Ghost Town Orchestra

BRANTFORD EXPOSITOR - Wenesday October 8, 2014
"It was something to write home about," Victor Martisius said of being in Winnipeg to take home an Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award.
Guitarist Martisius, and frontman Logan Staats, along with bass player Rylan Braida and Paul Vendetti on drums, are Ghost Town Orchestra.
The aggressive funk rock sound of their debut CD, Dead Wait, which has yet to be officially released, earned them the best rock album award at the Winnipeg ceremony Sept. 12.
They also were nominated in the best new artist category, with that win going to Manitoba singer/songwriter Leonard Sumner.
"I feel proud to bring home this honour to Six Nations and Brantford," said Staats.
"It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by so many talented aboriginal artists. I was thrilled to see the competition was so vibrant and the Canadian music scene is thriving right now."
For nine years, the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Awards have acknowledged and celebrated the accomplishments of aboriginal recording artists and music industry members from across North America and internationally.
A frequent performer in local venues, Staats is garnering attention in his own right, while at the same time focusing on Ghost Town Orchestra. The band was formed shortly after the release of Staats's own first album, Goodbye Goldia, dedicated to his grandmother, Goldie Staats.
Staats and Martisius first met when they were working a temp job together putting stickers on misprinted boxes. They struck up a conversation about music and Staats thought of Martisius when he was putting the band together in the summer of 2012.
Picked up by Gunner Recordings, an all-Aboriginal artist label, the band recorded the Dead Wait at Iguana Studios in Toronto.
Martisius, who writes the band's music -- with Staats penning the lyrics -- describes Dead Wait as "Kings of Leon meet the Chili Peppers," with a bit of everything thrown in.
"There's a '50s swing tune, lounge tunes and some slow jam," he said. "It's a unique blend of genres. We're not putting parameters on it."
Staats says his music is a healing process for him and, he hopes, for others.
"It highlights my highs as well as my lows. It speaks on my accomplishments and failures."
Last summer the band performed at Mumford and Sons' Gentlemen of the Road's Simcoe stopover and was in France in February to play at the Midem Music Festival.
"We're trying to get to Europe and attract attention overseas," said Martisius. "We're working on building a rapport with promoters over there."
In the meantime, the band plans an official release of Dead Wait at the Arts Block on Oct. 31.
"It has been a long-awaited moment for our fans," said Staats of the album release. "We're very excited to get our CD finally into their hands."

michelle.ruby@sunmedia.ca - Canoe Sun Media-Brantford expositor