There is no doubt that music and the way we make it has changed greatly through the years. Even faster over the last 25 years or so with the improvements in technology. Songs can now be written by a band with the members never even being in the same room. Our recent discovery Roam Like Ghosts has lived through all these changes and has adapted and evolved to bring new music to our ears.
The musical duo is made of singer/songwriter, Mathew Daugherty, and guitarist/songwriter, Bucky Fairfax. Currently, Mathew resides in Reston, Virginia; Bucky is living in Cary, North Carolina. The band has learned to write songs together virtually with physical distance not hampering them at all. Together as Roam Like Ghosts, they form an acoustic rock sound that focuses on emotion and storytelling.
This is not the beginning for the collaboration of Mathew and Bucky though. In seemingly a previous lifetime (read as 1993 for you youngins reading), the pair was introduced through mutual friends to form the band SEDAH. They wrote and recorded in a hard-alternative rock style together until 1998. Life happened and other projects came and go. Some 20 years later in 2017, the pair reunited in music to form Roam Like Ghosts with a more refined and softer tone more pleasing to their aged ears.
February 26th will see the sophomore release by Roam Like Ghosts titled …to that place you call home. The 11 track record expands on the elements of the band’s acoustic sound, exploring love and loss, life and death, hope and fear, with a reflective and emotive mix of songs.
The fitting opener “Before We Began” eases us into an interesting mesh of sounds that sets the stage for a relaxing listen. On “Disappear” we can definitely sense the alternative rock influence but with the acoustic treatment, the song offers a much more cozy and comfortable vibe. The years of playing have paid off as the instrumentation is top-notch fitting together seamlessly.
An elegant guitar leads the way on “Photograph (Don’t Forget Me)” as the emotional vocals tell a story that many listeners can relate to. Quite a beautiful song. The energy flips on “Sara” as the vocals attack among a mix of Americana sounds including fastly strummed guitar and harmonica. Roam Like Ghosts keeps you guessing where the next song will take you throughout the album.
The longest track of the record “The Great Unknown” at over 5 minutes brings the mood back to a relaxed state as the story is told in a mellow tone that draws the listener in close. Great songwriting here. The last track “Close Your Eyes,” allows us to take the music with us as the imaginative picture it paints fits well with our current state of emotions.
Keep up with more from Roam Like Ghosts HERE.