It's not the fact that Ghost Town Blues Band performs with quirky instruments that pulls in audiences; it's how well Isbell, trombone player Suavo Jones, drummer Preston McEwen, bassist Josh Roberts, saxophonist Marque Boyd and keyboardist Jeremy Powell can use them.
When Memphis, Tenn., sextet Ghost Town Blues Band plays Underground 119 on Nov. 8 for its first official show in Jackson, it promises to bring some of Memphis with it.
After initially meeting on Beale Street nearly six years ago, the band quickly garnered international recognition in places such as Austria and Denmark before bringing it all back home to claim second place at the 2013 International Blues Challenge.
Vocalist and guitarist Matt Isbell says that Ghost Town Blues Band doesn't create the desolate and stripped-down Delta blues music that its name might suggest. "We're a band with a real show with everything from an awesome horn section to dance moves," he says. "We go about things a bit more uniquely than others might."
However, unique doesn't do Ghost Town Blues Band's signature sound justice. Besides the obvious energy level, horns, and dancing, the band features an assortment of funky instruments, including the cigar-box guitar and electric-analog broomstick, in addition to traditional guitars and percussion. Isbell handcrafts all the musical oddities that audience members see on stage, many of which he sells through his custom instrument business, Memphis Cigar Box.
It's not the fact that Ghost Town Blues Band performs with quirky instruments that pulls in audiences; it's how well Isbell, trombone player Suavo Jones, drummer Preston McEwen, bassist Josh Roberts, saxophonist Marque Boyd and keyboardist Jeremy Powell can use them. Isbell describes the band as "a bunch of really different, talented dudes that mesh really well together and create a lot of raw energy on stage."
"We like to shoot from the hip. We're not planning stuff out, and we don't rehearse," Isbell says. "We get on stage and make things happen. We are very much flying by the seat of our pants out there." This approach amounts to highly personalized and engaging shows that make listeners feel like an active part of the performance. Crowd reaction directs every Ghost Town Blues Band show.
Having wrapped up a quick series of festivals in Canada, Isbell is excited to play in Jackson for the first time, and hopes to come back for next summer's Jackson Rhythm and Blues Festival. He says that the fan bases in Canada and Europe are attentive and appreciative, but they lack the capacity to "hoot, holler and party the whole time (we're) playing like you're gonna' get in the South."
Ghost Town Blues Band performs 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 at Underground 119 (119 S. President St.; 601-352-2322). The cover charge is $10. For more information, visit ghosttownbluesband.com.
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