Who Are We Ghosts..?
... One of the best ways of answering that question is to listen to this radio podcast show, hosted by the talented Mr. Neil Stockley, and dedicated to 'We Ghosts'.
It gives you a great introduction to who they are and their musical journey over the years. Neil plays selected tracks from their latest 4 albums and the newest EP.
The show also features some, as of yet, unreleased recordings.
(The show originally aired in Oct 2020)
Biography
We Ghosts blend elements of pop, blues, jazz, soul, reggae and rock in a refreshing and original way. Fronted by the song writing team of Swedish singer/guitarist J.J.Woodall and English singer/multi-instrumentalist John Christopher, they divide their time between Scandinavia, the U.K, France and Holland and have also played as far afield as the U.S.A. and Australia.
Over the last decade We Ghosts have performed hundreds of gigs a year and make for a splendid live show worthy of any stage. Their atmospheric, eerie and inventive recordings have been used in soundtracks as well having received frequent international airplay and critical acclaim.
During the last few years We Ghosts have been increasingly active in the U.K and their recorded work has received radio airplay throughout the country. The group tour the length and breadth of the UK on a regular basis, playing venues and festivals both large and small to an enthralled public.
Since 2017, We Ghosts have also been active in France and The Netherlands and of course, Sweden.
In 2014, in collaboration with Stockholm Trance D.J. Rich Edwards, a remix of a We Ghosts song, ‘Sweetest Addiction’ became a worldwide hit, charting in many countries and introducing millions of new fans to Jen’s crystal vocals and John’s song writing.
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We Ghosts album releases include;
Paranormal Activity -2006
No Time For Goodbye- 2009
Walking Through Walls -Live- 2010
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Latest Releases
( part1) - Derailed- May 5th, 2023
(part 2) - Idle Hands- June 9th 2023
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They are also continuously releasing new singles monthly on their Patreon page.
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We Ghosts Are...
Jenny Woodall, aka J.J.Woodall, is the main lead singer and rhythm guitarist of We Ghosts.
Her crystal clear, stunning vocal delivery has always been one of We Ghosts most compelling elements.
That combined with her tight rhythm guitar work forms the core of a great live show.
Jen was born in Gothenburg, Sweden and grew up in an artistic family; the daughter of a film director father and an actress mother. Jen started singing early in her life and at the age of 11 she began taking lessons from vocal coach and former opera singer, Monica Janner. Jenny recorded her first demo "Poisoned Sleep" when she was just 15, but started her music career in earnest when she met John Christopher in 2003. They met in a studio in Gothenburg whilst recording a soundtrack album and they began writing, performing and recording together shortly after that.
John Christopher has played music professionally since he left school but was training as an actor in London when a major recording deal lured him to Southern France.
It was there that he began touring Europe as a singer/songwriter/guitarist, ending up in Sweden, where, after a brief brush with fame fronting his own band, he met Jen in a studio in Gothenburg. He was so impressed with her voice that he suggested a collaboration which eventually became the band "We Ghosts", taking the name from a song which had been a staple part of his repertoire for some years. John is proficient on a number of instruments but it is his remarkable guitar work which has become part of the band's signature sound, fusing elements of jazz, pop, folk and rock in a truly original way. He also sings harmonies with Jen and takes the lead vocal on a number of songs.As a guitarist his influences include
Nick Drake, Django Reinhardt and Ry Cooder.
Other Ghosts...
We Ghosts have a team of people around them that could be counted as fellow band members, including long-standing co-producer/musician Richard Westlake.
He has been working with We Ghosts on most of their releases since 2007 and is an integral part of the band's recorded catalogue which including;
'No Time For Goodbye' (EP), 'Things That Go Bump In The Night', 'Almost Alone', 'Decade', 'Blue Wave', 'The Borderline EP' and current recordings.
Other producers include, David Kirchhoff, who co-produced the 2018 album
'The Ragtime Infantry' and Martin Carlberg who is co-producing tracks on the new We Ghosts releases including 'Borderline'.
Other longstanding musicians lending their talents to the band are, Derek Chai on bass. Derek has been playing with We Ghosts for a few years now, as a part of the live line-up, mainly in the U.K. and also features on both 'The Ragtime Infantry' and 'The Borderline EP'. The latter release also features David Teboul on drums.
David has been playing with We Ghosts, mostly on their French tours but also in Sweden and in the U.K. When performing in France, Christophe Michaud on bass is also a key member in the live line-up.
Another drummer/musician whom appears live with We Ghosts is Neil Stockley, mainly in the U.K.
Another important member of the We Ghosts team is Joakim Holmberg, the audio visual component of the act. Joakim has been the principal photographer and music video maker for the band since 2013, including his hugely acclaimed animated video for the song 'Borderline' and the stunning video for 'Ship Goes Down.
Recently, We Ghosts have started collaborating with English songwriter/singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer; Johnny Quadrio. Their first release together is the single 'Sweetest Addiction' which, along with another We Ghosts/Quadrio colab 'Let Out The Hurt, features on the album 'Derailed'.
