Interviews: Sorry Ghost

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Pop Punk band, Sorry Ghost, from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name?

Matthew: We were originally called Sari, mostly so we could end shows by saying “Thanks, we’re Sari.” After a year or so with this name, we realized that our potential fans were having a tremendously difficult time finding us online because they would often mistakenly Google “Sorry” instead of “Sari.” So in an effort to increase our web presence while also paying homage to our dumb original name, we decided to change it to Sorry Ghost, additionally acting as an homage to the Swedish metal band Ghost. We like to think of our name as a direct apology to the band Ghost for never being able to live up to their greatness.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Daniel: I fell in love with the energy of rock music and specifically pop-punk/alternative music back in elementary school when my older sister used to blast blink-182 and Avril Lavigne from her room. Seeing blink-182 in high school for the first time solidified that I wanted to make pop punk music. I love the energy and emotion that goes into this genre. It’s always been captivating to me.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Matthew: Daniel and I were each in different bands in high school and were mutual acquaintances through playing and attending a ton of the same local shows together. When we both ended up at LSU, we had a history class together freshman year (shout out to Dr. Frost) were reconnected. We both had a shared desire to start a new pop-punk project, and the rest is history.

Daniel: I actually met Tyler a couple years ago when we were both volunteering for the Special Olympics. We started chatting, and I learned that he was a drummer. I mentioned we were searching for a full-time drummer, so Tyler auditioned and he was a fantastic fit.

4. Each band member’s favourite band?

Matthew: Some of my go-to’s are Jeff Rosenstock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Man Man.

Tyler: 14 year-old Tyler is screaming Slipknot and Green Day, but recently I’ve been jamming out to the new Point North and Neck Deep’s albums.

Daniel: Definitely blink-182 for me. It’s hard to do pop-punk better than they did.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Daniel: Really everyday life inspires me. Every occurrence - big or small - has a certain element of inspiration to it. I think it’s our job as songwriters to reframe everyday, sometimes mundane events as novel and intriguing.

6. Where was your last gig?  

  

Matthew: Our last gig was over a year ago in our hometown of Baton Rouge at a local venue called The Varsity on LSU’s campus. Between moving out of Louisiana after that gig and the recent pandemic, it’s been quite a while since Sorry Ghost has taken the stage.

7. Where would you like to perform?

Tyler: The Super Bowl half-time show so that we can give Stephen Hillenburg and Spongebob the respect they deserve.

Daniel: I want to do a tour exclusively playing Chuck E. Cheese’s all over America. We’d love to replace the Chuck E. Cheese band.

8. Whom would you like to tour with and why?

Daniel: I’d love to tour with the band With Confidence out of Australia. They’ve been big in the scene for a while now and just seem like such great guys. Plus they’d be a smooth fit musically.

Tyler: Playing shows around the world with Point North would be such a phenomenal experience. We’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with their drummer, Sage, and he was such a cool guy. I have a feeling we’d all end up lifelong friends after a tour!

9. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Matthew: While I don’t often get stage fright, I never eat before we play because it always makes me nauseated. So sure enough, at that last show of ours in Baton Rouge, I broke my “no eating before playing rule” and threw up in the green room backstage approximately 30 seconds before taking the stage. Never again. A friend once told me “the audience is going to be on your side, they want you to succeed” and I’ve always remembered that. As long as you try your best, your audience never wants you to fail.

Tyler: It’s funny - I’m always a tad bit nervous before we take the stage, but all of my anxieties dissipate the moment my drum sticks smack the snare drum to start our set. As far as tips for beginners, I’d say the solution lies in practice. I like to practice not until I can play it correctly, but until I can’t play it incorrectly. Then, come concert time, you can trust yourself to play it as second nature (plus the added bonus of being able to really savor and enjoy the moment on stage).

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Daniel: For me it’d be Saves the Day, blink-182, and Taking Back Sunday Tyler - I grew up listening to metal and immediately fell in love with how incredible the drums sounded. I can clearly remember being 14, picking up drumsticks, and pretending to be cool since. Influences from bands like Slipknot and Bring Me the Horizon have certainly left their mark on me as a drummer.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked of you?

Matthew: Honestly, I wish we got more weird requests from fans. So far everything has been pretty tame sadly.

Daniel: One time we got asked to do an encore

13. What do you think of your fans?

Matthew: We really think the world of our fans, they’ve managed to keep us motivated after all these years. There’s something so encouraging about knowing your music makes an impact on someone else’s life that makes you want to never give up.

Daniel: We absolutely LOVE our fans. They keep us motivated and inspired every single day. We owe everything to them. Any success has come about because of their support.

Tyler: Personally, they have been the absolute best part about being in Sorry Ghost. I would have never thought we’d be able to bring people from all corners of earth together through our music. It’s a surreal feeling that I will be eternally grateful for.

14. Anything else you want to add?

Matthew: Speaking of how great our fans are, we just released a music video for our song “Nosedive” that entirely consisted of clips submitted by our fans. We had high hopes going in, but boy did our fans really come back with something incredible. Check it out on YouTube to see just how amazing our fans are.

Daniel: Thank you so much Breathing The Core for this thoughtful interview. It was a blast!