To start with, could you tell us a bit about yourselves and how you decided to make music together?
Nick: it was so long ago I honestly can’t remember. Probably a combination of a mutual love of new York hip hop of the time, geographical proximity (we went to grade school together and lived 2 blocks apart) and a shockingly high tolerance for each other.
Alex: we had limited options.
You appeared on 2007/2008 along with a boom of indie bands in Brooklyn like MGMT, Chairlift, Boy Crisis etc.. How identified do you feel with this kind of neo-hippy movement?
Nick: um, well we know and love Chairlift and I quite enjoy MGMT, but this is the first I’m hearing of a neo-hippy movement. It sounds smelly and poorly dressed.
You’re about to release your new EP “Static On The Wire” with all your previous singles plus new tracks. Can we expect a “Static On The Wire - The Remixes”?
Nick: funny you should mention it, but yes, you can expect some sweet static on the wire, say my name and I will come back remixes to arrive around the same time as the release of the EP.
Are you planning to remix other artists?
Well, we took a bit of a break from remixes for a while but just did one for LCD which we are very proud of, and another for a band called Monarchy which is probably my favorite one we’ve ever done.
How did the name for the band came up?
Nick: “Holy Ghost” by the Bar-Kays.
You give your songs a very 80s sound but different to others like GRUM or Miami Horror, how do you do it?
Nick: we record all of our drums in i time machine.
alex: ill fill in some blanks here because nick is being modest. our “sound” comes largely from our drums, which come largely from james teaching us abot recording drums, but also are related to the fact that nick is a real drummer who has been studying not just how to play drums but how drums “sound” and are “recorded” since he was 14. nick and i come from making hip hop where literally everything is based upon how the drums “hit.” you will never hear a holy ghost song where the drums dont “knock.” with no offense to the other bands you have mentioned, our drums are on a different level. and thats my word. also, i should note that we were blessed to have recorded and learned first hand from the world’s greatest drumer: the late, great jerry fuchs. there will never be a drum conversation again without mention of him. jerry is now in the company of questlove and the sounds/playing from thriller ( bruce sweenen/quincy jones/N’dugu Chancler ).
Any upcoming videos for your new EP?
Nick: yes, we just made a video for “I Know, I Hear” with Ben Fries who directed “I will come back.”. It’s a pretty simple live performance video that kind of looks like a college art project from the 1990s but it’s pretty awesome. It was all shot on vintage tube video cameras in black and white, there are a lot of cool lights by our friend Alison Childs, etc. It’s cool, I think.
Could you cite any influences in your work?
Nick: James and Tim.
alex: james and tim. the talking heads. they’re my favorite band.
When is your album coming out?
Nick: NEVER!
I’m kidding. Probably January.
