GHOSTWRITER -The now-time punk-folk troubadour
In 2002 Austin musician Steve Schecter (Billy Swamp, The Standards, End Of The West) hit the road as punk-folk troubadour Ghostwriter. Using a homemade foot-percussion device, hollow-body guitar, harmonica, and banjo, Ghostwriter has been dubbed everything from ‘anarcho cow-punk’ to a 'one-man existential blues machine.’ An Austin rag once even touted him as ‘the most punk rock mother f*#ker in town.’ Whatever you want to call it, Ghostwriter is making real music at a time when it is scarce.
Ghostwriter has toured the U.S. countless times and left five albums in his wake. Recently, he had the honor of opening for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, by their request. Previously, he opened for T-Model Ford and toured opening for the Legendary Shack Shakers. Ghostwriter gained early notoriety tearing-up the Midwest and east coast on double-header bills with silvertone-guru Dex Romweber (Flat Duo Jets). He played festivals from 'Sleazefest' in Chapel Hill to 'Not The Same Old Blues Crap' in London, and has been featured in flims and compilations world-wide.
Although he remains in the periphery, and a sea of fairly marginal one-man bands have recently emerged, it isn't hard to see Ghostwriter's mark on the underbelly of rock n' roll. After relocating to central Oregon in 2007, Ghostwriter performs frequently in the north west. His most recent release, 'Wreck the City / simplify your life' is available on 12" vinyl through End Of The West records.
Complete Discography:
“Every band down here who purportedly plays “punk” music should actively seek out Ghostwriter performances, and try to learn a little something from this man. He plays at an emotional depth that basically spawned the genre. He isn't following any particular fashion or trend... He just plays at a level of arresting emotion and feeling, unlike most of Austin's "punk" community."
-Max Dropout. Let Them Eat Lead.
"The Creepout Showcase at Beerland is billed as a night of one-man bands, but don't tell that to Steve Schecter (aka Ghostwriter). He seems adamant that he's not a one-man band but just a solo artist. I'm inclined to let him call himself whatever he wants, because, frankly, he scares the hell out of me."
-Nicol Zoe. Austin Sound.
“…pulling you into the strange world of a perpetual outsider that embodies the American spirit at its most gritty, true, and vital. Part John Wayne, part Charles Bukowski..”
-Ben Lybarger. Rock n’ Roll purgatory
“A haunted road hog with a brimstone growl and guitar mixed hotter than Lucifer. Road Angels and Torrential Rain imagines Nick Cave waking up on the wrong side of the bed, fighting cottonmouth and arrest warrants in several Southwestern states.”
-Christopher Gray. The Austin Chronicle.
"Bad Seed and NTSOBC friend Jim Sclavunos made us aware of this dude, when we heard him we had to drag him from his home in Austin, TX. to play at the 'Not The Same Old Blues Crap' punk blues festival with T-Model Ford."
-from the liner notes of "This Is Punk Rock Blues Vol #1" 2005 Punk Rock Blues Records (London,UK.)
“This was recommended to me on the basis of an intense and moody live performance that saw an unsuspecting, trendy, London audience being reduced to open-mouthed shock and awe."
-Christopher Stevens. Whisperin and Hollerin. (London, UK.)