Ghost Who Walks is the musical vehicle for the songs of Wellington singer/songwriter Sam Fowles. Mixing genres generously into a fusion of groove, soul and funk makes them one of the most engaging and energetic bands about town. Their self-titled EP has been out since 2018. Now with a newly extended band line up (to be premiered at San Fran on September 14), Ghost Who Walks have a music video for their single Walking Talking Blues to celebrate – which we’re pleased to premiere for you.  

Hey Sam, why should people listen to Ghost Who Walks?

We make music to move the body and touch the soul.

What does that band name actually stand for? It seems meaningful!

It has a bit of a double meaning. The light-hearted side is that my favourite comic book as a child was The Phantom and his nickname with the jungle people was ‘o ghost who walks’, so that’s where the name originates from. On the heavier side, I almost passed away when I was a younger man, but it seems I had some unfinished business, so Ghost Who Walks it was!

Who’s currently in the band and what’s their background?

We have Henry Smithers on the bass guitar, who is currently finishing off his jazz degree at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University. He plays in a variety of other Wellington bands such as Ras Judah & Culture Embassy, and ZillionZ to name a few.

Hunter Paranihi on the guitar and keyboard. He is currently studying music at Te Auaha working towards a Bachelor of Creativity (music).

Dayne Robinson on the drums, who is also a member of Wellington band Macho Macho.

Reuben Topzand our dedicated keyboard player, is in the final year of a Commercial Music degree at Massey University, and also a member of Model Motel, Solomon Crook and Neil Macleod respectively.

James Guilford on the trumpet. He is a graduate of the NZ School of Music at Victoria University (Jazz). He performs with Ras Judah & Culture Embassy and the Royal NZ Airforce Band amongst others.

Nicholas Baucke-Maunsell on the saxophone, who is currently working towards completing a Jazz degree at the NZ School of Music at Victoria University. He also performs with the NZ Youth Jazz Orchestra, NZSM Big Band as well as recording with the NZ Jazz Orchestra.

Which leaves myself, Sam Fowles on the guitar and vocals, currently studying a Bachelor of Commercial Music at Massey University, and founder of Ghost Who Walks.

As the frontman, can you tell us about your approach to making performing with your band a success?

I like to relax beforehand, have a few quiet moments before we go on and let the music take us where we need to go. The rest takes care of itself.

You are a seven-piece now – how do you co-ordinate a band with so many people? Any tips?

Be flexible, haha! Nah, we do a lot recording at rehearsal time and work at it in our own time, as well as rehearsing in sections. 

Someone seems to be doing branding and great artwork.

Jordan from Design Hero did our EP cover and logo, and our latest poster was done by Taizan Art. I do a lot of collaborating with those artists to realise our vision.

The music video for Walking Talking Blues was recorded live at CoCa Massey. What can you tell us about the making of it? 

We shot the song multiple times until we got the take we were happy with it was a fun experience. We dressed up the room a bit to get the mood we were after. We worked in closely with director Ed Williamson from In Frame Creative on the edit. He was a pleasure to work with. Jonas Persson was the audio engineer on the day and we worked closely with him to get the mix sounding the way we like it. 

What sort of aesthetic were you going for here?

We wanted a really clean cut, yet raw representation of who we are musically as well as visually.

What’s coming next for Ghost Who Walks?

We’re currently writing new songs and working toward recording an album next year. Looking forward to some festivals through the summer, and who knows, maybe even a summer tour! But right now we’re really excited to be playing San Fran with our favourite Wellington band H4lf Cast, it will be our first time performing as a 7-piece.