Shameless Tuesdays: Livre 116 | Lusitanian Ghosts
The sounds of Portugal are growing stronger by the day, and Lusitanian Ghosts is one band from there that's making joyful noise wherever they go. With a new album due out later this year, the band is prepping their listeners and newfound fans with what's to come in their latest single "The Long Train". It's a song that leans heavy into the folkier side of folk rock, but has a surprising amount of adrenaline bellowing from its engine. Now pulling into the station, Lusitanian Ghosts have arrived with this week's Shameless Tuesdays!
Here's what vocalist Neil Leyton has to say about this week's playlist:
"The Long Train is the brand new single by Lusitanian Ghosts: this playlist expands on its theme, as it deals with life, all the way down the line, from growing up, falling in love, keeping a family together (or not - depending on your life path!) and ultimately, death and the end. All these songs are about that: the long train of life. Special shout out in RIP to Mr. Guy Bailey, founder and songwriter in the Quireboys, who passed away this April and leaves us with one less rock n roller on board the great ship Earth. His most recent project was the band Thirsty, and the Albatross is a great approach to the choices we make in life... it's alright, as Lou Reed used to say.
I grew up, as depicted in the song "Praia Verde Eldorado", between Summers in Portugal on the beach and studying in Canada; no one knew bands like the Dogs D'Amour in Canada, so I picked up on them reading the pages of Kerrang! Magazine in Portugal, on the beach in the Algarve. The came Hanoi Rocks, as well as discovering classics like the New York Dolls and 13th Floor Elevators via our amazing high school English teacher Ron Gibson. If it wasn't for Ron I wouldn't have got into music and probably would not have played bass in Passion d'Flower or formed The Conscience Pilate with Edward Pond - we're talking glam rock in Toronto '95-'96, at the height of grunge! We turned some heads, along with the Black Halos playing glam-punk from the East Coast and the great Toronto scene in '96 with The Sinisters, Nancy,Despot! and so many others...
For me personally, I have to say it has been an amazing life, from starting out on bass with Passion d'Flower, to fronting The Conscience Pilate through the Neil Leyton solo albums to Lusitanian Ghosts - with all the amazing side projects with Ky Anto (Pretty Volume), The Point (Nicke Andersson) or doing backing vocals with Rich Jones on the new Michael Monroe record... I grew up listening to Hanoi Rocks and Dogs d'Amour. To have toured with Tyla, also meeting Jo Almeida and hanging out in Lisbon, recording The Betrayal of the Self in Stockholm with the Ghosts and meeting Nicke & Dregen from Hellacopters, doing The Point 7" with Nicke, touring with Imperial State Electric in Spain... as my friend Rich Ragany said recently, "We've been around" 🙂
Each of these songs is a personal favourite - the songs I turn to in my darkest moments. The songs that make me feel the most alive. I thank each and every one of these artists, songwriters, musicians for creating these magic moments - they are what keep me going and we hope Lusitanian Ghosts "The Long Train" has the same useful effect on other people. Pay it forward and rock n roll!"
.... Cheers and thanks, Neil Leyton
For more information on Lusitanian Ghosts, visit their official website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Check out their 2021 album Exotic Quixotic below via their Bandcamp!
Promotional consideration provided by Shameless Promotion PR.
