Buzz-worthy indie folk rockers Ghost of Paul Revere played their first show of 2020 on Thursday night, kicking off their touring year with a stop at The Hollow Bar + Kitchen in Albany, NY.  With the music scene enjoying a recent resurgence in the bluegrass/folk genre (thanks in large part to the rise of artists like Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass and the Avett Brothers), it’s no wonder the boys from Buxton, Maine are gaining a ton of traction and the interest of numerous record labels.

Since the release of their 2014 debut full length ‘Believe,’ the foot stomping, holler-folk harmonizing juggernaut, comprised of childhood friends Griffin Sherry (guitar/vocals), Max Davis (banjo, vocals) and Sean McCarthy (bass, vocals), Ghost have steadily been building a loyal and loving fan base.  Following up with their sophomore album, 2017’s ‘Monach’, The band has since embarked on a relentless touring schedule that’s seen them play a number of bucket list venues (Ryman Auditorium, The Mint) and iconic festivals (Newport Folk, Peach, Levitate, 4848, Mountain Jam, Voodoo Experience) and they have even forged ahead with their own yearly hoedown throwdown party, dubbed ‘Ghostland.’  In recent times, the band has filled out their live sound by recruiting longtime friend and former Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds harmonica and lapsteel player Jackson Kincheloe and former Mallet Brothers Band drummer Chuck Gagne.  Reaching new listeners at every performance with their ambitious “do It yourself” blue-collar work ethic and an approachable fan friendly attitude, it’s easy to see why music lovers across all genres have started to take notice.

With a European tour and Canadian dates looming on the horizon, plus tentative plans to release new music in the Spring, 2020 is already shaping up to be another huge year for Ghost of Paul Revere. That’s why on paper, Thursday’s show in Albany was just supposed be something of a casual warm-up gig.  What fans got instead, was something much more meaningful. Packed in from front to back, the energy inside The Hollow was tangible, everyone felt it, and you could tell the band did too.  Opening the set was one of their newer upbeat songs, ‘Eleanore,’ followed by more unreleased material, “Good at Losing Everything’ and ‘226 Days.’  From there, the song that earned Ghost a tremendous amount of national attention, ‘The Ballad of 20th Maine,’ which was named Maine’s official state ballad last year, something the band is justifiably proud of.

With the crowd now in full sing-along, call and response mode, a string of some of the bands best songs came next, ‘Montreal,’ Little Bird,’ ‘Wild Child’ and ‘San Antone” among them.  Then time for another new song, ‘Travel On,’ a first for most of the audience, who immediately took to the delightful three-part harmonies. The upbeat shout along “Hey Girl” would get the entire floor moving, while Max Davis’ soothing voice shined on ‘ Frontier.” The first cover song of the night came towards the end and was quite possibly the most cathartic, as Ghost offered up a brilliant arrangement on The Who classic ‘Baba O’Riley.’ Not to be outdone, the guys then played a fitting tribute to The Band, covering ‘I Shall Be Released,’ a clear nod to their heroes who wrote the legendary track just a short drive down the Thruway in Woodstock, NY.   With the venue at capacity and no room to even leave the stage, Ghost waived the pageantry of the encore and played their final song of the night, the intensely powerful ‘This is the End,’

As word continues to spread about these rowdy pickers from the north, the general sentiment after the show was, “This may be the last time we get to see this band in a venue this small.” Grateful to be in the right place at the right time.   As each member stayed late into the night, selling signed merch and posing for selfies with fans, you could just feel it.  The sense of community and the musical family that was growing. This is a band willing to put in the work and it shows.  Strap in, the Ghost of Paul Revere is going places and it promises to be one hell of a mighty fun ride.

Set-list:

Eleanore, Good at Losing Everything, 226 Days, As We Know, Ballad of the 20th Maine, Annabelle, Andra, Montreal, Little Bird, Wild Child, Travel On, Pocket Knife, San Antone, Hey Girl, Frontier, Baba O’Reily*, I Shall Be Released**, This Is The End

*The Who cover
**The Band cover