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Written by Demi Marshall
Chicago-based emo band Ghoul for a Goblin is set to release their very first full-length album You Know You'll Still Find Me There this Friday, February 23rd, 2024. Ghoul features the talents of Sean Ryan (frontman), Dave Sanicki (vocalist), Joey Wienckowski (drummer), and Tyler Olmsted (bassist). The band is playing an album release show at Chicago's Cobra Lounge on February 23rd (get tickets here). In this interview, the band discusses their creative process, most memorable show, and favorite venues.
Tell us about your upcoming album “You Know You’ll Still Find Me There.” What inspired this album? Was there anything unique about the creative process?
Ghoul releases have always been snapshots of where I am in life. On early releases, I was whining too much about unrequited loves. The last EP was largely about the loss of loved ones. This album deals with the fallout of those losses, the ramifications of life’s decisions, and my love/hate fascination with time. The album title is from a lyric on the record about seeing time pass and so much change yet still finding yourself physically and mentally in the place you’d been before it all. It can be frustrating, it can be humbling, and the comforts of routine and complacency can be paralyzing.
How would you describe your current sound? Which of your songs would you
recommend to first time listeners?
In the loosest sense, we sit right in that emo/pop-punk slot. I grew up on early-mid 2000s pop punk with the mainstream “emo” blend and by the early 2010s, I was trying to emulate the Defend Pop Punkers. As our tastes have changed I think we’ve delved much more into the 3rd/4th-wave emo vibes, and it has been far and away my favorite iteration of the band. We’ll still go for the big catchy choruses but keep bringing punky, grungy, shoegazey elements to the table.
I think “Chasing Goats,” which is the first single off the new record, is a great place to start for new listeners. “Weddings to Funerals” is another new one I’m extremely proud of as it’s very earnest lyrically, and musically it showcases a lot of our dynamics. “Cool” has been our go-to show closer for some time and likely the foreseeable future; it’s always one of my favorite older Ghoul songs.
What does your process look like when writing/creating music?
When Ghoul first started, it was only me (Sean) and an acoustic guitar for the most part, so I got pretty accustomed to writing a lot on my own. The last EP (Whatever That Means) was the first time I sat down with Dave (guitarist/vocals) to write songs, and musically it was very collaborative in the moment. By time we started writing the new record, adult schedules really took over and there were many more instances of Dave or me writing fuller song structures solo before presenting it to each other or the rest of the band, and I think it lent to a fun, different melding of our musical interests more than if we had sat in a room together compromising over every detail.
The last three songs we wrote for the record were specifically the most fun to see come together. I had written the basic structures in a bit of a time crunch, and then every other band member added parts that fit seamlessly and fleshed out the songs in ways I couldn’t have previously imagined. Dave’s great at seeing through my eyes on guitar, Joey’s gonna find the right drumbeat for our rough ideas, Tyler will get the bass grooving and carry the slack on harmonies, and Deebs has the ears to fill any and all voids on guitar. We have some very creative people in the band and it’s been cool to see the different ways we can construct songs now and in the future.
Tell us about your experience with the Chicago music scene. How would you describe it? What are the best parts about it?
The scene is fantastic right now. We released our first full band EP about two weeks before the initial COVID shutdown, and things looked dire for a bit coming out of it. At this point it’s flourishing with room to keep growing. It’s hard to go to a local show without running into other bands you know in attendance because there’s just a strong, unique, and supportive community within the scene. My favorite part is seeing band members in the crowd singing along to other bands’ songs live; to me it’s such a show of respect and appreciation to each other’s art and passions.
What was the most memorable show you’ve played, and what was great about it?
It feels terrible not to pick a Chicago show, as we’ve had so many fun Chicago dates, but honestly the first show that comes to mind would be one in Marquette, MI. Our drummer Joey goes to school up there at NMU and after a little coercing, he convinced us to take the 7 hour drive to play a house show, and now it’s basically our home away from home. Surprisingly great emo/music scene up there for a small town, and people come to the shows ready to party. We played a long set at our first house show there (before the cops arrived to bust it up during our encore) and it was such an unforgettable time.
Do you have any pre-show rituals? How do you relax or celebrate after a live show?
Admittedly I am mostly an anxious pacer prior to a set. Sometimes I like to go sit in my car for a few vocal warmups. Dave does a good job of trying to get the band together for a little huddle, pep talk, hands-in-the-middle type of thing before we hit the stage. Once we’re up there I’m fine, no real nerves, but the waiting is indeed the hardest part. Post-show I like to have a drink and schmooze a little longer than I should, but I’m not the all night party animal of my youth!
If you could get any artists to tour with you, dead or alive, who would be on the bill?
I’m going to take this opportunity to create a dead band bill and an alive band bill, haha.
A dead band bill of Nirvana, Title Fight, Modern Baseball, and Glocca Morra with us opening would be insane. I mean, honestly, I would want to get our set over with ASAP so I could find a good spot to watch the other bands.
For living bands, I think us with Thrice, Balance and Composure, and Oso Oso would have a sneaky, good flow to it.
What artists did you grow up listening to? Do they influence your music today, or did you branch to different styles?
I’m such a product of the MTV2/Fuse generation. I think that mid-2000s era always had a massive influence on me, even as I got more into the 2010s emo era. I’d be lying if i didn’t acknowledge artists like Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit being my window into rock music at a young age but I don’t think they have much current influence on my song writing. Musically I probably take more inspiration from 2010s-on but as a frontman/lyricist/vocalist, I’m always indebted to the early-mid 2000s era of bands like Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, and Say Anything.
What is your favorite venue to play and why? What is one venue you dream of playing one day?
We’ve played a number of shows at G-Man Tavern and Cobra Lounge (including our February 23rd album release show!) and we always love it there. We played Bottom Lounge in December and that might be my personal favorite both to play and attend as a fan.
I’d love to play Beat Kitchen as it’s always been a favorite as well, but I think the Metro might be the dream venue. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I’ve gone to so many amazing shows over the years at all of these places and more, and it never stops being surreal to be the one up there playing songs.
What can we expect from you in the future?
More shows. More fun, silly social media content. Maybe a short summer tour. We’ve never put out a full length record before so I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun playing and promoting the hell out of it. I’d love to put out another short EP or couple of singles before the year is over just to stay consistently writing and cranking out new stuff, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Ultimately life is too short and bands can have short shelf lives, so I just want to enjoy it while we’re here.
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