Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Dead 27s, Dyrty Byrds at Clyde’s on Main
Fans of the Dead 27s coming to hear them at Clyde’s On Main on Friday night, May 19, can expect to hear music from new album, “Ghosts are Calling Out.” While the energetic blend of rock and classic soul that the Dead 27s are known for is ever-present, their new music has them experimenting with weird, distorted sounds that take t heir music in a new direction.
The Dead 27s are Wallace Mullinax, guitar and harmony vocals; Trey Francis, vocals; Will Evans, guitar, synth and harmony vocals; Oliver Goldstein, bass guitar; and Daniel Crider, drums and harmony vocals.
“Ghosts Are Calling Out” was produced by Ben Ellman ( a member of funk/rock act Galactic) and mixed by Mikael “Count” Eldridge ( producer/engineer whose work includes releases by Radiohead, the Rolling Stones and a Grammy Award-winning effort from Mavis Staples).
To record the album, Dead 27s headed to New Orleans and set up shop in The Living Room, a studio housed in a 1930s church by the Mississippi River. While in New Orleans, the band paired up with local musicians like Pretty Lights’ keyboardist Brian Coogan.
The band also had a major breakthrough when Ellman sent them to the home of Ani DiFranco and her producer/ husband Mike Napolitano to borrow gear that would play a major role in shaping the album’s sound.
“All of a sudden we had all these new toys and a way bigger palette to paint with,” recalls Francis. Those toys included a pocket amp, a miniature synthesizer, and an Omnichord (an electric harp-like device that generates what Evans calls “very ’80s-Nintendo-sounding chords”.)
Mullinax explains the title of the album comes from lyrics in “Only One.”
“‘Down on Desperation Lane, Ghosts are calling out my name,’” explains Mullinax. “It’s about the ghosts of your past experiences, the things that haunt you throughout your life—not necessarily in a bad way, but in the sense that certain experiences just stay a part of you forever.”