ghost and the big sky
Fairview, New Jersey, United States | SELF
Music
Press
THE AQUARIAN MAGAZINE - 3/24/10
North Jersey Notes:
Ghost & The Big Sky
Local heroes Ghost & the Big Sky are damn good! They have this psychedelic rock feel to them, and the music just stays 100% bad ass. This was evident in songs from their self-produced CD. “Like A Bullet” just rips it up with a tribal drumbeat-, “Stone Crazy”, with its classic rock feel, dirty guitar riffs and bad ass vocal melodies. The songs really leave you wanting to hear more.
Ghost & the Big Sky has a unique story about a band that was put together by a near miss, or in other words, a near death. A few years back, guitarist and songwriter Patrick Bitbol was in a really bad motorcycle accident that almost cost him his life. Patrick was hit head-on by a van, and according to the police report, his body was thrown about 70 feet from the point of impact. Because of this, Patrick has to now live with a large titanium plate on the left side of his skull. His brain even took weeks to start functioning properly again. This is an unbelievable story. The songs off of their self-titled CD began while Patrick spent two months in the brain trauma ward because supposedly, strumming his acoustic helped in his recovery. Music became his healer as he began writing riffs that would turn into songs by Ghost & the Big Sky. Singer and longtime friend Paul Gerdts would pay Patrick several visits in the hospital and before you knew it, they were writing songs together.
In 2010, Patrick and Paul added new members to the band to make sure they were ready for "any live shows anywhere. We aren't gonna be held back", says Patrick. They added old friend Brother Sal on second guitar. "It creates more sounds, more layers to hear". Bassist Cash Crop Kenny was recommended by a friend, who "fits like a glove since the first time we jammed together at an open mic nite, completely off the cuff improvising - i could tell from the first few notes he played he was gonna work real well". Lastly was the addition of drummer Jeff Rinkus Baron. Just as things were starting to move forward for the band, Jeff was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in June of 2010, which "put him down for the count, playing-wise, for at least six months. He busted his wrist pretty bad - it needed some steel pins installed and a cast". "We got some friends who'll do some sit-in shows behind the kit. But Rinkus is our fuckin' drummer", sez Gerdts. "We're lookin' to get started serious gigging in Jan. 2011". That's the tri state area surrounding NYC..."Pennsy - Connecticut, Orange-Rockland-Westchester"...
From the crowd responses they get it seems Ghost & the Big Sky have found the right ingredient to rock audiences wherever they play. "We love to play with any band that knows how to dig in, and really play. We'd love to just jam with Gov'T Mule or Widespread Panic". Ghost & the Big Sky deserves to be heard!! Especially, if you’re a fan of The Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Cash, and Lenny Kravitz, you’ll love Ghost & the Big Sky. Check them out for yourself or find out where they’re playing next at www.ghostandthebigsky.com or www.itunes.com/ghostandthebigsky.
Tim Louie - The Aquarian Weekly
...From the first southern rock - tinged notes of "Walkin' on Air" to the breezy, driving down a dirt road feel of "To the Edge..." all the way thru the psychedelic, spiraling guitar of "Take No Chances', Ghost & the Big Sky deliver a playful, diverse album that's perfect for a wild night out, or long walk with an Mp3 player... - Steppin out Magazine
Discography
"Silent Freeway"- 5 song CD Produced by John Ginty, Released February 2012
"Ghost & the Big Sky" - ten song CD released 2009. Produced & Engineered 100% by the band. A learning experience, to say the least. End result sounds cool for the first go 'round.
www.itunes.com/ghostandthebigsky
Photos
Bio
A glorious return to the blues-driven, from-the-gut Rock and Roll that has been sadly missing from the world for far too long, Ghost & the Big Sky is a musical powerhouse built for performance. Original members Paul Gerdts (vocals) and Patrick Ruben Bitbol (guitar) have been composing soulful, musical stories together for years and formed a band to tell them. The band went through several line-ups as different faces entered and exited, but with the addition of Brother Sal (guitar/vocals) as a third songwriter, the vision really started to take shape. In the summer of 2011, long-time musical partners Chris Ball (bass) and Andrei Koribanics (drums) were recruited to lay anchor and complete the equation.
Their energetic live show is the real deal; heads turn and hips shake for as long as the beat goes on...and with an ever-expanding repertoire of original compositions and re-worked classics, Ghost can rock any venue, big or small, all night long and into the sunrise. Having released their new EP "Silent Freeway" in February 2012, Ghost & the Big Sky has awoken the sleeping giant of Rock and Roll, and it will continue to grow and flourish with every soul-stirring step....
Rock and roll the way it should be played.
THE AQUARIAN MAGAZINE - 3/24/10
North Jersey Notes:
Ghost & The Big Sky
—by Tim Louie, March 24, 2010
Local heroes Ghost & the Big Sky are damn good! They have this psychedelic rock feel to them, and the music just stays bad ass. This was evident in songs from their self-produced CD: “Like A Bullet” just rips it up with a tribal drumbeat. And “Stone Crazy”, with its classic rock feel, dirty guitar riffs and bad ass vocal melodies. The songs really leave you wanting to hear more.
Ghost & the Big Sky has a unique story about a band that was put together by a near miss, or in other words, a near death. A few years back, guitarist and songwriter Patrick Bitbol was in a really bad motorcycle accident that almost cost him his life. Patrick was hit head-on by a van, and according to the police report, his body was thrown about 70 feet from the point of impact. Because of this, Patrick has to now live with a large titanium plate on the left side of his skull. His brain even took weeks to start functioning properly again. This is an unbelievable story. The songs off of their self-titled CD began while Patrick spent two months in the brain trauma ward because supposedly, strumming his acoustic helped in his recovery. Music became his healer as he began writing riffs that would turn into songs by Ghost & the Big Sky. Singer and longtime friend Paul Gerdts would pay Patrick a visit in the hospital and before you knew it, they were writing songs together.
In 2010, Patrick and Paul added new members to the band to make sure they were ready for "any and all possible live shows. We aren't gonna be held back by anything", says Patrick. They added old friend Brother Sal on second guitar. "It creates more sounds, more layers to hear". Bassist Cash Crop Kenny was recommended by a friend, who "fits like a glove since the first time we jammed together at an open mic nite, completely off the cuff improvising - i could tell from the first few notes he played he was gonna work real well". Lastly was the addition of drummer Jeff Rinkus Baron. Just as things were starting to move forward for the band, Jeff was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in june of 2010, which "put him down for the count, playing-wise, for at least six months. He busted his wrist pretty bad - it needed some steel pins installed and a cast". "We got some friends who'll do some sit-in shows behind the kit. But Rinkus is our fuckin' drummer", sez Gerdts. "We're lookin' to get started serious gigging in Jan. 2011. That's the whole tri state area surrounding Dirty Jersey, NYC...Pennsy - Connecticut, Orange-Rockland-Westchester"...
From the crowd responses they get it seems Ghost & the Big Sky have found the right ingredient to rock audiences where
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