Fade

After drawing attention to themselves in 2020, with their debut Ep, ‘Headed West,’ and full-length feature ‘No Saints in the City’, the duo of singer-songwriters John Merchant (former Dutch Henry songwriter and guitarist) and multi-instrumentalist Todd Long (previously with The Verve Pipe) aka GHOSTS OF SUNSET, are set to return with their 3rd release, and first for new record label Deko Entertainment, titled “Breathe”. Following the success of both “Headed West” and “No Saints in the City”, Ghosts of Sunset amicably parted ways with Golden Robot Records and sought a home for their third effort. The band met with several labels, ultimately deciding to join the rooster of Deko Entertainment. Todd explains, “ten minutes into the first meeting, you could tell these were art driven, artist friendly people who, like us, are fans first, as well as accomplished recording and touring musicians. They “got it” right away”. Continuing to establish their reputation as a driven, focused, prolific songwriting team, Merchant and Long had a new album completed and delivered to Deko by the end of 2022. Including only a handful of guest musicians, including Ricky Dover Jr. (Tuk Smith and the Restless Hearts) for two tracks, and continuing to work with their “secret weapon” Patrick Kennison (Lita Ford, Heaven Below, Union Underground), the band found themselves “boiling down” their process with even stronger focus on melodic, anthemic rock n roll. With Merchant and Long living in Michigan and Florida respectively, the writing and recording process were a bit unconventional and at the same time, par for the course with 21st Century technology. “We did all our recording via File Sharing,” says Long. “First, one of us will have an idea and then we just start sending mp3s back and forth while building the track up. After a basic track was completed, we’d then seek out who we feel might be right to put a guitar solo on it. If they like the track then we proceed. If they don’t then that’s fine too. We just hoped they feel connected enough to the track to want to contribute.” Artists such as Alex Kane (Life, Sex, Death / Enuff Z’nuff), Mark Tremalgia (Little Ceasar, Cruizados), Lou Musa (the Verve Pipe), Denny Smith (the Great Affairs), Patrick Kennison (Lita Ford, Union Underground) and others did feel that connection and signed on to put their fingerprint on the album. “No Saints in the City” was out to the public via Golden Robot within the first quarter of 2022. Critics and listeners alike cited the bands refreshing mixture of melodic hard rock, with character driven, well thought out lyrics and storylines. Singles such as “No Saints in the City”, “Queen of Used to Be”, “Look Me Up (If You Come Down)”, and “If You’re Not Coming Back” collected literally MILLIONS of streams, as well as garnering worldwide terrestrial radio plays, online radio plays, and ended 2022 featured in the Top 10 of a host of “best of” lists, including an honorable mention on KNAC.com and others worldwide. Deko Entertainment was excited to partner with the band and give the material the attention and push they feel it so richly deserves. “Breathe” continues to embrace the influence of 1980s hard rock and “hair metal” which shaped the duo as teenagers, but welcomes in instrumentation and influence from all eras of classic rock n roll such as rollicking, Rolling Stones “Exile on Mainstreet” style horns, to Faces Ian McLagan-style boogie-woogie piano, curtesy of friend and fellow Michigan-based musician Brian Roth (who, like Kennison, has appeared on all Ghosts of Sunset releases). “Breathe” is a journey through some of the greatest sounds rock n roll has ever offered, while still presenting storylines and characters that listeners can instantly identify with, get to “know”, and build deep emotional connection with. Oh yeah, it also ROCKS! “Breathe” swaggers and staggers, struts and stomps, all the while flying a flag high that reminds listeners that rock n roll is alive and well and in the more than capable hands of Ghosts of Sunset. As for the name, GHOSTS OF SUNSET, John Merchant sums it up perfectly: “Naming a band is always a tough one. I think every junior high kid had a notebook full of potential (and usually terrible) band names. Me too (“Lazer” anyone?). When we hit upon “Ghosts of Sunset” it really paid homage not only to the 1980s “hair metal” scene we grew up on (Quiet Riot, Ratt, Motley, Warrant, Faster Pussycat, GnR, etc..) but for music fans like ourselves whose tastes run pretty deep, it was a tip of the hat to the predecessors like The Doors, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and going back to Frank, Sammy, Dean, and all the greats. We hope all those “ghosts” continue to haunt our music for a long time to come.”