Ghostly Beard
Montréal, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 1993 | SELF
Music
Press
Excellence in Music Artistry: The word superb accurately describes Ghostly Beard’s new single from the EP Infinite. - Paul J. Wolfe
Fluffy in a hypnotic and light way that has you wondering why it all just ended. - Keith Hannaleck
From the vaults of his prismatic artistry Ghostly Beard issues a clutch of EPs and albums. - Lorne Behrman
The composition of his tracks is clever, creative and free-flowing…each song is like a wee journey. - Erin at Eleven
If music can be said to have an autobiographical style, then Talbot has developed that style and now publishes it to the world. - Nicholas Fry
I'm really looking forward to your upcoming EP release and I highly recommend it as it is a beautiful piece of work. - Bernadette Barter
Sorry for all the Pink Floyd references GB but if I’d heard you on the radio I would have thought it was them! - Gongle Shanks
The one thing you are guaranteed to get for your money here is not just the great music, but the fact that this a very highly well produced and polished production. - Lee Lucas
A wonderful musician, writes beautiful songs and puts together stylish arrangements, complete with guitar solos to die for, hot licks (and rhetoric). - Virginie Lacour-Puiboube
Immerse yourselves into his universe soaked with soft rock, jazz, progressive-rock, fusion, pop, classic rock and dreamy sonic landscapes... - Denise Lawrence
Whatever you call this, though, the music here is compelling and mainstream, yet meaty. I'm hooked. - Gary Hill
Dear Universe, thank you for connecting me with this amazing artist. - Johnny Price
The soft, warm and inviting ear-worming guitars guide you away from an EP that although strange, is really quite enjoyable. - Matthew Speer
A beautiful, soliloquy-type account of the immense love and pride one feels as a parent and the accompanying instrumentation is a gentle, dream-like melody. - Candice Ann Marshall
Ghostly Beard has set his stall out. This is not a man who is going to be restrained by genre, nor restrained by expectation. - Steven Reid
This versatile emotionally artist with his amazing album has to be heard and shared and picked up by many radio stations, and fans of ambient rock and pop. - Roy
Phantoms with facial hair is a strange concept, indeed. However, there's nothing strange about Ghostly Beard's music, which is oftentimes scary good. - Dan Macintosh
These relaxing tones permeate the album, whether it be through the shimmering guitars of “Gone” or even a funky back-and-forth from the rhythm section on something like “The Love In Your Eyes.” - Owen Maxwell
This jazzy pop-style of music you can actively listen to and appreciate the lyrics or you can have on in the background to let it enter your brain in a stealthy style. Either way, this is an album that can be heard again and again. - John Daly
It is evident Patrick is a talented mind, he’s got the patience to compose and put down his ideas in the right place, all the instruments are equally important, none of them excels, all have their shot so the music flows wonderfully and we, the listeners, can have a peaceful time. - Guillermo Urdapitella
My only complaint: It seems to be over all too quickly... I look forward to journeying more and hearing where he takes all these influences next. - Paul Leader
Ultimately, the true identity behind the beard doesn’t really matter, because Inward stands on its own as a shining, highly original example of the limitless possibilities of pop music - Cody Conard
With “Inward”, Ghostly Beard has demonstrated again his talent for writing music that you can feel. There are no rock anthems here, there are no silly love songs. Just honest, well written, heart felt music that you can play, safe in the knowledge that what you hear is music the way it should be written. - Peter Devine
Experience an album that will touch the invisible portion of your life – your soul! - Lakisha Skinner
If you're looking for a laid back evening, maybe it's time to lie back and stroke your Ghostly Beard? - Steven Reid
Whether you lay back with your eyes closed to soak it in, or put it on as background while you go about your day, you’re not going to be disappointed. How does it feel? Well, it feels damn good. - Substream Staff
The dreamy musical landscapes that he paints are quite beautiful and dynamic. - Johnny Price
Underneath that surface, his compelling bass work, his fantastic feel for guitar solos, or the shining keyboard work, tells you here is a master at work - Peter Cox
Set to unleash his new album, "Inward", Ghostly Beard continues to create relentlessly meaningful and vibrant music. - Eileen Shapiro
Rarely does something like this come along, and it is all the more to be treasured when it does. - Nick Fry
I was impressed with how well this album was written, recorded and performed. - Bob Levoy
At the end of the day, there are some great, well performed songs here, and quality is a characteristic that almost every listener can enjoy. - Maxxxwell Carlisle
Inward is a beautiful landscape of exuberant beauty of diverse types, enough in feelings whose attractiveness is adorned by its well-tended musical arrangements that make it a delicious work to taste with our ears. - Jonatan Fernando Ochoa Hernandez
What makes Inward worth your time is its moments of cohesion, where the vision behind the sound begins trailblazing—exploring rhythm and melody in new ways. - Gabe Kahan
I love music that can take me on a journey, music that can just pick me up and glide me along. - Peter Devine
Airily rich production values marry a decidedly melodic focus, Ghostly Beard’s vocal quality tenderly applying itself to the mid-tempo selection of songs with a decided subtlety with each step. - Jonathan Frahm
Trust me, this will be the best twenty minutes of ‘limitless’ musical pleasure you will ever experience. - Lakisha Skinner
Overall, Inward is truly an artsy rock album with strong element of progressive and soft rock combined with several other pieces from jazz, blues and pop kind of genres to create 10 musically comforting pieces that can easily attract the attention of many rock enthusiasts from all over the globe. - Dewa Nughara
The featured song does provide a fine indication of the notable quality found across the album. Vocals are melodic and refined and the guitar work is of a very high standard ... make sure you dig a little deeper into this album, your in for something very rewarding. - Mike Heath
...new songs that have effortlessly flowed from his senses and created a series of songs that just may be the most exceptional set of songs to be released this year. - Sherryl Craig
Talbot tips the scale with this soul-warming piece of work drenched in waves of melodies guitars filled with soaring pop sensibilities and roaring rocking tunes. - My Nguyen
Ghostly Beard displays an eclectic array creating majestic signature sonic environments that are sweet yet melancholic. - Denise Lawrence
Having been influenced by classic and progressive rock, jazz, blues and more, listen to how the songwriter’s perspective translates into distinct musical fluidity. - Paul J. Wolfe
His music, from start to finish, especially in his latest album release – “Invisible” – is brilliant – a gorgeous example of jazz and fusion. - Leo Mello
The farther one ventures into Inward, the more rewarding a listen the album becomes. Instead of front-loading the album with its best songs, Ghostly Beard allows Inward to reveal the depth of its quality only to those who stick around. - Bill Kopp
Musically, here, multiple layers of electric guitar make for instances of melodic genius here to keep listeners going. - Jonathan Frahm
This is the 2018 reflective track that will crawl its way up to the number one spot. - Lakisha Skinner
Shrouded in mystery, Ghostly Beard is a talent that has set free his history and is actively creating a Rock ‘N’ Roll world that is full of mesmerizing instrumentals and deeply moving lyrical musings. - Jessica Golich
It’s one of those albums best described as luxuriously comfortable, which makes it worth your time and attention. - Randall Radic
The Quebec native delivers an array of sounds that gently sweeps across genres and into your eardrums. From Jazzy undertones to Prog Rock, Ghostly Beard can do it all. - Mase Shaw
Ghostly Beard showcases his knack for creating music that has an ethereal quality and lies at the edge of dreams. “How Does It Feel” opens the album. Its soft-rock base melds with classic rock to move it along. How does it feel? It feels like you’re floating on a cloud. - Kath Galasso
As an artist who knows HOW TO acclimatize his work, his sound is mastered; his technique has been perfected; and, his musical identity is etched and enjoyed. - Lakisha Skinner
Ever since getting the album I have been listening I don’t know how many times, and the album always picks me up. From the slow burning How Does It Feel? (great chorus and heartfelt guitar solo) to the full on happy Going Away, every song enchants me. - Peter Cox
One thing I can definitely say about the artist is that his style is unique making this an essential download. - Addison Coleman
A creative and talented songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a lot to tell us, which he expresses so beautifully through his intelligent lyrics, sublime vocals and dreamy, mellow soundscapes that draw from soft rock, jazz, pop, progressive rock and fusion, among other influences. - Jeff Archuleta
Do you know when you are waiting for an artist to release a new song or album, and you build an idea in your head of how you’d like it to sound? His album starts exactly as I expected... So I cannot emphasize enough. Stop everything, and take some time out of your busy Friday, and listen to this brilliant album. - Leo Melo
Ghostly Beard proves that there are no limits when it comes to quality in music. Every song hits home, and hits home hard. Essential stuff if you ask me! - Peter Cox
His captivating sexy jazzy sonic revelations draw the listener in, leaving them highly addicted to his effervescence. - Eileen Shapiro
Words aren’t enough to describe the beauty of this artistic album really. - Mena Ezzat
Discography
July, 14 2017 - Infinite EP
October 10, 2017 - Invisible album
December 3, 2017 - High Expectations single
February 2, 2018 - The Love in Your Eyes single
April 2, 2018 - Going Away
May 4, 2018 - Inward album
Photos
Bio
You may have crossed paths with him on the street, or been in line with him at the grocery store. He has a beard, he’s in his 50s, and he’s the man behind the invisible artist Ghostly Beard, a visionary artistic entity with a boundlessly creative sweep that encompasses soft rock, jazz, prog-rock, fusion, pop, classic rock, and more.
The story goes that Ghostly Beard is a virtuoso singer, songwriter, producer, and multi instrumentalist who recently came out of a 15-year musical retirement. Since emerging in 2013, he has written an eclectic body of music more than 40-songs strong.
The man behind the music is Patrick Talbot. Talbot grew up a hotshot guitarist with an effortless command of the instrument and fluidity in a variety of genres. Domestic responsibilities, and the demands of making a living, sidelined him. However, a series of events—both painful and liberating—have enabled him to reunite with his true love for a second chance.
“Returning to music was hard at first because I was frustrated with my loss of technique,” shares the Montreal, Canada-based artist. “But when I re-discovered the pleasure of songwriting, I found myself mining an emotional depth I hadn’t reached before.”
Talbot will release his oeuvre in the coming months through a series of EPs and albums. Each collection will be thoughtfully sequenced by mood, genre, and aesthetic for an eclectic array of cohesively collected works. His kaleidoscopic creativity has garnered him comparisons to a bevy of artists, a select cross section of which includes Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Peter Gabriel, XTC, Cat Stevens, Weather Report, Michael Franks and Chicago. Within this intrepidly artistic and wildly eclectic blend, Ghostly Beard creates a majestic signature sonic environment that’s sweetly melancholic, blurring the line between dark catharsis and subtle rays of hope.
Talbot prefers the anonymity of the Ghostly Beard moniker because it affords him a music-first platform in line with his artistic ethos: “I like to be in the shadows and just focus on the work,” he reveals. In keeping with these ideals he eschews live performances.
Ghostly Beard’s music offers an immersive emotionality that can appear enigmatic. Beneath its dreaminess are themes of absence, yearning for the past, regret and hope. Also penetrating what could seem like Ghostly Beard’s icy veneer of anonymity is the love for his daughter. “Something changed for me when I became a father. Even if I am something of a loner in this world, she is there to ground me,” Talbot shares.
Select highlights on his upcoming EP, Infinite, include “Close Your Eyes,” “Frozen in Time,” and “No Return.” This five-track release opens with wistful folk on “Close Your Eyes” which soon morphs into a multi-textured, hauntingly beautiful epic brimming with longing and exquisite melodies, and a positively David Gilmour-esque teardrop guitar solo. The ethereal “Frozen in Time” is delicately majestic with airy vocals, subtle chops-y melodic flourishes, and space themed existential lyrics. The detached ambient elegance of “No Return” offers listeners a chance to vibe out and set out on an inward journey.
A sneak peek at Ghostly Beard’s second and third album installments include the stunning tracks “Blue” and “The Love in Your Eyes.” The impressionistic jazz waltz, “Blue,” snapshots the woozy love that lives within a parent. “It’s one of the most lyric-centered songs I’ve ever written,” Talbot says. “I wanted the song to convey how I feel when I think about my little girl.” The sweetly sophisticated “The Love in Your Eyes” conjures a comfy pop-rock vibe reminiscent of modern Brit-pop. Belying the song’s uplifting lilting quality, however, is a lyric of regret in the light of a loved one’s passing.
Talbot is no longer haunted by what could have been had he pursued music earlier. Ghostly Beard has been a deeply satisfying outlet for his bottled feelings and creativity. “I feel like I finally get to live a dream I had since I was a teenager,” he says conclusively.
Band Members
Links
