Every bit as passionate as they are noisy, Baton Rouge-based punk rock collective Sorry Ghost stays true to its 90s-era pop-punk influences, right down to the eccentric, and often unpredictable, live performances.
Assembled in the fall of 2015, Sorry Ghost consists of international studies sophomore/vocalist/bassist Daniel Anton, psychology sophomore/guitarist Matthew Polito, chemical engineering sophomore/drummer Nick Broyles and guitarist Ryan DeJean.
Anton, who has previously worked for KLSU, and Broyles were formerly members of rock group The Hot Llamas, while Polito and DeJean are current members of local punk ensemble Della.
After The Hot Llamas split in 2014, the band members were introduced to each other when Anton happened to sit next to Polito in a class. Within a matter of weeks, Sorry Ghost was born – a punk rock powerhouse with a whole lot of personality.
The audience of Sorry Ghost’s upcoming May 20th performance at The Spanish Moon can expect to be a part of a high-energy, off-the-rails performance, guitarist Matthew Polito said.
“As far as live shows go, we’ve always been very focused on entertainment value. We do things to try to keep the crowd involved and keep things interesting,” he said. “We get excited, so we might be shouting and doing all kinds of silly things. It’s always a fun time.”
The band has a number of ways of keeping the audience involved. For example, at a recent performance at Baton Rouge’s The Roux House, Anton pulled a spectator onto the stage and had him strum his bass while he sang for the duration of a song.
Interestingly enough, each member of Sorry Ghost echoes a unique influence from different genres within the rock n’ roll spectrum.
Anton is inspired by punk legends like Blink-182, Polito emulates local punk performers like PEARS, Broyles is influenced by progressive rock bands like Tool, and DeJean has picked up traits from Metallica.
The group has worked to blend this wide array of influences in a way that provides balance to their music, Polito said.
“Daniel’s a very big fan of ‘90s pop-punk, emo, that kind of thing. Nick, Ryan and I actually lean more toward the heavier side of the same types of music,” the guitarist said. “So Daniel keeps us from being too off-putting and heavy, and we keep Daniel from being too emotional and full of angst.”
Sorry Ghost is nearly finished the fine-tuning of their debut EP, “Win By Default.” The group expects the project to be released in late July.
All of Sorry Ghost’s music can be found on the group’s Bandcamp page.
When: Friday, May 20^th at 7 p.m.
Where: The Spanish Moon, 1109 Highland Rd.
Tickets: $10