure prominently in the New Orleans market, for good and ill.
"The positives are that there isn't a long line -- it's not like being a rock band in L.A.," Serpas said. "The negatives are there aren't a lot of places for us to play. A lot of 'country' clubs really want you to be a Top 40 band. Or they expect you to play the new Tim McGraw song, and that's not what we do.
"We've had people approach us and say, 'If you play 'Brown Eyed Girl' and these other five songs, we can book you at this club.' Well, that's not what we do. If it works, great. If it doesn't, we're going to go out with our boots on."
As evidenced by "Six Pack" and Ghost Town's two previous CDs, Serpas is in tune with country songwriting convention, churning out the clever word plays that Nashville adores, often gleaned from conversation.
"You hear it in your head and then you realize, 'Hey, that's not a song I've heard on the radio. I guess I'll write it down,' " Serpas said. "It's keeping your antenna up and being able to recognize when you hear something interesting."
His "Miss Maybe," the title character from a "Six Pack" song, may or may not evolve into Miss Right.
"I had an opening line about a girl that didn't like Hank Williams, and how that might turn a guy off," Serpas said. "So I tried to figure out how could he see a girl and instantly know she was in the same ballpark as him. Our T-shirts say 'God Bless Johnny Cash.' So I figured that if you saw a girl wearing that shirt, that tells you that she might not be Miss Right, but she might be Miss Maybe."
Ghost Town recorded "Six Pack" in the spring of 2005, with Rob Savoy, formerly of Cowboy Mouth, sitting in on bass. Hurricane Katrina's disruption delayed the CD's release. Oteri's home in Eden Isles flooded, as did bassist Jason Mancuso's eastern New Orleans home. (Mancuso subsequently moved to Florida; longtime Ghost Town fan Brian Broussard took his place.)
Guitarist George Neyrey's Metairie home survived relatively unscathed, as did Serpas' house in Mandeville. His parents, who lost their place in Arabi, now live with Serpas and his wife.
Ghost Town's circuit consists mostly of regional festivals, fairs and opening shows for Jerry Jeff Walker, Montgomery Gentry, Merle Haggard and Blake Shelton. They plan to continue to plug away, making their kind of country, hoping to land a song on the radio.
"Our goal is to be a one-hit wonder," Serpas said, only half-joking. "Give us one hit, and we won't complain. You'll see us at the casinos 30 years from now, with a big smile."
Will Ghost Town be the sort of band that refuses to play its hit?
"We'll play it twice," he said, laughing. "We'll open and close with the hit. For $100, we'll work your name into it.
"If we get on the radio, that's great. But we've been able to do it the way we've wanted to do it. We've been able to build and present Ghost Town as the country band that we would want to see."
August, 15 2006
Gambit Weekly
New Orleans country-rockabilly act Ghost Town has an impressive list of Nashville legends new and old with whom they've shared a stage -- on it are old guard Merle Haggard, Jerry Jeff Walker and David Allan Coe, plus new-generation favorites like Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and Montgomery Gentry. It's high-energy, hard-rocking roadhouse country with its boots well planted in the rip-roaring, danceable sound of early rockabilly. Vocalist Christian Serpas is lyrically deft and clever, with the kind of wordplay that makes truly memorable country songs, achieving that excellent balance of heartwrenching and funny lyrics. When they're not on the road opening up for the CMT Top 20, they're working the circuit of Louisiana festivals and bars, hawking their recognizable "God Bless Johnny Cash" T-shirts. Their new album, Six Pack , drops Sept. 16, but they're worth catching live; it's rare to see a band have this visibly good a time onstage. They open for Jason Boland and the Stragglers. Tickets $10. -- Alison Fensterstock
Serpas, Ghost Town a boot-stomping CD
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Times Picayune
By Richard Boyd
Put new batteries in the portable CD player in the waterproof bag, pack the ice chest and leave Enon tubing down the Bogue Chitto to the first good wide sandbar for a noon picnic and then crank up the boom box for a sizzling dose of the new CD by Christian Serpas and Ghost Town.
Appropriately called "Six Pack," the mini-CD of six of the band's most popular newer songs from an unending series of live performances may be, as critics have said, boot-stomping American roots music, high-energy modern country, a little bit of rock, blues and rockabilly and a lot of sizzling fun.
But a listen to "Six Pack" also confirms its solid standing in another south Louisiana musical niche: this is perfect river tubing, sandbar picnic music.
The CD, recorded in March and April 2005 at Balance Studio in Covington and mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound in New York City, captures on disc a half-dozen of the band's most popular stage show tunes that have evolved since Ghost Town released it first mini-CD called "Electric Hoedown" in 2000 and a full-length CD called "Giddy Up" in 2002.
All six are original tunes by Serpas, the lanky lead singer and acoustic guitarist of the Mandeville area-based band who has a penchant on stage for black pants, colorful cowboy shirts and boots. Over the past few years Ghost Town has become a regular on the south Louisiana festival circuit, appearing often at Slidell, Covington and Mandeville-area events and on the bar circuit, opening on a regular basis for a Who's Who to top country draws.
The songs are "If That's How You Want It," an aching love lost song; the hopeful "Miss Maybe"; the weeper "Read 'em and Weep,"; the song of yearning, "Bad Side of Goodbye"; and the boot stompers "Hoot and Holler" and "That's Enough of That."
But Serpas and his bandmates, on this CD, throw in a bonus track, a nod to their icon, the late Johnny Cash, with a rousing rendition of his classic, "Folsom Prison." Over the past few years, Ghost Town has sold thousands of its band T-shirts with "God Bless Johnny Cash" lettered across the back.
The band also includes George Neyrey on lead guitar and vocals, Jeff Oteri on drums and vocals, and Brian Broussard on bass and vocals, all from western St. Tammany.
The band will host the first of several CD release parties beginning at 10 p.m. on Sept. 16 at Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow St., New Orleans, with a $1 admission in honor of another of their icons, the late Buck Owens. Serpas said that concert will be recorded for an upcoming live Ghost Town CD to be released in 2007.
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The Times-Picayune Lagniappe
Friday, August 12, 2005
Honky Tonk
"God Bless Johnny Cash" read the T-shirts issued by Christian Serpas & Ghost Town. That devotion to the Man in Black neatly sums up this north shore band's mindset: A little bit of country, a little bit of rock 'n' roll, a little bit of rockabilly and a whole lot of fun. For six years now, bandleader Serpas and Ghost Town -- featuring drummer Jeff Oteri, guitarist George Neyrey and bassist Jason Mancuso -- have worked honky-tonks and festivals in Louisiana and beyond. They've opened for the likes of Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Montgomery Gentry, Brad Paisley, David Allan Coe and Pat Green, and sold thousands of copies of their independent CDs, making fans out of folks who profess not to like country music. That campaign continues this week. And look for a new Ghost Town album to arrive this fall.
Tuesday at the Mid-City Lanes and opening for Jerry Jeff Walker at the House of Blues on Aug. 19.
INSIDE NORTHSIDE MAGAZINE
April / May 2004
Christian Serpas and Ghost Town
by Kimberly Sanders Vanderbrook
At six-foot-five, Christian Serpas takes the stage in tight black denim and a retro cowboy shirt. Around his hips swings a doubled turquoise chain belt. His coal black hair is fashioned into an Elvis-inspired ducktail with long pork chop sideburns. He swings his guitar like Johnny Cash and grinds his hips like Elvis, but he has created a sound that is uniquely his own.
I am not a country music fan. But from the moment Christian Serpas and Ghost Town took the stage, I found myself entranced by the band's eclectic style, intrigued by their tall-tale lyrics and unwittingly tapping my feet to their rhythmic beat. I came to the show out of curiosity, but stayed for great music and a great time.
Ghost Town is not country music and not rock music, but a unique fusion of the two. Serpas dubs it "thrillbilly" music. "Take country, rock, rockabilly, and bluegrass, cram it all in a blender and mix it up-fast." Using this recipe, Ghost Town cooks up songs about heartache and happiness with an irresistible beat.
Christian Serpas is a prolific songwriter. He deftly weaves musical tales and puts a well-crafted slice of life into each song. "Everyone can relate to our songs because they are about heartache and happiness. It's the story of everyone's life," says Serpas. A look around the audience confirms that Ghost Town's appeal is widespread. Twenty-something hipsters jam with cowboy-hat-clad two-steppers. And there is plenty of room for everyone in between.
The story of Ghost Town's formation is the stuff legends are made of. After touring solo in Nashville and successfully obtaining solo playbills at legendary Nashville venues like The Bluebird and The Courtyard, Serpas decided that he craved the fun and community of performing with a band. He got together with his long time music partner, Jeff Oteri, and asked him to head up the rhythm section. George Neyrey, a friend from high school, was soon on board as guitarist, but the group was still short a bass player. They placed an ad in the paper for a bass guitarist. As fate would have it, the first to respond was none other than Joe Lincoln, another old neighborhood buddy. Thus, in 1999, Ghost Town was born and they have been making musical history ever since.
Just four months after the band was conceived, they won first place in the True Value Jimmy Dean Country Showdown. In 2000 they released "Electric Hoedown", a five-song CD that received a surprising amount of radio play and was voted Best CD by the readers of Tambalya Magazine. By 2002 Ghost Town had signed with a New Orleans label, Ralph Records, and released their second CD, "Giddy Up", named one of the top Louisiana CDs by Off Beat Magazine. This eleven song CD features irresistible originals like "There She Goes," "That's It, I Quit, I'm Gone," and "Ain't No Good In Goodbye" and one cover of Buck Owen's "Tiger By the Tail" that is so catchy it is still playing in my head.
Ghost Town's covers are as good as their original songs and just as unique. The band's sound pays tribute to country legends Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Buck Owens. But their interpretation of the classics comes through a filter of musicians who grew up listening to bands like Led Zeppelin and the Ramones. Ghost Town plays old favorites like "Blue Moon," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Little Sister" and "Do Ya Wanna Dance" like you've never heard them played before.
The band has a true connection with the northshore. All but one of its members make their home in St. Tammany Parish. Their CD, "Giddy Up", was recorded and produced in Mandeville by Dave Fortman and Balance Studios. And one of the band's biggest sponsors is our own beloved Abita Beer.
The group, has spent the past four years rocking the South with their own brand of thrillbilly music. They have turned in electric performances at all of the major local festivals including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival, the Slidell Heritage Festival, the Mandeville Seafood Festival and the Abita Brew Fest. They frequent local clubs like the Columbia Street Tap Room and often can be heard at the casinos. Ghost Town has also performed with musical heavyweights, including Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Randy Travis, Brad Paisley, Terri Clark, Ricochet, Tammy Cochran, Steve Holy, SheDaisy, David Allan Coe, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Hank Williams III and Kenny Chesney.
Ghost Town is a must-see live act. The energy and charisma of Christian Serpas are the hallmarks of a star. As lead singer, he turns out vocals filled with emotion and sings tales underlining the common connection among us all. The sets are tight and professional. This innovative quartet takes the audience on a musical ride from old classics to new original songs. The band puts in a solid performance, and usually has the whole audience dancing by the third song. Enjoy them live, and then pick up a CD and one of their famous black "God Bless Johnny Cash" t-shirts!
"We try and take the spirit of the guys who inspired us, and we hope that the same excitement that we felt comes through," says Serpas. "If you look at music as a big river that runs through history, and we can be a small drop in that scheme, then that's important to us." Only the future will tell of Ghost Town's impact on musical history, but for now, Ghost Town is creating its own musical river-one show at a time.
Thursday, February 12, 2004 SLIDELL SENTRY NEWS
GHOST TOWN RETURNS TO SLIDELL AT SMOKE-N-BLUES BBQ, VALENTINE'S NIGHT
They've been described as everything from the rowdy sons of Buck Owens, to Led Zeppelin playing Johnny Cash, to Louisiana's premier country rockers. They're Christian Serpas and Ghost Town, and they've been kicking up lots of dust in music circles with their revved-up interpretation of country music.
"We're kinda like country music on steroids," says Serpas, "A lot of people tell us that they're not big country music fans, but they love what we're doing."
What Ghost Town is doing is country music with a large dose of rock mixed in, and it's catching on. "There's quite a range of people at the shows," says Serpas of the Ghost Town crowds. "Some are dancing, some are just listening. There's cowboy boots and rock t-shirts, but the one thing they all have in common is they're all having fun."
See for yourself when Ghost Town returns to Slidell on Valentine's Day for a free show, Saturday, February 14 at the new SMOKE-N-BLUES BBQ, 1768 Front Street, across from the Train Station in Slidell (985) 643-6463. There will be lots of giveaways from Ghost Town's sponsor, Abita Beer.
It's been a smooth ride so far for Ghost Town. Just four months after their 1999 debut, Ghost Town won the New Orleans Jimmy Dean True Value Country Showdown, and were soon sharing stages with national acts throughout the Southland including Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Montgomery Gentry, Randy Travis, Brad Paisley, Terri Clark, Joe Nichols, Ricochet, Tammy Cochran, Clay Walker, Junior Brown, Steve Holy, SheDaisy, David Allan Coe, Blake Shelton, Pat Green, Pinmonkey, Asleep at the Wheel, Cowboy Mouth, Hank Williams III, Jerry Jeff Walker and Kenny Chesney.
In the summer of 2000, the four piece band, Serpas on vocals and acoustic guitar, Jeff Oteri (drums), George Neyrey (guitar) and Joe Lincoln (bass) released a five song CD titled "Electric Hoedown", which completely sold out. The CD was voted "ALBUM OF THE YEAR" by readers of Tambalaya magazine, who also voted Serpas "MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR". They followed in 2002 with "Giddy Up", which was named one of the TOP CDS OF 2002 by Offbeat Magazine, and nominated as Louisiana Country Album of the Year in their Best of the Beat awards.
Reviewers have compared Ghost Town's unique brand of high energy, radio-ready country to Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, the Derailers and even Elvis Presley. They've sold thousands of cds and their now famous "God Bless Johnny Cash" t-shirts, which are showing up all over.
Following the Smoke-N-Blues BBQ show, Ghost Town heads to the Texas Music Hall in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, February 18, to open the show for country star Craig Morgan, who's hits include "Almost Home" and "Every Friday Afternoon".
Visit Ghost Town on the internet at www.ghosttown.org
SLIDELL SENTRY NEWS Thursday, October 16, 2003
GHOST TOWN SET TO APPEAR AT FESTIVAL OF THE LAKE AND WNOE COUNTRY PARTY
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town return to St. Tammany Parish to perform at the Festival of the Lake in Mandeville, on Friday, October 17. Ghost Town will be serving up their own high energy bayou brew of rocking contemporary country, while tipping their hats to legends like Johnny Cash, Buck Owens and Hank Williams from 6 - 7:30 pm.
"It's fun to see people having fun at our shows," says Serpas. "There's a lot of rock in our country, and everyone can relate to our songs, because they're about the basics - happiness and heartache. It's the story of everyone's life."
Ghost Town formed in 1999, and won the New Orleans True Value Jimmy Dean Country Showdown four months later. In 2000 they released "Electric Hoedown", a 5 song cd which soon sold out, and began opening shows for national country stars. "Electric Hoedown" was voted Album of the Year, and Christian was voted Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2001 Northshore Music Awards. Ghost Town was signed to Ralph Records in January of 2002, and released "Giddy Up", their first full length CD, five months later. The eleven song disc was named one of the Top Louisiana CDs of 2002 by OffBeat magazine and includes the song "There She Goes" which received national airplay on over 60 stations throughout the U.S., and rode the Independent Country Top 50 chart for over six months.
Ghost Town has spent the last year barnstorming across the Southland, playing numerous festivals, fairs, clubs and casinos, and rocking audiences at every stop. They made a smashing debut at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this year, turning in a blistering set that earned them an encore from the huge crowd. Ghost Town obliged with a rocking, singalong version of the classic outlaw anthem "I Fought the Law". Along the way, they've shared stages with country acts like Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Pat Green, David Allan Coe, Dash Rip Rock, Andy Griggs, Daryl Worley, Brad Martin, Junior Brown, Cowboy Mouth and Jerry Jeff Walker.
Ghost Town will also be perfoming at the WNOE Country Party on Sunday, October 19 at Boomtown Casino in Harvey, opening the show for country stars Montgomery Gentry, Clay Walker and Joe Nichols. Country Party begins at noon. "It's always nice to play with acts we respect," says Christian, "and Montgomery Gentry is certainly one of them. We've played with them before, and everyone had a blast."
The four piece group includes Christian Serpas (vocals, acoustic guitar), Jeff Oteri (drums), George Neyrey (electric guitar), and Joe Lincoln (bass).
Visit Ghost Town on the internet at www.ghosttown.org
TAMBALAYA MAGAZINE
June 2003
GOD BLESS JOHNNY CASH
By Mark Rogers
Although the title of this month's article isn't exactly an everyday catch phrase, it epitomizes the music of Christian Serpas and Ghost Town. No, they don't sound like a bunch of Johnny Cash wannabes either. The band has carved out a truly unique sound and style that works really well. Not rock, not country, but somewhere happily in the middle lies the fusion of the two which results in music with an old school country roots heart (think Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Buck Owens) that has a distinct classic rock soul and energy. To be a little more blunt, it's just damn good music.
Their latest CD "Giddy Up" is the type of CD that you don't put in with others and hit shuffle. It is very fluid from start to finish, which in my opinion is a true sign of really good original song writing and musical savvy. How many times these days have you bought a new CD only to find three maybe four good tracks and the rest are so-so throw aways? Not this album. Personally, I think the best cut is "There She Goes." I really could imagine this song being played on either country 101.1 FM or on classic rock 92.3 FM. The group recorded "Giddy Up" at Balance Studios in Mandeville and the production on the CD is very good. In case you've been under a rock these past few years, Dave Fortman of Balance Studios has helped launch the career of local band 12 Stones and had a hand in the success of Evanescence. Christian Serpas, founder and frontman of the band has a lyrical way about him that appeals to everyone. His songs are slice of life in nature and remind me of conversations that we all have had or heard from friends or ourselves at some point.
The band is deep and talented with veteran musicians from the local scene and the result is what makes Ghost Town so good. The band consists of: Christian Serpas (lead vocal and guitar), George Neyrey (vocals and guitar), Jeff Oteri (vocals and drums), and Joe Lincoln (bass). It's the sum of the parts rather than one particular individual that stands out. There are no David Lee Roth's in this band. There is however a King Of Hearts (more on that later). I recently caught up with Christian Serpas (who is also a great rebounder at 6' 5") and asked him a few questions about the band, life, and George.
MR: What's the state of the union address for Ghost Town right now?
CS: We're really trying to concentrate on doing opening sets for bigger country acts right now at casinos, festivals, and fairs. We recently played with Jerry Jeff Walker in Biloxi and Junior Brown in Baton Rouge. Over the past year we've done Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Merle Haggard and others. Those shows have always been really good for us because we hit a lot of people at once.
MR: Are the CD's selling pretty well?
CS: They're very strong at the festivals, casinos and fairs. That's where we sell the most CD's and t-shirts. People really like the logo on the back of the t-shirts which says, "God bless Johnny Cash."
MR: Amen.
MR: Do you think that there is a misconception out there locally that Ghost Town is branded as just a country band? Your band is so much more!
CS: There could be........I mean if someone thinks all we play is the latest country covers then yes it is a misconception. When people come to see us play, we play our songs, and we also play old Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, and Hank Williams but it doesn't sound anything like the way Johnny, Buck, and Hank played 'em you know. So what happens is people realize that they like the older country songs too.
MR: So if I wake up out of a coma and say, "What's Ghost Town all about?" you'd say...........
CS: How long where you in a coma, nobody told me??? Really, I wouldn't say anything - I'd play you our version of Folsom Prison Blues because we really rev it up with a lot of rock in it. It's country music being played by guys who listened not only to Hank, Johnny, and Buck but also grew up on Led Zeppelin and The Ramones. It's Thrill Billy music with all of those influences coming out and it's really hard to put it into a category, but you know it when you hear it.
MR: Shania Twain crossed over into rock (isn't her music just awful?) and Sheryl Crow (isn't her music great?) and Kid Rock crossed over into country. Would you say that Ghost Town is a marriage of the two in the middle? Wouldn't it be nice to be in the middle of Shania and Sheryl?
CS: Yes, it was nice..... but really the comment we get most from people is that they don't like country but they like Ghost Town, which is a compliment. What happens is if they don't like country and they see us, and well, then all of a sudden they hear Hank, Johnny, and Buck and realize they like the old country and the way we present it. So as far as the state of country music today, I think it's great that along with Shania Twain there is room for Montgomery Gentry and contemporary acts like Marty Stuart who still have one foot in the tradition of country music. Country music is changing just like everything else, but there are still acts out there that look at the past with some reverence, and I'd like to think Ghost Town is one of them.
MR: What would Eminem say about your music?
CS: That's twangy. I don't know what he'd say to tell the truth.
MR: Do you think you'll ever cover any Eminem songs?
CS: We'll cover him if he covers Ghost Town first.
MR: But wouldn't that be totally ground breaking and new if you could cover Eminem and then people would hear your version and be like, "That was great who sings that song?" and you would say, "Oh it's an old Eminem cover..."
CS: I just don't know, a lot of times I'll change the lyrics to an old cover to sing kind of what I feel, and to be honest, I've never heard one Eminem song.
MR: Well then you're very blessed and you really aren't missing anything. Besides I don't know how you can take lyrics about ho's and gangs and make them appeal or have an identity with a country audience.
MR: So how long has Ghost Town been together?
CS: It's been four years now last month.
MR: How did you assemble this band?
CS: Jeff Oteri (drums) and I have been in bands before and when I was thinking about doing Ghost Town as I was travelling back and forth to Nashville I gave Jeff a call. I've known Joe for years also.
MR: How did you guys stumble across Dr. John's son (George Neyrey is actually of no relation to Dr. John but boy he sure looks like him)?
CS: I actually went to high school with George. When it came time to put the band together I had seen George play at a fair and I thought, if I start another band I want George.
MR: He was a high school teacher?
CS: No, we were classmates.
MR: Is it fair to say George hasn't aged well (George will punch me the next time I see him) and you have?
CS: You'd have to ask Mrs. Neyrey about that. Hey George punches really hard too.
MR: Is George a true cowboy at heart or does he just look like the King of Hearts in a deck of cards?
CS: George is a true cowboy, more than Bo Duke will ever be.
MR: How would you describe his guitar playing because I think the man is one of the best around.
CS: He wears spurs.
MR: That's deep.
MR: How easy is it to work with the band in the studio?
CS: It's very easy. We did "Giddy Up" with Dave Fortman at Balance Studios and he was very easy to work with as well.
MR: I'm intrigued. Did Dave offer up any creative direction because in my opinion a producer can make or break a record.
CS: Yes, he's very good at dialing in the sound that you are looking for and he would get right on it. He's very creative and flexible and just good to work with.........I would like to work with him again if we can.
MR: What's the biggest difference between "Giddy Up" and your first CD, "Electric Hoedown?"
CS: "Giddy Up" has a full sound and there are more tracks on this album. It has a much more comfortable focus in the sound. We have a saying when we work on new material which is, "Let it be what it is," and that allows us to put out songs which may have a different sound but not for the sake of just trying to sound different. We really feel good about the new material for the next record, but there is still a lot of life left in "Giddy Up" because there are still hundreds of millions of people who haven't bought it yet!
MR: What's the best gig you've played yet?
CS: Locally, Jazzfest this year was the best one we've ever played. We had a blast. Playing with Merle Haggard was right up there too. Merle Haggard was nice enough to stop and talk to us and tell us he really liked what we did, and he was very gracious and nice. It was a good moment for us.
MR: What's the one gig you haven't played yet that you want to play?
CS: Well, I don't think it will ever happen, but we would love to play with Johnny Cash, but his health isn't so good these days.
MR: Let's switch gears. What rock or country star deserves a good smack in the mouth these days?
CS: I'd rather answer that by telling you who we like to play with as opposed to who we don't like to play with. We don't particularly care for a lot of the newer country, but you never know who you might wind up playing with at these festivals and fairs you know. Do I really have to give a name?
MR: No, we all know it's Billy Ray Cyrus anyway!
MR: What's the weirdest question you've ever been asked in an interview?
CS: Which rock/country star needs a smack in the mouth.
MR: Right! What's the one interview you've wanted to do that you haven't done yet (hint: this one is a great answer!)?
CS: Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show.
MR: Isn't he dead?
CS: No, he lives on.
MR: Didn't Tom Snyder go to school with George too? You really didn't go to high school with George did you?!?
CS: You asked me earlier what I liked about George's playing and here's something I want to add. At most of the shows, he now plays all six strings.
MR: At once?
CS: NO! At some point in the show he'll use all six strings.
MR: So he has all six strings on his guitar these days?
CS: Yep.
MR: Seriously, George is a great banjo player too - any thoughts of adding that element to Ghost Town's music?
CS: We've talked about it, but it's just an idea we're kicking around right now. We try to make sure our songs sound good live and in the studio by not trying to over produce them.
MR: Who plays Christian Serpas in the movie about you?
CS: Billy Ray Cyrus.
MR: Who's more empowered Brittany Spears or Christina Aguillera?
CS: Didn't Christina get her lip pierced?
MR: Oh she's got more metal in her than a World War II veteran.
CS: No, she has more metal in her than Dee Snider.
MR: You're very good at this, she may be Dee Snider for all we know.
CS: We're not gonna take it - anymore.
MR: So what's on the horizon for Ghost Town?
CS: June 29th we're at the Lacombe Crab Festival from 8:30pm to 10:00pm. Then on July 3rd we play in Metairie at the Uncle Sam Jam at 6pm at Lafreniere Park. July 4th has us at the Slidell Heritage Festival from 3:30pm to 5:00pm and then on July 5th it's back once again to the Mandeville Seafood Festival from 6pm to 7:30pm. July 25th has us at the Columbia Street Final Friday Block Party.
MR: Ok Christian, here comes the rapid fire questions.
CS: Oh no.
MR: Do you think selling perfume was really one of J-Lo's career goals?
CS: She can sell anything - she's selling, I'm buying.
MR: Do you think people who talk like Elmer Fudd should pursue a career in broadcasting?
CS: Apparently it hasn't stopped Kelly Rippa.
MR: Coke or Pepsi?
CS: Coke
MR: Day or night?
CS: Night.
MR: Dahli Lama or The Pope?
CS: DOLLY PARTON!
MR: Thanks Christian for being a sport!
CS: You're welcome! We appreciate it.
ST. TAMMANY NEWS BANNER
January 2003
Making music: Christian Serpas and Ghost Town
Story by Leslie Ackel
Playing music together as a band beginning in 1999, Christian Serpas and Ghost
Town have already commanded a niche in the music scene here in the Greater New
Orleans area that has garnered rave reviews and produced two well received CDs.
Just out with their second CD, "Giddy Up," recorded at Balance Studio
in Mandeville, the new Ghost Town CD has been nominated for "Best Country /
Singer-Songwriter Album by a Louisiana Artist" in the 2002 Offbeat Magazine
Best of the Beat Awards.
Their first CD called "Electric Hoedown" sold out and earned their
songs plenty of air play on local radio stations.
"Serpas' songs have a subtle cleverness phrased in lines that sound like
common speech, and though they have a story, the story takes a back seat to the
simple pleasure of three good, musical minutes," said Alex Rawls, music
reviewer for Offbeat Magazine.
They're fan base is vast. Their "friends," as Serpas refers to the
fans, watch for Ghost Town to play at fairs and festivals and most recently at
the Gulf Coast casinos.
Serpas and Jeff Oteri expected to make their big songwriting break during a
stint in Los Angeles. During the bands' stay in Los Angeles, Serpas said of that
circuit, "You get a lot more attention when you are the band from New
Orleans than if you're just a local band," he said.
Then it was the singer-songwriter clubs in Nashville.
"The first trip I took to Nashville, I hit them all (the clubs),"
Serpas said. Soon he had slots dedicated specifically for him.
"It was interesting to do it on your own, but I realized I was more
comfortable in a group, it's more fun," he said.
That's when Serpas returned to Louisiana and merged once again to form Ghost
Town.
Serpas, originally from Arabi in St. Bernard Parish, now makes Mandeville his
home. Jeff Oteri, drummer, lives in Slidell; Joe Lincoln, bass, lives in
Lacombe; and George Neyrey, guitar player and a high school buddy, lives in
Metairie. "We get together when I write a new song or to play a show,"
Serpas said. They are so bonded musically, practices are few. There's really no
need.
Johnny Cash, Buck Owens and Hank Williams are favorites of the band members,
Serpas said, and their music reflects the sounds of the three country greats.
"The first song I learned was Folsom Prison Blues."
It's always the first song the band opens with. Their promotional T-shirts have
"God Bless Johnny Cash" printed on the backs.
The mystery of songwriting shadows Serpas as it does all great songwriters. He
describes his method of songwriting as something that occurs in his head, he
then picks up his guitar and puts a melody to it. "I don't sit down and
think to myself, 'Now, I'm going to catch lightning in a bottle, I wait until it
hits me,'" he explained.
Ideas are constantly bouncing around Serpas' head. Hooks, as he calls them, the
sing-along chorus, sometimes come around first.
"It's consistently inconsistent," he said. It could be the first line
in a verse, he said, "or the hook, it's always different and that keeps it
interesting." He needs something interesting to hit him in order for him to
pick up his guitar and attempt sorting things out.
There was a point in Serpas' life he's left behind when he considers
songwriting.
"I used to wonder, 'Where do they come from?' Now, I don't panic if I
haven't written a song in a certain amount of time because I realize songwriting
is like an appetite. It's going to come back again," he said.
Ostensibly, ideas may become songs. "Sometimes an idea comes about in what
someone has said, or even by what they didn't say," he said.
The songs are personal endeavors before an idea is taken to his band. The guys
listen and react when he suggests a particular sound or asks for an opinion. He
likes to hear ideas from the group. "It's not like an assembly line where
all the songs are complied in the same way," he said.
Serpas appreciates the opinions of the large country acts that offer Ghost Town
advice.
"When we played with Merle Haggard, he came and told us that he appreciated
what we were doing," Serpas said. "Eddie Montgomery made it a point to
come over and tell us in detail about the things he liked about what we did. It
was a highlight for us."
Serpas is equally impressed with the comments he receives from
"friends" that follow Ghost Town's performances.
"E-mail is a very important tool. We hear from a lot of people through our
site." He is flattered when people remember specifics of the music.
A very important means of gaining worldwide exposure and sale of the CDs is
through Ghost Town's Internet site created by drummer Jeff Oteri.
"We can see the stats on who is listening," Serpas said. They collect
e-mail addresses from their fan base and keep them abreast of what's happening.
When asked his opinion on the quality of the "new wave" country music
now high on the charts, Serpas is positively optimistic. "What I like about
it is that there is still room for performers like Dwight Yoakam and Marty
Stuart to be showcased with the new talent like Montgomery Gentry."
Serpas' aim in music is not the idea most conceive of success.
"Fame would be great, but I look at it as more of a venue for the
music," he said.
Serpas respects his fans, which include his parents and his wife.
"Without my wife's support and encouragement it would all be impossible
because it's tough. She's seen every breath of Ghost Town," he said.
What Serpas appreciates of being with Ghost Town for four years now, is the
interesting people they've met. He considers his fans as "friends."
"It happens to all the guys in the band," he said of their respect for
music. "We try and take the spirit of the guys who inspired us, and we hope
that same excitement we felt comes through," he said. "If you look at
music like a big river that runs through history and we can be a small drop in
the scheme, then that's important to us. It's very rewarding."
Recently signed to a small New Orleans record label and sponsored by the Abita
Beer Co. and Schecter guitars, Serpas is relieved he can slow down on promoting
the band. In the past, Serpas juggled lead singer-songwriter as well as PR
person for the band. Difficultly in juggling this schedule has Serpas relying
now on Eddie Delony, owner of Ralph Records.
"Giddy Up" can be purchased at the Grapevine and online at Amazon.com
and CD Baby.com. Virgin and Tower Records carry the CD in New Orleans.
-Tambalaya Magazine, August 2002
GHOST TOWN RELEASES FIRST RALPH RECORDS CD - GIDDY UP
Anything associated with Christian Serpas and his traditional country band Ghost Town is a winner, including his new CD. Serpas is slowly climbing the ladder of success one rung at a time, taking with him his original band members, George Neyrey on lead guitar, Jeff Oteri on drums and Joe Lincoln on bass. All have the same goals - play well together and feel like family.
All of the members share in backup vocals since harmony is an essential element of their music, Ghost Town's first CD, Giddy Up, with Ralph Records, was released and a CD release party was held at Howling Wolf in June. All 11 tracks were written by Serpas, except Buck Owens' "Tiger by the Tail".
There's no doubt as to the roots of the album when you open the jacket to find four sets of boots lined up behind the credits. Ghost Town recently performed four songs on "Louisiana Jukebox", three of them from the album, including "There She Goes", "I've Got a Good Thing Going" and "That's It, I Quit, I'm Gone", which closed the show. It's always been the groups' tradition to sign off with the signature theme song. Serpas sang another new tune, "Read 'em and Weep".
Serpas' emotional mellow vocals are traditional country with just enough twang to make the listener feel a common thread of connection and become caught up in the collection of lyrics of love lost and sometimes found. It won't be long before you are trying to decide which one's your favorite.
But there's no sappy, crying-in-your-beer here or feeling-sorry-for-yourself songs, just matter-of-fact, talk-it-out tales in which most country fans can relate. Combined with exact instrumentals, it's an enjoyable listen for years to come and not one to become outdated (in other words, a classic).
The first feather in Ghost Town's cowboy hat was winning the New Orleans Jimmy Dean True Value Country Showdown. the band went on to win a Tambalaya Music Award last year for it's debut album, Electric Hoedown, and Serpas snagged one of his own for Male Vocalist of the Year.
Ghost Town is endorsed by the north shore's own Abita Beer and Schecter Guitars of California. Serpas plays an SW3000, and "Of course, it's black," said Serpas, who is known for his black attire and his love of the other man in black, Johnny Cash. The band's T-shirt says "God Bless Johnny Cash".
Serpas and Ghost Town appeared with Merle Haggard in Hammond, at the Slidell Heritage Festival and the Mandeville Seafood Festival recently. They will be at the Abita Brew Fest on September 21, Festival of the Lake in Mandeville on October 18, and Halloween Fest in Biloxi on October 31.
Visit www.ghosttown.org to check out all of the awards that the group has earned in its three years together, to get on its e-mail list or find out where they will turn up next. Visit www.ralphrecords or www.amazon.com to purchase Giddy Up.
OFFBEAT magazine
July 2002
Christian Serpas and Ghost Town Giddy Up (Ralph Records)
Talk to Christian Serpas and he'll tell you about the genius of Buck Owens, and on Giddy Up, his love of Owens' brand of country is obvious. The band covers "Tiger by the Tail," but beyond that, Serpas shows a knack for his Owens' lyrical style. The songs have a subtle cleverness phrased in lines that sound like common speech, and though they have a story-love lost, love found, love fought for-the story takes a back seat to the simple pleasure of three good, musical minutes.
Fortunately, Serpas and Ghost Town can deliver the songs. He has a likable sincerity in his voice, particularly on songs like "There Ain't No Good in Goodbye," and the arrangements are spare, with no parts that distract. Guitarist George Neyrey gets a lot of space as the only electric guitar, picking tastefully, tracing chords, adding melody, then adding punctuation when it's needed. Producer Dave Fortman gives his guitar extra crunch on "There She Goes" and "Go," which features the memorable couplet, "the best thing about this town / is people getting out all the time."
As Fortman's presence behind the board suggests, for all the band's affection for heroes of country music, there is a rock band under those big hats.
--- Alex Rawls
The Times-Picayune
Riding high in the saddle from the positive reaction to
it’s recently released full-length, 12 song CD, "Giddy Up,"
Mandeville's Serpas and his mostly north shore band of cowboys will rock the
stage with their high energy brand of contemporary country music. Serving up a
bayou brew of country that rocks while paying homage to legends of the genre
such as Hank Williams, Buck Owens and Johnny Cash, the long, lanky Serpas and
the band has spread its message across the country in recent months, sharing
stages with the likes of Randy Travis, Brad Paisley, Terri Clark, David Allan
Coe, SheDaisy, Tammy Cochran, Montgomery Gentry, Hank Williams III and Kenny
Chesney among others. They are also popular attractions at a wide range of area
fairs and festivals. With Serpas on vocals and guitar, Jeff Oteri on drums,
George Neyrey on guitar and Joe Lincoln on bass, their debut mini-CD, a
five-song set called "Electric Hoedown" got plenty of critical praise.
Music writer Roger Kennedy said, "There is a new sheriff in town and he
brought along his guitar."
times picayune, lagniappe
friday, may 31, 2002
HONKY TONK
Christian Serpas & Ghost
Town
After stints in
Saturday at the Howlin' Wolf for a CD release party that also features The Plowboys and 3rd Echo.
Thursday, October 11, 2001
SLIDELL SENTRY NEWS
Award-Winning Ghost Town at Festival of the Lake
MANDEVILLE - Christian Serpas & Ghost Town, recent recipients of two Tambalaya Music Awards, will be performing at the Festival of the Lake in Mandeville on Saturday, October 13 from 4:30 - 6:30 pm.
Ghost Town won "Album of the Year" for their "Electric Hoedown" cd, and Christian Serpas was voted "Male Vocalist of the Year" at the awards show held at the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. Over 35,000 votes were cast by the general public to choose the winners.
"We think our "Electric Hoedown" cd gives people a real good idea of what Ghost Town is doing," says Serpas, "and it's awful nice to know that people like it."
They call their brand of music thrillbilly.
"We take everything we ever listened to - country, rock, rockabilly, bluegrass, everything. Cram it all in a blender and mix it up. Fast." That's how singer Serpas describes Ghost Town.
Ghost Town blasted into country music's consciousness about two years ago, and quickly built a reputation throughout the region as a must-see live act, turning in sparkling opening sets before heavyweights including Randy Travis, Brad Paisley, Terri Clark, Ricochet, Tammy Cochran, SheDaisy and Kenny Chesney, and increasing their fanbase with each performance.
The four piece band, Serpas on vocals and acoustic guitar, Jeff Oteri (drums), George Neyrey (guitar) and Joe Lincoln (bass) released their debut cd, "Electric Hoedown", in the summer of 2000. Driven by radio-ready sing-a-longs like "There Ain't No Good in Goodbye" and "That's It, I Quit, I'm Gone", the disc grabbed the band a surprising amount of airplay, plenty of rave reviews, and favorable comparisons to Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.
"Electric Hoedown" is available at local record stores including the Grapevine in Covington, Barnes & Nobles and Borders in Metairie, and Tower Records and Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans. You can also purchase it online from the Ghost Town website (www.ghosttown.org).
While Ghost Town's exciting live show gets the crowd's attention, it's the quality of Serpas' songs that keeps them listening, and coming back. "Anyone can relate to our songs," says Serpas, "because we're singing about the two things that everyone knows about - heartache and happiness - with a good beat."
The appearance at the Festival of the Lake in Mandeville is a great chance to hear and get to know this fine band.
Tambalaya Magazine August 2001
"Electric Hoedown" - Christian Serpas & Ghost Town
This "Album of the Year" nominee has quite a few accolades under
it's belt: "Electric Hoedown" was released just one year after their
first public performance, and since then Christian Serpas & Ghost Town have
won the top prize at the New Orleans Jimmy Dean True Value Country Showdown and
opened for such heavy hitters as Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, and SheDaisy.
The album is not lengthy, it consists of only five songs. But don't mistake
brevity for inadequacy. The tunes on "Electric Hoedown" vary from
swinging rockabilly to swooning country ballads. All the while the band
maintains a cohesive sound that makes it all seem so easy. "Sixty
Seconds", the first tune on the album (and, it should be noted, also a
"Song of the Year" nominee) instantly makes you want to sing along to
its upbeat sounds and sweetly romantic lyrics. But these ain't no sissy boys,
neither. The album maintains its core country sound while exploring other
related genres (think Johnny Cash and Elvis. Got it!).
The album itself is just a snapshot of the whole band's abilities. In fact, they are just as good at playing rousing renditions of country classics that really get a crowd moving. But their originals are arguably just as radio-ready as the tunes they cover live. It sounds like they pulled all their strengths together to make "Electric Hoedown", check it out to see if it earns your vote for Album of the Year.
TAMbalaya Magazine, October 2000
Christian Serpas and Ghost Town:
Spread the Word
By: Shane Gleason
"When we do a show we want people to leave and spread the word." So says
Christian Serpas, singer, songwriter and leader of the band Ghost Town. That
is the type of energy one can expect when seeing them perform live or when
listening to their July released "Electric Hoedown." Tracks like "Sixty Seconds" and "She Won't Even Miss Me When I'm Gone" will leave you tapping
your toe to the beat and humming the chorus long after the songs have ended. Which is, as anyone must admit, the truest test of any musical piece.
Since April of 1999 this innovative quartet has been performing in a variety
of venues and settings and has really begun to earn its place as a local
frontrunner in the country music genre. Since the band's inaugural
performance at the Rockin' Horse in Folsom, with other local country great
Chris Gray (TAM Nov '99), they have really taken the fast road to success.
Only four months after the Rockin' Horse gig, and actually only their fourth
live appearance, the gang was the regional winner of the True Value Country
Showdown, a nationally sponsored talent search for country artists.
Taking advantage of the boost in publicity the band has gone on since then
to secure several key spots on stage with some of the industry's greats. At
the North 40 Festival in Folsom the band opened the stage for rising country
star, Terri Clark. At a WNOE country show at Keifer UNO Lakefront Arena the
band got their first taste of large arena play when playing with future country legend Randy Travis and award winner from this year's CMA Awards,
Brad Paisley. (For those of you who don't know, he's the hottest new male solo act in Country Music today).
Most recently the band played to an audience of approximately 8000 people at
the WNOE Country Party 2000 featuring Kenny Chesney and hot new female
group, Shedaisy. Having appeared in these types of events it is obvious the
group has earned the respect of the local music industry. This is not a
group to rest on its laurels. Like the music itself the drive of Serpas and
his gang is strong. But that's the way Serpas has always been.
Things happen for a reason. You can't rush fate. These are statements that
both apply when it comes to the band. Serpas began years ago growing up in
"the neighborhood" along with Joe Lincoln, Ghost Town's bassist. In fact,
all the band members knew each other since their youth. Serpas learned to
play guitar at the same time as highschool friend George Neyrey, guitarist
and vocalist. Drummer Jeff Oteri and Serpas shared the stage in two bands before Ghost Town,
which is actually where the real saga begins.
In the early '90's Serpas and Oteri hit the road for L.A. to crash the
confused rock scene that at the time included everything from the lingering
remnants of the '80's metal hair bands to the origins of the grunge
movement. After about a year and a half of playing the local circuit,
places like Scream and Club Lingerie-the Troubadour was in a funk at the
time-the guys decided they had had enough. "We were around a bunch of bands
that were hearing 'you're next, you're next,' and they were next.Then for
us it was 'You're next, you're next,' but we were never next," recalls the
lanky, six-foot five, coal black-haired singer.
After returning to Louisiana, Serpas decided to pack the guitar into the
closet, figuring he had taken his best shot and that was it. He put the
guitar down, but the songs kept coming. He could stop playing but the songs
would not.
Having played in rock bands prior to this time, Serpas had never forgotten
the music that he grew up on, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens and one of his
favorites, Marty Stuart, whom he recently had the chance to meet. According to Serpas
both the bands he played in prior to Ghost Town had a common thread of
sound in them that reflected the heart-felt edge of the country legends that
helped shape his ear for music.
When he began writing again, he and his acoustic guitar began to put
together the sound that would eventually become Ghost Town. This time the
songwriters music led him north rather than west. With guitar in hand he
headed for Nashville. This time he was solo. Playing venues like The
Bluebird and The Courtyard Serpas began to work the singer/songwriter
circuit, steadily working his way through the open-mike nights to landing on
the playbills.
Being in two places at one time was taking its toll and things once again
began to change. It is here where we start to get back to the beginning.
It had been long-time friend and associate Jeff Oteri who had worked with
Serpas to put together the demo stuff for Nashville. Wishing to leave the
solo life for more independent types, Serpas decided a four-piece was the
future. Naturally it would be Oteri who would head up the rhythm section but
they still needed a bassist and a guy with the right licks to put the
finishing touches on the material.
The incidents that would follow would lead one to the conclusion that this
band, as fate would have it, was meant to be. Serpas had watched George
Neyrey playing around town and had a gut feeling that he was the right guy
for Ghost Town. Serpas had even commented prior to that that if he ever got
a band back together that's the guy he wanted on guitar. Neyrey said yes and
they placed an ad for a bass player. Not one day after Neyrey gave the nod
did an old friend and bassist respond to the ad. That's right, the first player to respond
to the ad was none other than long-time neighborhood buddy, Joe Lincoln.
"The Joe Lincoln?" Serpas asked as he returned the call.
Thus, the creation of Ghost Town.
In a market rich with R&B, top-40 and classic rock cover-bands it is
refreshing to hear a band with both songs and a sound that are original.
Ghost Town puts the emphasis on their originals, with cover tunes to round
out the sets and to play familiar tunes people can dance to. "Our covers are
interpretations," explains Serpas. "If you listen to Johnny Cash's Folsom
Prison Blues compared to our version you'll know what I'm talking about."
Their "sound" sets the originals apart from other popular country music and
adds freshness to a great cover list. The songs have a rock, riff-based
tone. Serpas and the rhythm section set up the foundation for Neyrey to lay
his Fender’s licks on top. Together with catchy lyrics like those in
"There Ain't No Good In Goodbye" and "That's It, I Quit, I'm Gone" the
excitement of the musical style is the paradox for a band called Ghost Town.
What's next? According to Serpas the band plans to travel to Nashville in
November and continue to write songs and develop their sound. "We want to take the spirit of the guys who influenced us and make it into Ghost Town. Every day we want to get a little
closer to that," he says.
It seems that for Christian Serpas and Ghost Town things have come full
circle. From the early days of the neighborhood one could say that the band
arrives at home again via L.A. and Nashville. Welcome home, boys.
You can catch Christian Serpas and Ghost Town this month at Acme Oyster
House on Boston St. in Covington at a TAMbalaya Foundation benefit called
"Acme Oyster House Live." The show is Friday, October 20th at 9:30 PM.
Listen to WNOE 101.1 FM, K94.7 FM or look in the TAMbalaya Calendar of Events for more
details.
Thursday, July 20, 2000 Mandeville Picayune
Spotlight
by Beth Sager
Ghost Town set for Columbia howl
It’s no surprise that Johnny Cash has a big influence on Christian Serpas. Serpas and his band dress all in black. He swings his guitar just like Cash. The biggest giveaway is the back of the band’s T-shirt, which says "God bless Johnny Cash."
Plus, some of Serpas’ best performances are when he and his band do a medley of Cash hits. Serpas and his three partners in music, Ghost Town, have a special show planned for Friday night. They are celebrating the release of their all-original CD, "Electric Hoedown", at the Columbia Street Tap Room in Covington.
When Serpas first came to the north shore about four years ago, he was a solo act. He blew into town from Nashville, Tenn., returning to his roots in New Orleans, where he grew up. What goes around comes around, and Serpas recruited two of his high school musician buddies, George Neyrey on lead guitar and Jeff Oteri on drums, to make up a new group after he decided that solo wasn’t the place to be. He was still short a bass player and put the word out. Another former classmate, Joe Lincoln, who grew up a block away, applied, and now it’s Serpas and Ghost Town.
The members live on the north shore, except for Neyrey, who lives in Metairie. Ghost Town has been contributing to the heat index lately. Many first-time listeners at the Mandeville Seafood Festival this month were impressed with the group. East St. Tammany Parish festival-goers heard Ghost Town at the Freedom Fest in Slidell, and late-night television viewers caught the group on "Louisiana Jukebox," when the group sang three songs from the CD: "Sixty Seconds", "She Won’t Even Miss Me When I’m Gone" and "That’s It, I Quit, I’m Gone", the tune that has become its signature sign-off song. The south shore CD release party was met with success at the Howling Wolf on July 8.
When it comes to covers, the group performs Cash favorites including "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk the Line". At the Mandeville Seafood Festival, requests were coming fast and furious on napkins, bank deposit slips, or anything with a writing surface. Serpas performed Buck Owens’ "I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail", Elvis Presley’s "Little Sister" and Hank Williams’ "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry".
When Serpas introduced his band, each player gave a short solo. The crowd sniggered when Neyrey went into his rendition of "In a Gadda Da Vida". Another source of humor is Serpas’ "only Sinatra song." The audience cracked up when the group started the distinct opening for "These Boots Are Made for Walking".
"’Sixty Seconds’ has been receiving some air time," Serpas said. "It’s a powerful song and fits right in with the others on the album. It’s all about lonesome nights and broken dreams." But the songs aren’t all ballads; lost love can be high-energy and rockabilly, especially on "Sixty Seconds" and "That’s It, I Quit, I’m Gone."
Visit the group’s Web site at www.ghosttown.org or e-mail Serpas at cpserpas@cs.com to get on Ghost Town’s e-mail newsletter or to get the snail-mail gig schedule. CDs and T-shirts can be ordered from the Web site.
July 7, 2000 - The Times-Picayune - Lagniappe
Country Creeps Into Ghost Town
by Keith Spera
After Christian Serpas' rock-star dreams crashed and burned in Los Angeles, he spent a long time trying not to make music. Eventually he gave in to the urge. But the sound of his new band, Ghost Town, is miles apart from that of its predecessor, True Faith.
The five cuts on "Electric Hoedown," the debut, mini-CD by Christian Serpas & Ghost Town, are clean, uncluttered country, drawing on the likes of Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens. Serpas' lyrics are riddled with the kind of wordplays that mark the most memorable country compositions; witness the title of "That's It, I Quit, I'm Gone" and "There Ain't No Good In Goodbye." The band celebrates the release of "Electric Hoedown" with a free show Saturday at the Howlin' Wolf.
The path that led Serpas to Ghost Town was a long and winding one. He formed True Faith in New Orleans in 1984, drawing inspiration from The Alarm, Big Country and other four-chords-and-the-truth rock bands.
In the mid-'80s, its members moved to the mecca for aspiring rock bands, Los Angeles. The move proved to be their undoing.
"It was a typical story of getting to California and just running out of gas," Serpas said. "We had made a few trips out there and gotten some interest, but we got a lot more attention when we were billed as a band from New Orleans. "
True Faith broke up in Los Angeles in 1989. Disillusioned, Serpas sold all of his gear save a single acoustic guitar and moved back to New Orleans. The lone guitar sat in a closet, untouched, for a year. "I would hear songs in my head, and I would just say that I wasn't going to use them," Serpas said. "But it kept happening."
Unable to ignore them any longer, he finally pulled out the acoustic. Country influences had occasionally seeped into True Faith's music, but Serpas discovered that those influences had moved to the fore in his new songs. "They were the bridge," Serpas said, "between True Faith and Ghost Town."
Emboldened by his new sound, Serpas moved to Nashville and hit the singer-songwriter circuit. But after years with a band, the solo route was unfulfilling. He returned to New Orleans once again, and played his new songs for former True Faith drummer Jeff Oteri. Oteri agreed to help Serpas record them; he also agreed to be the core of a new, country-flavored band. Serpas then recruited veteran local guitarist George Neyrey, a friend from high school who most recently worked with the now defunct modern rock band Joybuzzer. Bassist Joe Lincoln, a childhood acquaintance of Serpas', rounded out the Ghost Town line-up.
Little more than a year old, Ghost Town functions as a full-fledged band, not just Christian Serpas' back-up band. "We tell clubs that if they don't have room to write the whole name, don't just put 'Christian Serpas' -- put 'Ghost Town,' " Serpas said.
Onstage, they'll run through their original repertoire and cover Buck Owens' "Tiger By the Tail," Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison" and Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." They hope the new CD becomes a catalyst for more regional touring.
Once again, Serpas is committed to the cause of a band and the songs in his head.
"Now as soon as I hear one, I grab that guitar," Serpas said.
April, 2000
Northlake News, Music Beat
by Roger Kennedy
CHRISTIAN SERPAS & GHOST TOWN
There’s been a haunting sound escaping from the silence of the evening air lately. It’s a peculiar vibration that commands attention yet something about it seems strangely familiar. The southern wind whistles as it politely persuades a lone thatch of tumbleweed to move along. Though the streets may be empty now, it’ll just be a matter of time before the whole place is jumping. You see, there’s a new sheriff in town and he brought along his guitar.
Christian Serpas and Ghost Town have come quite a long way since the success of their first shows performed last April. In one short year, this original country music band has earned the acceptance of very wide and diverse crossover audiences and garnered high media praises for their efforts.
Serpas has been described as "kinda like Dwight Yoakam meets Chris Issak" by one Nashville club owner. Others have coined his music as "heartache with hooks" and "six foot five-inches of well crafted, insightful songs about lonesome nights and broken dreams".
With lead singer / songwriter Serpas fronting this band that includes lead guitarist George Neyrey (formerly with Joy Buzzer), bass player Joe Lincoln and drummer Jeff Oteri, the energy level soars through original tunes like "There Ain’t No Good in Goodbye", "Wait a Minute", "Beginning of the End" and "That’s It, I Quit, I’m Gone".
One local writer notes that ever since Michael Jeansonne split for Nashville, the local country music scene has lacked a breakout original act but that Christian Serpas and Ghost Town may just be the ones to step up and fill that void. You’d get no objection from the judges at last year’s New Orleans Jimmy Dean True Value Country Showdown as the band won top honors and moved on to national competition.
Having performed recently before the Saints / Cowboys game at the Louisiana Superdome and as the opening act for Randy Travis and Brad Paisley at the UNO Lakefront arena, these guys have seized the opportunity to display their talents before thousands of new fans.
Be sure to catch Christian Serpas and Ghost Town in concert throughout the area. More information can be obtained from their website www.ghosttown.org or by phone 504-892-6234.
New Orleans Times Picayune - Lagniappe, Friday, February 4, 2000
New Country Revival
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town breathe new life into the local country scene.
Ever since Michael Jeansonne lit out for the bright lights of Nashville, the local country scene has lacked a break-out act that emphasizes original music.
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town may just step up to fill the void. Consisting of singer-songwriter Serpas, lead guitarist George Neyrey (of the now-defunct modern rock band Joy Buzzer), drummer Jeff Oteri and bassist Joe Lincoln, Ghost Town combines clever, hook-ladened compositions such as "That’s It, I Quit, I’m Gone" and "There Ain’t No Good In Goodbye" with a classic country sound that marries Dwight Yoakam’s twang to Chris Isaak’s echo-y high-lonesome guitar. "Folsom Prison", "Mystery Train", "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry" and other standards round out their sets.
The band played its first show in April and then won the local competition of the Jimmy Dean True Value Country Showdown four months later. Christian Serpas & Ghost Town perform Thursday at the Howlin’ Wolf with local honky-tonk band The Nudies.
--Keith Spera
contact: CPSerpas@CS.com
©2009 Ghost Town. All rights reserved.