Ghost Hounds, You Broke Me
Ghost Hounds Announce New Blues Album ‘You Broke Me’
Out May 13th via Maple House Records
Release New Single “Smokestack Lightning”
Today, blues-rock band Ghost Hounds announce their new blues album, You Broke Me, out May 13th via Maple House Records. Written and produced by guitarist Thomas Tull and songwriter/producer Kevin Bowe (Etta James, Paul Westerberg and the Replacements), the 9-track album is raw yet polished with a live-off-the-floor feel. The group uses driving guitars, sparkling piano, dirty harp, and the overwhelming presence of singer Tre’ Nation to define their own blues sound and send it out into the world.
Ghost Hounds deliver a righteous and inspired take on Howlin’ Wolf’s signature song that feels current but doesn’t tamper with the vibe of the original. “Smokestack Lightning” is an eerie, atmospheric cut made from a handful of guitar notes and the contents of a human soul and Ghost Hounds do an excellent job of tapping into that energy. Tre’ Nation sings to beat the Devil, putting down a deep blue performance that’s haunting and hypnotic while the guitars of Johnny Baab and Thomas Tull grind and wail behind him. He reminds us all why we love this music in the first place while still staking a claim to today’s version of it. This is a seriously powerful show of influence and respect to one of the Old Masters who has yet to be equaled. Get it in your headphones just once and you’ll be back for more.
Listen to “Smokestack Lightning”
“Being able to play the type of music that we want to hear always leads us back to the core of not only rock and roll, but music rooted in blues generally,” guitarist Johnny Baab says. “As a band, we’re always trading music between us and more often than not, the songs we’re sharing are these deep cuts from the beginning of recorded music as we know it. This record is exemplary of both of those things. We’ll all get in a room and cut the songs live and see how it fits for the band. We’ve got a few covers and a bunch of originals on this record born from that process – and can’t wait for you to hear them.”
Their new single, “Smokestack Lightning,” is a striking cover of the original by Howlin’ Wolf. Ghost Hounds’ interpretation is bold and true, rocking an infectious energy that’ll have you playing it on repeat. Listen HERE. Earlier this year Ghost Hounds released the first remarkable single from, You Broke Me, entitled “Baby We’re Through.”
Of the single Baab says, “It’s a tune that just drives on the one chord with a powerful message of trying to skip town with a hope for better days ahead. Like Wolf said, ‘Well, Smokestack Lightning means it’s a train … that, uh, runs on the rails, you know.’ We agree.”
Baptized in the Mississippi Delta and blasted through Birmingham’s billowing smokestacks, six kindred, individual musical spirits congregate in Ghost Hounds. The Pittsburgh, PA sextet—Tre’ Nation (vocals), Johnny Baab (guitar), Thomas Tull (guitar), Bennett Miller (bass), Blaise Lanzetta (drums), and Joe Munroe (keys)—conjure rock ‘n’ roll with a bluesy bent that’s classic enough for your vinyl collection and mighty enough to power any 21st century festival.
In September 2021, Ghost Hounds released their sophomore album, A Little Calamity, which they played on a 7-night-run last fall with The Rolling Stones. The thirteen track record features the self-aware single, “Half My Fault,” the nostalgic, “Good Old Days” and their first single, “Between Me and the Devil.” At the start of 2020, the band had just finished a year of touring and decided to hole up in the studio together, feeling as though their collaborative spark was reaching new heights.
Ghost Hounds unleashed their full-length debut, Roses Are Black, in 2019. Their single “Bad News” appeared in the blockbuster adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog. Throughout the year, they opened for Bob Seger on his final tour and the Rolling Stones at FedEx Field in Washington D.C. Receiving acclaim from Billboard, American Songwriter, and more, the group sharpened their style on their second full-length offering, A Little Calamity on Maple House Records. The set was led by the singles “Between Me and The Devil” and “Good Old Days,” which they played while opening for The Rolling Stones in the fall of 2021.
“Smokestack Lighting” is available Here
Pre-order You Broke Me HERE.
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