Asheville, NC-based post-punk/indie rock band Crooked Ghost blend atmospheric, edgy sonics with deep introspection on their music. Near the start of the year they dropped their potent Skeleton House album on vinyl, and in August their mesmerizing Colors Bleed EP bowed.
Ray Lark, the founder and frontman of Crooked Ghost, kindly took some time to reply to our ongoing Protest Interview series, turning inward and raising up important topics that mirror his own struggles.
Hello! Please introduce yourself/yourselves and give a description of your sound/musical vision.
I’m Ray Lark. I sing in Crooked Ghost. We’re somewhere between post punk and dream pop. I love to get lost in sound.
What is/are the main personal, national, and/or international issue(s) concerning you the most these days?
Mental health issues are very close to home. Healing and dealing with trauma especially. LGBTQ and animal rights as well.
What song, video, or lyrics quote of yours best represents your current viewpoint on this/these important topic(s)?
“Flowers, bees and butterflies… / What a pretty day to die” from our song “Black Rainbow.” To me it really best describes my journey with depression. How everything can appear bright on the outside, but the inside can still be very dark...
What’s your favorite song, video, or lyrics quote by another act or artist that best exemplifies, or at least partly relates to, your current viewpoint?
I’ve always related to the song “Mania” by Throwing Muses, especially the lyrics “Tongue thickens / I am with those who eat drugs / I peek over the wall and get shocked / shocking is therapy / electrify your head,” which to me represents the very flawed mental health system and out-of-date medical practices.
https://open.spotify.com/track/7cUaT2p1iALvZ8hXF7fLGC?autoplay=true&v=T
What other forms of protest, besides through your music, are you involved with to get your message across?
There’s a lot to protest these days, and I feel art is one of the best mediums to express that. Music, painting, performance art, can all be powerful tools to combat the system. Vote for change, rise up for your marginalized community members, and let your voice be heard.
It’s easy to judge and criticize others, especially in these unsettling times of overt intolerance, ignorance, and insults, but the fact remains that we need to work together. Objecting to and protesting against, but then working on a solution to the problem is critical in ensuring that positive change occurs. Name an action to take, or a campaign/charity that would be worthwhile to contribute to, for your cause.
Singer (and personal idol of mine) Cyndi Lauper has been doing so much over the years to end LGBTQ youth homelessness. You can donate and learn more about the True Colors Foundation here:
What gives you hope for the future?
Seeing how angry everyone is over our current political climate, and how inspired so many people seem to be to vote and enact positive change.
Where can we purchase/stream your music and find out more about you?
We’re still working on getting our website up and running, which will be where we will be hosting any and all things Crooked Ghost, but until then you can buy our music through Bandcamp:
https://crookedghost.bandcamp.com/
and stream our videos on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIgVwlr638HsQbVuTZGH6EQ(
as well as the usual suspects like Spotify, Apple, etc…)
