Biography
Haunting, emotional, honest, technical,
heavy – all are words that can be applied to Grand Rapids hard rockers
Life Size Ghost. Since the band’s formation in 2007, founding members
Talitha Snowden (vocals/keyboards), Curtis Hendershott (guitar), Erik
Ryden (lead guitar), Brian Thomas (drums), plus recently-added bassist
Jeremy DeHaan (also of Lansing band Herd), have been wowing crowds in
their hometown, in Michigan, and beyond.
Life Size Ghost formed in 2007 in Mt. Pleasant. “We started playing
college parties and gigs regularly at the local bars,” says Snowden.
“All of us have a strong passion for music and have made it a priority
in our life due to pure enjoyment.”
The band cites blues and jazz music, plus Pink Floyd and Incubus, as
major influences and that makes complete sense when listening to songs
like “In Your Sleep” and “Lonely Light” from the three EPs released so
far. The inventive, progressive psychedelia of Floyd merges seamlessly
with the contemporary metal of Incubus, while the purity of jazz and the
blues shines throughout.
That energy and quality can be heard in abundance on each of Life
Size Ghost’s releases: 2010’s Where We Started, 2011’s The Realverb
Sessions EP, and 2012’s Magnify EP. The band has played Nashville,
Austin, Brooklyn and Chicago, opening for artists and groups as
prestigious as Candlebox at the Emerald Theatre in Mt. Clemens (where
the band played in front of approximately 700 people), Company of
Thieves (signed to Wind-Up Records), Freezepop (appeared on Guitar Hero
2), Oh My God, Evolove, American Opera, Great Lakes Myth Society, and
the Hounds Below (featuring Jason Stollsteimer of the Von Bondies).
In March 2011, Life Size Ghost played on two of the Planet LA
Records showcases in Austin, TX, during South by Southwest. The
following month, the band opened for Washed Out at the Ragbag of
Jollification tour hosted by the Cartoon Network’s [adult swim] in
Lansing, and it played the main stage of Michigan Rock ’n’ Brew in
August 2012 on a bill that also included the Toadies, Helmet, the Hard
Lessons, Dirty Americans, the Muggs and Downtown Brown.
“Playing down in Texas during SXSW was a great experience for all of
us to be around a strong, supportive music scene,” says Snowden. “The
Emerald Theatre was a memorable moment due to the amount of new people
we got to play for. Ragbag of Jollification was also a fun experience.”
In addition, the band earned first place in six separate categories
in the 25th Annual Review Music Awards: Best New Artist of the Year,
Most Innovative Artist, Rock Keyboardist, Female Rock Vocalist, Rock
Guitarist and Blues Instrumentalist.
It is this series of impressive live shows, plus the excellent
recorded output, that drove Yahoo! Voices scribe John Vasquez to say,
“Motivation is not something you see from many bands around the area,
they are dedicated to bringing you an excellent piece of original work
every time you see a live performance, they give you what you pay for at
the door, and then some. It’s remarkable the standard they are setting
for up and coming musicians, to wrap so much beauty and intelligence in
their songwriting capabilities, it almost makes you wonder when time
will take and sweep them away from us, in this small chunk of the world…
Life Size Ghost is proving that with enough heart and soul, you can
create an unbeatable sound. Talking with the band members recently, they
told me they are stretching their legs, trying to bring new cities and
fans closer, they are very personal, talking with a genuine tone
remarkably every time I see them. In the music business these days, this
is something hard to come by, people forget who they are, but not this
band, there live performance can be felt strongly, with heart, soul, a
mixture of feelings, it really makes you step back and think.”
Meanwhile, Dwayne Hoover of Kalamazoo Local Music said that, “Don’t
just take my word for the fact that LSG is kicking ass. Last year they
scored a sponsorship from Sparks Energy Drink which landed their single
“Where We Started” on the Sparks Digital Playlist. This past June that
same single made its way on to the all-female compilation She Got Next
2011. They also landed first place in six separate categories in the
25th Annual Review Music Awards: Best New Artist of the Year, Most
Innovative Artist, Rock Keyboardist, Female Rock Vocalist, Rock
Guitarist and Blues Instrumentalist.”
With so many plaudits singing Life Size Ghost’s praises, it was no
surprise when, in 2010, the band received a sponsorship deal from Sparks
Energy Drink. As a result, the “Where We Started” single was featured
on the Sparks digital playlist, as well as on Block Starz’s all-female
compilation She Got Next 2011.
The past five years have seen Life Size Ghost grow from a local bar
band to a nationally recognized hard rock machine. In Snowden, they have
a charismatic, alluring front woman capable of holding a crowd in the
palm of her hand. However, it would be a mistake to think of this band
as “just another” female-fronted hard rock group. This is a band with a
sound of its own, with a technically magnificent set of musicians and an
arsenal of great songs.
Not only that, but they are currently writing new music and
continuing to play live. Our best advice would be to get out and see
them now while they are still playing in relatively small venues. Get
with the program and catch up with those three EPs, hide yourself away
in your bedroom for a few days to soak in the tunes, and then buy a
t-shirt. You won’t regret it.
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Members | Talitha - Keys, Lead Vocals
Curtis - Guitar
Ryden - Lead Guitar
Brian - Drums
Jeremy - Bass Guitar |
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Hometown | Grand Rapids |
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Record Label | None |
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Influences | The Blues
Pink Floyd
Incubus
Jazz Music |
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