From no instruments to eight years of successful music: homespun indie band hasn’t lost sight of their roots or their friendship
Sure, plenty of high school students dream of starting a band. Most give up once they realize playing an instrument is harder than it looks.
But that didn’t stop Ghosts of the Kodiak.
It’s been quite the journey since Ghosts of the Kodiak got together, learned to play instruments, wrote songs and started performing — in that order. Eight years later, after their fair share of peaks and valleys, they’re still together.
Through several member variations, name changes and moves to different cities, Ghosts of the Kodiak has stayed the same humble group of friends from Sumter, South Carolina. The group recently relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, but vocalist Caleb Smith explained that without the artistic atmosphere in Cola, Ghosts of the Kodiak would have never come to be.
“[Columbia] feels like our musical home,” Smith said. “We probably wouldn’t be playing music right now if it weren’t for the Columbia music scene and having access to that.”
While they can credit their favorite and most meaningful concert experiences to the New Brookland Tavern, drummer Nathan Parker knows Ghosts of the Kodiak isn’t the only band to do so. He explained that over the years, countless musicians have gotten the backing they’ve needed to grow from Columbia’s local scene.
There’s still great support for good, solid musicians,” Parker said. “Rock, folk — there’s a place for that in Columbia.”
Ghosts of the Kodiak draws a lot of inspiration from bands like Manchester Orchestra and Radiohead, which comes across pretty clearly when you hear any of their EPs, especially their latest, “We Still Have Fear Inside Ourselves.”
Though they’ve followed in the musical footsteps of other bands over the years, Ghosts of the Kodiak’s music has a more raw, intense feel. But as their sound continues to develop, it’s become more difficult to pin down a genre that accurately represents them.
When asked how to describe their music, Ghosts of the Kodiak used the words “glass,” “mountains” and “existential.”
“I guess we’re indie rock — whatever that means,” Smith said.
Along with their changing sound, the members’ lives have changed, as well. Whether it was when their vocalist lived in the U.K. or their bass player’s move to Greenwood, Ghosts of the Kodiak have rolled with the punches and used the distance factor to their advantage.
Instead of merely taking a vacation to see Smith overseas this summer, the group booked several shows in London during their visit.
Ghosts of the Kodiak is dedicated, to say the least — their first album took more than three years to record and release. After such a long process filled with plenty of growing pains, the album felt old to the members by the time it was in its final form.
But as the saying goes, you learn by doing.
“Through that period, we became the band that was capable of making the next record,” Smith said.
Now that Smith is back in the states and the band is back together, Ghosts of the Kodiak wants to spend the next stage of their career getting back to their roots. As they look toward putting out new material, the group’s main focus is writing.
“Only time will tell, as far as [a new album] goes,” Parker said.
Ghosts of the Kodiak will always have a special spot in their heart for by the New Brookland Tavern, which makes their show this weekend all the more meaningful. On Friday, they will perform alongside fellow Midlands-based bands Corbett Alexander, All New Badges and Miles To Go.
They may have grown up a bit over these past eight years, but Ghosts of the Kodiak still has the same passion for music it takes for a group of friends to start a band with no instruments.