Gypsy Ghosts float through styles and genres

They used to call themselves The City Ghosts, a name conceived around the concept of various people or “ghosts” within cities who are present—but are they really? Once the band grew closer, they realized they all had something in common and the name should be changed. Singer and guitar player Andy Paquet explained.

“We realized that all of us have had a history of moving quite a lot and that was a constant theme in our lives. That feeling of moving and starting over again, meeting new people again and constantly travelling,” he said. “That’s when we decided that it should be Gypsy Ghosts.”

The incorporation of that sense of change in virtually every facet of the band is clear—from lyrics to how the band was formed, to even the style of music they play. The band doesn’t stick to one genre—constantly switching from style to style and always experimenting.

“We’re switching between different styles. We don’t feel limited to one particular style of music,” Paquet says. “I think a lot of that comes from all of our backgrounds of moving and changing.”

How would you even describe this style of music? Well, there’s definitely not a definite answer and it gets a little complicated. “Acoustic, swampy, gypsy, pirate, groove rock,” are all words used by Paquet to describe the band’s music.

With a group so eclectic, surely there’s some interesting inspirational behind what drove Paquet to music. Not quite but again, it just reinforces the themes of the band.

“[Music] was always a big part of my life and always an escape for me then moving from different cities and meeting some musicians who were just really welcoming and opening,” he explains.

Gypsy Ghosts just released their debut self-titled EP about two months ago. As the group came together, with new members being added to improve the sound, the band perfected their music to point where the band knew they wanted to record as soon as possible. Paquet describes the conversation.

“We [the band] said, ‘Okay,we have to record this!’ So within a few months of writing it, we decided to record it.”

What should be taken away from a Gypsy Ghosts performance? Well, not any deep themes that require attentive listening to lyrics but rather, according to Paquet, “just a good feeling.”

“Positive energy, the feeling that positive energy creates. Something very organic and something just very real and it can be anywhere—it can be all acoustic in your kitchen or on a big stage, it’s still the same thing,” he adds.

One of the more unique design aspects of Gypsy Ghosts is a coat of arms created that represents the band.

“It actually represents the members of the band as well as some of our influences that we’ve experienced as a band,” Paquet says.  “We have the birds—a red bird and a blue bird representing song birds, which represents the writers of the band. We have the ram and the mountain in the back, which represents the rhythm section of the band. The owl is watching over us.”

Finally, there are some mushrooms on the coat of arms, Paquet says. “That’s kind of self explanatory.”

Gypsy Ghosts are performing this Friday at the London Music Club at 8 p.m. and tickets are $7 at the door.