{"id":130152,"date":"2024-04-23T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T14:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dcmusicreview.com\/staging\/?p=130152"},"modified":"2024-04-26T10:00:24","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T14:00:24","slug":"the-ghost-club-comes-alive-at-d-c-s-songbyrd-music-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dcmusicreview.com\/staging\/the-ghost-club-comes-alive-at-d-c-s-songbyrd-music-house\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ghost Club comes alive at D.C.\u2019s Songbyrd Music House"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a series of unfortunate events, The Ghost Club<\/strong> finally took the stage at Songbyrd Music House<\/strong> in Washington, D.C. \u2013 the second-to-last stop on their first ever national tour \u2013 and brought it to life.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ghost Club, a five-piece indie rock band based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began their headlining tour on February 29, 2024. They were originally set to come to Washington, D.C. on March 3, but two days before, lead singer Domenic Dunegan<\/strong> got a concussion at their show in New York (Read their IG post here<\/a>). The band postponed the following two shows in Philadelphia and D.C. to the end of their tour.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/span>\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The band has had a few bumps in the road \u2013 from a concussion to a broken down RV about halfway through the tour and an exploded tire on the highway between Pittsburgh and D.C. \u2013 but The Ghost Club finally made it to the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the tribulations, the band has had a great tour, according to the members. The band will end their tour with a home show in Pittsburgh on April 20.<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake Barber<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been so much good to come from the tour that those bad moments get overshadowed very easily by what went great for us,\u201d bassist Logan Casper<\/strong> said in an interview with the band.<\/p>\n

This show was greater than great. The Ghost Club has such a strong energy, and their stage presence is infectious. Keyboardist and saxophonist Jake Barber<\/strong> discussed how they consistently felt like they had played their best show after each show throughout the tour.<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/span><\/p>\n

Jake Barber<\/p>\n

\"Christian<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHad we been here a month and a half ago, I think you would have heard of a different band play,\u201d drummer Christian Laliberte<\/strong> said. \u201cThe way that we\u2019ve evolved and changed and listening to each other, playing off of each other \u2013 even though this form of the band has been together for a while now \u2013 I think a lot of growth happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Christian<\/span><\/p>\n

Christian Laliberte<\/p>\n

\"Logan<\/span><\/p>\n

Logan Casper<\/p>\n

Casper said that the band members are all friends, so it has been a fun adventure to tour the country with friends. And the audience could see their friendship onstage.<\/p>\n

After playing over 20 shows on this tour, the band has gotten to experience lots of different cities even if they don\u2019t have time to explore it. Laliberte said that he could tell that each city has its own feeling.<\/p>\n

\"Logan<\/span><\/p>\n

Logan Casper <\/p>\n

\"Isaiah<\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah Ross<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you could take the feeling of being in that room during a show, and do a blindfolded test, you could tell which city you\u2019re in,\u201d Laliberte said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain\u2026Even if you don\u2019t get to see the city, you can feel the city when you\u2019re in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the country, the small band has encountered a variety of crowds. Some have been bigger and more energetic than others, but overall The Ghost Club believes their audiences have enjoyed their performances.<\/p>\n

\"Isaiah<\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah Ross<\/p>\n

\u201cIt almost comes as a challenge when you get a crowd that isn\u2019t as active as another and they’re kind of more still, because it\u2019s like, \u2018let\u2019s see if we can get everybody to start moving here,\u2019\u201d bassist Logan Casper said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

But The Ghost Club didn\u2019t have to face that challenge on Tuesday. <\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack Swing<\/p>\n

Though they had a small crowd, the fans who attended the show were enthusiastic and engaged for the duration of the show, including for the opener. Jack Swing<\/strong>, known as \u201cPittsburgh\u2019s House Band,\u201d opened for The Ghost Club. Isaiah Ross<\/strong>, lead guitarist for The Ghost Club, also played guitar for Jack Swing (with an outfit change in between).<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack Swing<\/p>\n

As a native Pittsburgher myself who is currently in school in the DMV, I was ecstatic to hear that the band was coming to D.C. The band has ties to the city, regardless of their Pennsylvanian roots. D.C. was where the band produced some of their first songs, and Laliberte\u2019s grandfather was a jazz musician in the area. <\/p>\n

The Ghost Club brings a little bit of Pittsburgh wherever they go. A lot of artists who have come out of Pittsburgh, such as Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa, are proud of their city, and The Ghost Club thinks no differently. Even though they don\u2019t mention Pittsburgh in any of their songs, they made sure the audience knew where they came from. <\/p>\n

\"The<\/span>\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ghost Club\u2019s music is high in energy and reminiscent of classic rock icons like Bruce Springsteen<\/strong> and Tears For Fear<\/strong>s<\/strong>. Yet, their lyrics are poignant and timely for this generation. A lot of their songs take a deep look into their internal thoughts and discuss ideas like loneliness in the age of social media. <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t trust your thoughts after 9 p.m.,\u201d Dunegan said as he introduced \u201cLikes and Comments.\u201d \u201cI wrote this song at 10 p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite this somewhat grim theme, their songs are relatable for a lot of people, and since they\u2019re set to headbanging music, the fans at the Songbyrd show really connected with the music. Songbyrd, a small music venue, offers an artist a great opportunity to connect with the audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for letting me get emotional,\u201d Dunegan said after \u201cLikes and Comments.\u201d<\/p>\n

To keep things lighthearted Dunegan joked with the crowd. He said they would be singing a cover of Oasis<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cWonderwall,\u201d but then played a different song. Later in the show, he apologized for faking out the crowd and said that they would actually play \u201cWonderwall\u201d now. The band proceeded to play \u201cMr. Brightside\u201d by The Killers<\/strong> instead.<\/p>\n

But the audience joked with the band right back. As a tall singer, Dunegan was struggling to keep his microphone stand in one piece as he raised it, claiming that he often gets rickety stands. \u201cI think you might be the problem with the microphone stand,\u201d a fan shouted, making the band laugh. <\/p>\n

He said he was no Freddie Mercury<\/strong>, who was often seen carrying half a mic stand<\/a> around the stage, but Dunegan doesn\u2019t need to be like Mercury. He has his own unique flair when he performs. The whole band does, too.<\/p>\n

They ended their show with their hit single \u201cDon\u2019t Let Go.\u201d This song was actually my number one most listened to song in 2023, according to my Apple Music Replay, so naturally I had been looking forward to this song most of all.<\/p>\n

And The Ghost Club truly brought their all in this final song.   \u201cDon\u2019t Let Go\u201d perfectly embodies The Ghost Club\u2019s perseverance and determination. They didn\u2019t let go and kept pushing on with their tour despite the setbacks. Nothing can keep these ghosts in their graves.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou bump your head, your RV breaks down, you lose a tire. It\u2019s all rock and roll,\u201d Casper said in the interview.<\/p>\n

After seeing this show at Songbyrd, I have reason to believe that The Ghost Club is about to get very big, and I\u2019m grateful that I was able to get in on the ground floor. <\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ghost Club with author after their Songbyrd performance<\/p>\n

Photo Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

Enjoy photos by our photographer Jess Daninhirsch<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Ghost Club<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Jack Swing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you tried TIDAL<\/a> yet?  They have some of the best streaming sound out there with multiple subscription plans including a free version<\/span><\/strong> in addition to HiDef, Family, and Student packages.  Click here for more Information<\/a> about available packages.<\/p>\n

The Ghost Club<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Don’t see the streaming platform of your choice above?  Follow this link<\/strong><\/a> to see their debut album on all  streaming platforms.<\/p>\n

Jack Swing<\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Additional Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Additional Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Additional<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To learn more about The Ghost Club<\/strong>, please see the following web resources:<\/p>\n