Trans-Atlantic collective LUSITANIAN GHOSTS presents new 'Lusitanian Ghosts III' album & reveals video for 'Got Enough'

September 26, 2023

"Magnetic appeal... creating a broader cultural and sonic arsenal, while maintaining a buoyancy that takes the listener on a fantastic ride from start to finish" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Lusitanian Ghosts impressively channel tools of the past to create a beautiful sonic vision. Innovative in their use of traditional instruments to make modern pop-rock, this music is upbeat, quirky, feels familiar and is catchy as hell" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Highly melodic and sonically great... a pertinent, contemporary collection of songs that is full of dignity" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

"Instinctive captivation for their chordophone cast sound, their use of heritage folk violas to weaving fresh and modern adventures... easily sparked the imagination" ~ Ringmaster Review

Trans-Atlantic alternative neo-folk collective Lusitanian Ghosts have released their third album 'Lusitanian Ghosts III' via European Phonographic. Released in both stereo and mono versions, this album was recorded and mixed at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg by Sebastian Muxfeldt (Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub).

The band also reveal their new video for 'Got Enough'. Directed and edited by August Wigg and filmed in Lisbon, Portugal, this video features core members Neil Leyton and Micke Ghost (a.k.a. Mikael Lundin) in turn as they share vocal duties.

A Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish chordophone collective, Lusitanian Ghosts revives lost instruments and presents ancient sounds in the 21st Century. Re-casting these heritage folk violas into rock n roll songs, the European artist collective writes from a socio-political perspective on building a better world, creating songs for the heart and mind, recording on analogue tape and releasing moving music on vinyl.

Together with João Sousa, Abel Beja (from Primitive Reason), ToZé Bexiga (from Raia) and Jan-Eric Olsson, Lusitanian Ghosts plays traditional Portuguese chordophone instruments, ancient regional guitars (Amarantina, Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Toeira, Terceirense). These instruments, once on the verge of extinction, are the real "Lusitanian Ghosts" (Lusitania being an ancient Celtic tribe in what would become the central territory of Portugal).

'Lusitanian Ghosts' digital order https://lusitanianghosts.bandcamp.com/album/lusitanian-ghosts-iii
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/2Hp9BtEbYq7FOknVPECNOP
Album 12" vinyl MONO order https://bit.ly/44nzgO7
Album 12" vinyl STEREO order https://bit.ly/3P77QaR

Album (Stereo) digital order https://ffm.to/ okeod1d

Album (Mono) digital order https://ffm.to/qnrneve

"For 'Lusitanian Ghosts III', we wanted to write and record all together, live off the floor, on analogue tape like we used to back in the 20th century. Lyrically, we explored deeper emotional territory than ever before, and sonically we ended up mixing each song twice - in mono and stereo - leading to two different LPs," says Neil Leyton.

"We mixed down from 24-track multitrack analogue to 1/4 inch analogue also, then reeled the machine straight to the mastering suite next door at Clouds Hill, Soundgarden Tonstudio in Hamburg. I know it is a common thing to say, but I'm going to say it is the best record I've ever made."

The band recently shared the singles 'The Long Train', 'Shameless'and 'September', bringing to the fore the Portuguese folk chordophone violas Amarantina, Campaniça and Terceirense, skilfully played by Michael Lundin, ToZé Bexiga and Abel Beja respectively. Lusitanian Ghosts make music with absolutely no guitars - just chordophones, bass and drums. Although a brand new rock n roll alt-folk sub-genre, these songs feel warmly familiar.

Released on September 15, the 'Lusitanian Ghosts III' album is available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, as well as on vinyl, with both mono version and stereo version available.

On October 14, the Ghosts will present the new album live at Lisbon's Teatro Taborda. Folks purchasing this album from FNAC Portugal will also get a complimentary guest-list ticket for this album release show.

CREDITS
Neil Leyton - vocals
Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost - vocals and Viola Amarantina
João Sousa - drums and Adufe
Abel Beja - viola Terceira and backing vocals
António “ToZé” Bexiga - Viola Campaniça
Janne Olsson - bass and Viola Beirão
Published by Lusitanian Music Publishing
All songs written by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin except "Pure Evil" by Bexiga/Leyton/Lundin
Produced by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin
Recorded at Clouds Hill Studios, Hamburg
Engineered & mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt
Assisted by Schulie Pieper
Mastered by Chris von Rautenkranz at SoundGarden Hamburg
Cover painting ”Hamnen” (The Harbour) by Yngve Forsberg, painted in 1989.
Photography by Katja Ruge.
Design by João Morais aka O Gajo

Indie-Folk-Rock collective Lusitanian Ghosts present 'Never Less Than Lonely' from 'Exotic Quixotic' LP

November 2, 2021

"Lusitanian Ghosts impressively channel tools of the past to create a beautiful sonic vision for us listeners now. Innovative in their use of traditional instruments to make clearly modern pop-rock, this music is upbeat, quirky, feels familiar and is catchy as hell. The fact that this is entirely performed with traditional instruments is mind-boggling" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Highly melodic and sonically great with applaudable production, for music performed with classical instruments, this is a pertinent, contemporary collection of songs that is full of dignity, the artists' remaining true to their values and ethics" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

"Warms the heart and nourishes the soul... a crooning catharsis, a rush of adrenalin, that gleams and mediates whilst chasing utopian fantasies through the interval of stripped down acoustics and clapping beats" ~ The Manc Review

Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish alternative neo-folk collective Lusitanian Ghostswill present their new single 'Never Less Than Lonely'. Featuring ancient Portuguese chordophones and other European string instruments, this is a brilliant taste of the sonic prism through which they present ancient sounds in the 21st Century.

Founded in 2015, Lusitanian Ghosts are Neil Leyton, Mikael Lundin (a.k.a. Micke Ghost), João Sousa, Omiri, O Gajo, Abel Beja, Janne Olson and other artists that come and go within the collective. It all began when Neil Leyton brought Micke Ghost a Viola Amarantina in Stockholm when visiting from Lisbon, and they subsequently performed in Portugal, opening for Primitive Reason on the Ericeira beach.

Dedicated to the memory of Maria Narcisa Ribeiro, Leyton's great-grandmother, this was the first song written for this second album, and one that is ultimately about life, love, loss and freedom of choice.

"'Never Less Than Lonely' is about loss of memory... from whichever perspective, really. Alzheimer's, for example, that end of the afternoon sundowning feeling... or cancer. Losing people slowly, watching them fade... there's no reason why human beings shouldn't be allowed to exit with dignity, so I suppose the song in a way is a defence of euthanasia, which has been in the news over the last few years here in Portugal as well as other EU countries," says Neil Leyton.

Following up their latest single 'Soul Deranium', these songs preview the band's second album 'Exotic Quixotic', slated for release on November 19 via European Phonographic.

This album, recorded on analogue tape and mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt (Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub) at Hamburg's Clouds Hills Studios, recasts heritage folk violas into rock and roll songs.

Lusitanian Ghosts write from a socio-political perspective about building a better world, creating songs from and for the heart and the mind. Their compositions mix indie songwriting with traditional Portuguese instruments like the Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Terceirense and Amarantina guitars (or violas as they are called in Portugal), each with its own string arrangements and tunings.

Their debut self-titled album, recorded at Portugal's Canoa Studios and produced by Ricardo Ferreira, was a successful experiment in mixing the various regional Lusitanian (Portuguese) chordophones with what has come to be the band's unique brand of singer-songwriter rock n roll.

The documentary 'Lusitanian Ghosts: Making Of the Lusitanian Ghosts debut album - Chordophone Rock n Roll' elucidates on why most of these Portuguese ancient instruments (the real Lusitanian Ghosts) have become forgotten over time. For this album, they've done away with the guitars, using only chordophones, along with bass and drums. Even the snare was replaced on many tracks with the Adufe, a Portuguese square drum.

"This is all Chordophone violas from Portugal - namely the viola Amarantina, Braguesa, Campaniça and Terceira, played by the Lusitanian Ghosts collective including Canadian-Portuguese artist Neil Leyton, Micke Ghost (the first Swede to play the viola Amarantina!), Vasco Ribeiro Casais aka OMIRI (Portugal), Abel Beja (USA/Portugal, viola Terceira from the Azores), João Sousa on drums (sometimes replacing the snare with the Portuguese square drum Adufe) and Jan-Eric Olson on bass. But not just bass! Janne borrowed O Gajo's viola Campaniça for some extra dark licks. Chordophone rock n roll, Alt-Folk, Urban-Country-Folk, however it gets labelled what should come across are the humanist messages in these songs," says Micke Ghost.

'Never Less Than Lonely' is out now, available everywhere online, including Spotify and Apple Music. The full 'Exotic Quixotic' album will be released on November 19 and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp. On November 2, Lusitanian Ghosts will live stream their performance at Forum Luisa Todi in Setabul, Portugal, beginning at 9:30pm local time / 5:30pm Eastern time / 2:30pm Pacific time.

ALBUM CREDITS
Neil Leyton: Lead vocals
Mikael Lundin: viola Amarantina, backing vocals, bass, Mellotron, viola Campaniça. Lead vocals on 'Exotic Quixotic' and 'Hometown'
João “Johnny” Sousa: drums and Adufe
Vasco Ribeiro Casais: viola Braguesa
Abel Beja: viola Terceira
Jan-Eric Olsson: bass and viola Campaniça
All songs by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost
Published by Lusitanian Music Publishing
Recorded at Clouds Hill Studios, Hamburg
Engineered and Mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt
Produced by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin
Mastered at Soundgarden by Florian Siller
Cover Illustration by Johan Lindberg Brusewitz

Keep up with Lusitanian Ghosts
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Alternative Folk-Rockers LUSITANIAN GHOSTS present 'Soul Deranium' from Nov. album (Portugal-Canada-Sweden)

September 24, 2021

Portuguese-Canadian-Swedish indie folk rock collective Lusitanian Ghosts will release their second album 'Exotic Quixotic' in November, recorded on analogue tape and mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt (Elbow, Peter Doherty, Teenage Fanclub) at Hamburg's Clouds Hills Studios and featuring ancient Portuguese chordophones and other European string instruments.

Ahead of this, they present the 'Soul Deranium' single - a vibrant taster of the sonic prism through which they present ancient sounds in the 21st Century.

Re-casting heritage folk violas into rock and roll songs, the collective writes from a socio-political perspective about building a better world, creating songs from and for the heart and the mind. Their compositions mix indie songwriting with traditional Portuguese instruments like the Beiroa, Campaniça, Braguesa, Terceirense and Amarantina guitars – or violas as they are called in Portugal: each with its own string arrangements and tunings.

Founded in 2015, Lusitanian Ghosts are Neil Leyton, Mikael Lundin (a.k.a. Micke Ghost), João Sousa, Omiri, O Gajo, Abel Beja, Janne Olson and other artists that come and go within the collective. The genesis of the band happened when Neil Leyton brought Micke Ghost a Viola Amarantina from Lisbon to Stockholm, and their subsequently performance in Portugal, opening for Primitive Reason on the Ericeira beach.

Their debut self-titled album, recorded at Portugal's Canoa Studios and produced by Ricardo Ferreira, was a successful experiment in mixing the various regional Lusitanian (Portuguese) chordophones with what has come to be the band's unique brand of singer-songwriter rock n roll.

The feature documentary film 'Lusitanian Ghosts: Making Of the Lusitanian Ghosts debut album - Chordophone Rock n Roll' elucidates on why most of these Portuguese ancient instruments have become forgotten – almost extinct – over time. These historic instruments… they are the real Lusitanian Ghosts.

Whereas the first album features ancient Portuguese chordophones over a basic rock and roll setup of guitar, bass and drums, they’ve now totally done away with the guitars for the new album. This experimental folk-rock singer-songwriter record has only chordophones - the violas Amarantina, Braguesa, Terceira and Campaniça - along with bass and drums. Even the snare was replaced on many songs with the Adufe, a Portuguese square drum.

"Micke sang some great Swedish mambos over this tune, and asked me whether “Deranium” was actually a word in English. “Sure, why not?” I replied. If Marc Bolan can sing about Futuristic Dragons and Cosmic Dancers, I wanna open the album with a reverie song, about the killing of an evil President of the United States whilst engaging in ludicrous amounts of gun totin’ self-indulgent passion. All made up, of course. We don’t believe in killing anyone, most of the time. Outcomes, outcomes," says Neil Leyton.

"I guess after committing a crime that serious some kind of soul deranium must occur. It's a great opening track for the album. Sets the tone just right," says Micke Ghost.

"This is all Chordophone violas from Portugal - namely the viola Amarantina, Braguesa, Campaniça and Terceira, played by the Lusitanian Ghosts collective including Canadian-Portuguese artist Neil Leyton, Micke Ghost (the first Swede to play the viola Amarantina!), Vasco Ribeiro Casais aka OMIRI (Portugal), Abel Beja (USA/Portugal, viola Terceira from the Azores), João Sousa on drums (sometimes replacing the snare with the Portuguese square drum Adufe) and Jan-Eric Olson on bass. But not just bass! Janne borrowed O Gajo's viola Campaniça for some extra dark licks. Chordophone rock n roll, Alt-Folk, Urban-Country-Folk, however it gets labelled what should come across are the humanist messages in these songs."

'Soul Deranium' is out now, available everywhere online, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the full 'Exotic Quixotic' album, slated for release on November 19, is already available for pre-order via the European Phonographic label. No six strings were harmed in the making of this record.

ALBUM CREDITS
Neil Leyton: Lead vocals
Mikael Lundin: viola Amarantina, backing vocals, bass, Mellotron, viola Campaniça. Lead vocals on 'Exotic Quixotic' and 'Hometown'
João “Johnny” Sousa: drums and Adufe
Vasco Ribeiro Casais: viola Braguesa
Abel Beja: viola Terceira
Jan-Eric Olsson: bass and viola Campaniça
All songs by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin aka Micke Ghost
Published by Lusitanian Music Publishing
Recorded at Clouds Hill Studios, Hamburg
Engineered and Mixed by Sebastian Muxfeldt
Produced by Neil Leyton and Mikael Lundin
Mastered at Soundgarden by Florian Siller
Cover Illustration by Johan Lindberg Brusewitz