A haunted road hog with a brimstone growl and guitar mixed hotter than Lucifer.

10 MP3 Songs
BLUES: Swamp Blues, COUNTRY: Americana

Details:
Steve Schecter is Ghostwriter, a haunted road hog with a brimstone growl and guitar mixed hotter than Lucifer. Road Angels and Torrential Rains imagines Nick Cave waking up on the wrong side of the bed, fighting cottonmouth and arrest warrants in several Southwestern states.
-Christopher Gray. Austin Chronicle June 2004

The first time I listened to Ghostwriter I was driving home late at night from Columbus to Cleveland on Rt. 71. I let the CD "Road Angels & Torrential Rain (Travel, Murder, + Loss)" play all the way through three times. There was just something gripping about it that reflected both the oblivion and the possibilities of the open road. As the title suggests, there is a certain amount of anguish in the vocals, which are delivered like an abrasive scrape across the gut. Ghostwriter's dark Americana further proves the notion that the one-man band is the purest form of musical expression. His lyrics come off personal, compelling, and literate. It is definitely not easy listening as he almost pathologically rants and raves, exposing his skeletons and pulling you into the strange world of a perpetual outsider that embodies the American spirit at its most gritty, true, and vital. Part John Wayne, part Charles Bukowski, Ghostwriter is a storyteller who creates a solitary aura that reminds me of doing shots alone in a dark corner bar on a weeknight. He sets to music the subconscious of a nation, and it is good music at that.

-Ben Lybarger. Rock n' Roll Purgatory Oct. 2005


Anarcho-Cowpunk Ghostwriter (aka Steve Schechter) recorded this CD virtually live at a friendâs house in Austin Texas, and the result is a raw blast of primitive rockânâroll. Playing all instruments himself, mainly guitar, harmonica and some banjo (but not played like youâve ever heard before!) it is harsh and unforgiving, challenging and authentic in a way that The White Stripes could barely dream of.
This was recommended to me on the basis of an intense and moody live performance that saw an unsuspecting, trendy London audience being reduced to open-mouthed shock and awe. It sucks its lifeblood, in vampiric fashion, from early rockabilly and delta blues but the performance owes a debt to the likes of The Fall, The Cramps and vocally, Birthday Party era Nick Cave.
âDesolateâ is just that, âPreacherâs Daughterâ employs that aforementioned steely banjo and contains the closest to a chorus/hook - albeit one that sings of a preacherâs daughter impressed by the narratorâs chemical intake. âFalse Heartedâ is a snarling and spitting rendition of a traditional âhate balladâ and probably the best track on offer.
Overall, it is perhaps too one-dimensional, too unrelenting and would undoubtedly benefit from some light and shade but it would be great fun to witness his apparently black-suited, mean, moody and hair-raising live set!

-Christopher Stevens. Whisperin' & Hollerin' UK April 2005

People who are interested in Tom Waits Nick Cave Howlin’ Wolf should consider this download.