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BIO:
Neon infused electronica meets the darker motivations of
indie rock in this avant-garde collaboration, featuring
talented San Diego musicians Trent Hancock and Mike Cooper
(Transfer). Wanting to allow the spectrum of their music
the freedom to reach out beyond its norm, Trent and Mike
chose a style and name that allows just that; ghostbird
literally means owl and both men allow their fascination
with the solitary sentinels of the night to inspire the
creation of a captivating sound that transcends the
boundaries of indie rock. Emotionally charged lyrics,
coupled with dynamic beats and explorative melodies,
broadcast ghostbird’s vast range to their audience, while
still winking in the direction of their diverse
influences. Trent, whose early influences include Chili
Peppers, Sublime, Radiohead, Strokes, Soundgarden, Beck,
Zeppelin, and Nirvana, is proud of the Fray-like
tenderness of their track “Sing”, as well as the Radiohead
intensity in the longing of “Night Kills Day”.
The duo got their start shortly after finding a
commonality in their music styles, one that neither had
yet to fully translate into their own work. Prior to
forming ghostbird, Trent spent several years showcasing
his original music and unique voice throughout venues in
San Diego and Arizona. Having gained notoriety as a solo
artist, he became interested in adding various
instruments, new sounds and beats to accompany his melodic
songs. Now, Trent says he wants, “fans to have an
emotional connection to the music; to make people feel
something, whatever that feeling may be.” While
experimenting with various producers and possible
band-mates in San Diego, Trent struck up a friendship with
drummer Mike Cooper, whose style inspired and intrigued
him. For his part, Cooper is pretty open regarding the
shotgun pattern of his influences, “Well, deep down, I’m
attached to what came from England in the 60's and 50's
like Led Zepplin, Beatles, Stones, t-rex, and Sabbath, but
growing up, I morphed thru many different stages, starting
with metal and punk then pushing to jazz, hip-hop and
reggae in my early twenties.”
Their friendship allowed for much more experimentation and
the two began working on several early tracks at Capricorn
Studios in San Diego with the help of several local
musicians, including co-producer Bryan Stratman, Jeffery
Downer, of Sexy Moments and Blues from a Gun, on guitar
and Joy Bishop of Hello Sunshine, who lent her beautiful
and unique vocals on several tracks. Trent and Cooper were
able to record an array of intriguing songs as ghostbird;
soon to be showcased on their self-titled debut EP. The
first single, “Toy Soldier”, is a great example of the
electronica infused within their music, and the influences
that come from deep within these two amazing artists.
Although masked by its airy, catchy beats, the song’s
focus is actually based on a solemn report of a soldier
killed in the war only a few months prior to the
recording. Trent reflected, “the fact that the solider was
three years younger than me tripped me out and I started
thinking about all the faceless soldiers that are like toy
soldiers, sent out to fight.”
Cooper’s experience as a drummer in the critically
acclaimed group, Transfer, added a shade more darkness to
the music, “living in a desert environment gave me a
harder, darker, cowboy edge” he explains. Adding to
ghostbird’s diverse style, Trent tends to write songs that
have more of a pop sound, but are influenced by mystery
and darkness. “Night Kills Day” exemplifies the style of
song that captures the hearts of the artists. Trent says
his lyrics, “started out based on a past relationship, but
quickly became about life in general; idea is that
sometimes what you want is right in front of you and you
don’t realize it until it’s too late.”
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