Holy Ghost puts faith in catering to various tastes

By John Benson

Holy Ghost Tent Revival rolls back into town Friday for a show at Cedars Lounge that is being billed as an all-encompassing event. Similar to a non-denominational church where all faiths are welcome, the Greensboro, S.C., act prides itself on creating a m lange of sounds and styles — a kitchen-sink motif, if you will — that caters to many different followings.

“We get the question a lot, ‘What kind of music are you?’” said guitarist Matt Martin, calling from his South Carolina home. “We find it hard to describe, so we let people try to do it for us. Someone called us brass-grass. That’s pretty good, I think. It’s bluegrass, but we also have the horn. That’s about the best.

“But it’s a ragtime, swing kind of feel, and it makes people dance. It’s a good-feeling kind of music, and it works everywhere. We like to throw in reggae sometimes. We’ll throw in hip-hop. In fact, on our new ‘Family’ EP there are two songs we have rapping. So it’s as much about keeping it exciting for us as it is being a cool visual and audio force. It keeps people interested not being the same the whole way through and not sticking to tradition.”

After releasing its self-titled affair last December, the sextet is now prepping the aforementioned “Family” EP, which is due out in a few months. While the seven-song set isn’t as polished as its predecessor, Martin feels the new effort boasts more of a true Holy Ghost Tent Revival feel.

“While the songs on the debut were a little bit more pristine and produced, on ‘Family’ in between songs you’ll hear talking and laughter,” Martin said. “We wanted to make it a little bit more down home and raw. And that’s the basic difference there. It sounds like a big party.”

A big party is what Martin is promising those who come to Cedars Friday, with new “Family” songs such as the Ragtime-y “Alcohol” and the bluesy “Under Your Fingers” in its set, as well as covers by The Beatles (“Don’t Let Me Down”) and Gogol Bordello (“Start Wearing Purple”).

Holy Ghost made quite an impression in its initial Cedars show a few months ago. So, aside from reconnecting with what the band hopes is a growing Youngstown-area fan base, Martin said his roots-rocking act is looking forward to the evening’s bill.

“We’ll be playing with And The Moneynotes, and their style goes well with us,” Martin said. “It’s the same kind of feeling you get at one of our shows — happiness, smiles the whole way through, and dancing. They’re also really funny to watch, and they have good personalities on stage. It’s just going to be a fun, great night of music.”