Get Spooked with Ghostland Observatory

Enjoy Ghostland Observatory at the 2nd Annual South Padre International Music Festival October 31st- November 2nd

WORDS: Solomon Bland
PHOTOS: REQUEST: #1 AND #2 (color versions)

THE FESITVAL
This year on the weekend of October 31st South Padre Island on the southernmost tip of Texas is going to be lit up with Halloween activities and bursting with the sounds of the second annual South Padre International Music Festival. Music fans will flock from Texas and beyond to take part in the festival which will be spread out over 10 or so venues around the island. It’s going to be one of the final hoorahs of festival season while it’s still warm, at least on South Padre Island. Even in the beginning of November, festival patrons will be able to take in other activities as well on the sandy beaches and in the warm sun. If moved by the low 80s daytime temp and the gentle Gulf breeze, windsurfing, kiteboarding, scuba diving and other activities will be available.

Texas music meets up with national and international sounds at this year’s SPI Music Fest to spread the music all across the board with country, folk, reggae, electro-pop, Spanish rock, blues and everything else in between. The lineup includes Willie Nelson, Ghostland observatory, Steel Pulse, Foghat, Los Lonely Boys, Blue Oyster Cult, Alejandro Escovedo, Grupo Fantasma, Guy Forsyth and many more. Bands from around Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, the Rio Grande Valley and elsewhere in Texas will be contributing familiar sounds, while musicians from Paris, Venezuela and around the US will bring in their own tunes to bear on these beaches that Men’s Fitness recently listed among America’s top 10. South Padre Island was ranked among Venice Beach, CA and Hilton Head Island, SC, and along with referring to the beach’s legendary spring break status, they also said that Laguna Madre Bay off the island “is home to some of the best windsurfing in the world.”

According to a recent interview Billboard.com did with SPI Music Fest founder Tim Hayden, they had to scale back the number of artists performing at the festival from last year. Apparently, festival-goers were having too much trouble deciding which band to go see, as there were too many conflicting options. So, by trimming down the lineup, it makes it easier for fans to catch everyone on their must-see list.

GHOSTLAND STEPS IT UP
One band that’s sure to be on many music fans’ must-see list this year at SPI is Austin’s electro-rock duo Ghostland Observatory. They’ve been causing quite a clamor ever since their performance at Austin City Limits back in 2006 where they drew an unexpectedly huge crowd and pulled in curious music grazers with their catchy electronic hooks and vocals, energetic live show and infectious dance moves.

According to Ghostland’s beatmaster Thomas Turner, that ACL show was the first time the band had been exposed to that many people, and it was a kind of turning point for them. “I think there was a lot of confusion. Nobody really knew what we were doing or who we were,” says Turner. But, a few more successful shows like that and the guys were really up and running. Now, the duo can sell out 1,500-capacity venues and sometimes brings crowds to the brink of frenzy, causing them to jump on stage and bum-rush security.

Ghostland really began to step things up in terms of their live show to bring it to another level and make it more engaging for the larger crowds they were drawing. Whereas the live show is pretty much unscripted in terms of vocalist Aaron Behrens’ dance moves and antics, now the pre-production of it all takes a lot of coordination, according to Turner. “It used to be we’d show up and just do a sound check and then play. Now, we show up, set up all the gear, spend three or four hours programming lights, lasers, then we sound check. So, the production is a lot longer,” he says.

At the time of the interview, Turner was resting up after an end-of-tour illness. “When you’re sick, the last thing you want to do is rock and roll,” says Turner. But, he expects to be tip-top in time for the performance on South Padre where the duo will bring out the big guns and are planning an extremely engaging show. “We’ll have lasers and lights and all kinds of crazy stuff,” says Turner. According to him, the band is really looking forward to the performance because it’s the first time they’ve played in that part of South Texas, and they’re also really excited to play with the other artists on the bill.

They’ve come a long way, and now they’re one of the headlining acts of the festival. They have a very healthy attitude when it comes to their success, which Turner says they take as it comes and never really planned out. “We’re thankful we made it this far and we just want to always do our best. We don’t want to slack off or anything,” says Turner.