Artist: The Midnight Ghost Train
Orgin: Kansas, USA
Genre: Hard Rock, Rock’n’Roll, Stoner Rock, Doom Metal
Label: Napalm Records
Link: https://www.facebook.com/themidnightghosttrain/info?tab=page_info
Bandmember:
Vocals, Guitar – Steve Moss
Bass – Mike Boyne
Drums – Brandon Burghart
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
Hi Midnight Ghost Train,
Your band was founded 2008 and you were able to join the Napalm Records family short time ago. You are from Kansas and „full blood rockers“, playing music with different facets. Please introduce yourself to our readers and your fans.
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
We are just a heavy rock band that loves to play live shows. The stage is what we are all about. We tour an insane amount, all over Europe and the USA and we will continue to do so. Our live show is the most important piece to our band.
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
I first came in contact with your music while listening to Cold Was The Ground and to be honest, I was completly exited. You combine Hard Rock, Rock’n’Roll, Stoner Rock and Doom Metal in a rare way. How do you create your songs? Where do you get your ideas from for your lyrics and the instrumental parts and how do you combine them into this genre mix?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
To be honest we are just playing the blues. We’re just speeding it up, and adding overdrive. But everything we are doing comes directly from the blues. We write our songs while on tour. Try them out on stage and fix what needs fixing. Trying out songs live is the best way to really figure out if the song has what it takes. Lyrically it’s the same, I improvise them live, make up different lyrics every night until something sticks in my head. Songs can be about anything, that’s what’s cool about music; We make the rules, and we can break them if we want.
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
Besides the sound of an album it is really important in 2015 to serve some optical impulses. Even your cover is quiet simple but really interesting for me. Who is the person in front of the house and what is the symbolical meaning?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
I wouldn’t say there is any sort of symbolic meaning behind it. It’s just a really awesome photo of a man in front of old house. It’s just a beautiful photo, that my wife took. She did all the photos for this album and our last album. The guy in the photo is a farmer that I’ve know for years back where we live. I can’t say his name he prefers to be left anonymous.
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
With signing the contract with Napalm Records you were able to achieve a worldwide breakthrough. How did this influence the work and the production of Cold Was The Ground?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
We just learned a bit about how you create your songs – can you tell us about a typical rehearsal? Which impressions while recording the 11 songs in the studio are worth to be shared?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
Since we are on tour so much, a lot of our rehearsals take place after or before a show in the van. Wether it’s discussing what we need to do or change, or banging on pillows to create a new beat. When we’re at home we rehearse at my house, a lot of it is just going over stuff over and over until we are flawless. It can be quite time consuming but it’s an important part of the job. In the end though the best way to learn and the best way to get better and grow is to just do it live on the stage. The live stage is like a battle field. You can go and train to be in the war but no amount of training will prepare you for bullets flying at your head. So getting out there and doing it live is most important piece.
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
Talking about playing live: You were on tour on february and march and played a few gigs here in Germany. How did it feel to move the songs out of the rehearsals into the studio and to be „bombed“ across the „great sea“ on stage?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
We had 19 shows total in Germany on our February and march tour. Getting out here and being able to play and sell the new album has been awesome. Our fans are loving it and the album is selling really good. Were very proud of this new release, and we love playing it live.
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
You just earned a lot of new impressions. What can you tell us about the differences in Germany to your own homecountry? Are there negative and positive aspects that differ from the concerts in Germany?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
We love our fans regardless of where they live. We love coming to Europe, but we also love touring the USA. We just love to play. As long as there is a stage we don’t care what city or country it’s in.
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
On the tour you were able to reload your batteries, because you did not have to play every day. Did you use the chance to travel through Germany and take a look at the country?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
We have only had four days off this entire tour. Which is six weeks long. Most of our days off are driving days with a long distance in between shows. So not a lot of off time. We have toured Europe seven times now though so we have had our fair share of seeing the country.
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
I know it is maybe too early to ask – but what can your fans expect from you in the near future? In europe will be a lot of festivals in the summer. Are you going to play on one (or more) festivals or do you plan to record new material?
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
Time For Metal / Rene W.:
Thank you for your open words regarding your great album Cold Was The Ground and the tour. The last words belong to you, feel free to use them to speak to our readers and your fans!
Midnight Ghost Train / Steve Moss:
Just that our new album is out now on Napalm Records, and to keep an eye out for us on tour, cause we are always on the road.