Houseghost
Houseghost are an Ohio punk band that sing songs, not about gore and violence, but like your friendly house ghost…of sorts. They band started as a studio project and now has two albums and some live dates in October, so we reached out to chat about how the project has evolved as they prep for FEST 22.
Scene Point Blank: First, how often does Houseghost play shows? Some of you are in other bands. How do you specifically approach Houseghost as a live project?
Nick Hamby: We play shows sporadically. It's been difficult for us since our personal lives are so busy. Me being in The Raging Nathans and Kayla being a teacher. But we've really been focusing on playing great live shows this year and hope to keep that momentum going.
Scene Point Blank: Am I correct that you mostly play festivals and one-off shows? Why did Houseghost choose FEST 22 as one of those limited live shows?
Nick Hamby: Yeah, that's pretty much true. We tend to play a lot of festivals and we don't agree to do many local shows unless they are something special. I think it kind of keeps things magical for us. We were lucky enough to open for The Linda Lindas recently in Columbus and that was an incredible experience! Fest was always something we wanted to do, so we are all stoked we finally get to play after being a band for five years.
Scene Point Blank: FEST 22 is just before Halloween. Is the band more active this time of year?
Nick Hamby: Oh, absolutely. Both of our albums were released around Halloween. We always try to do a few shows on or around Halloween. Last year we did a Misfits cover set with our friend Gwen on vocals. It was a blast and I think we are planning on doing it again this year.
Scene Point Blank: What label do you use for the band's sound? What do you make of the horrorcore tag we're seeing these days?
(Editor’s note: whoops, I meant “horrorpunk”.)
Nick Hamby: I am not aware of the label "horrorcore" whatsoever, lol. To me, we are just a punk band. We label ourselves "spooky punk" because I kind of think we have our own thing going on. I don't think we fit into the horror punk genre, which can be a bit silly at times. Not that we are a super serious band, but I think you can understand what I mean.
Scene Point Blank: I personally appreciate how instead of focusing on gore and horror themes, you twist the concept into a different POV. Do you remember your inspiration?
Nick Hamby: Yeah, that was always intentional. I wanted to focus on horror elements and occult imagery without seeming corny or forced. I'm a huge horror fan and my favorite thing about the genre is the way it expresses ideas, be it political or emotional, through metaphor and allegory. That's the vibe I wanted to bring out in our music. Everything we write has true feelings and meaning behind it. Our songs intentionally have layers of meaning. My hope has always been for people to emotionally connect with what we are doing.
Scene Point Blank: Forgive me if I'm wrong, but when I first heard Houseghost I was expecting it to be a one-off side project. Am I misreading this? Is there a point where things clicked and you knew you had something?
Nick Hamby: It originally was a one-off recording project. We had no intention of becoming a live band. But somewhere along the way, after writing a handful of songs, we realized it was just too much fun and we knew we had to start playing shows.
Scene Point Blank: You released Another Realm in 2022. Is another release in the works? How much room do you think the concept has to grow?
Nick Hamby: We've all been really busy in our personal lives, so it has been a little longer than I would like since we've put out anything new. But we are currently working on a new set of songs that hopefully will become our third record. This band has the potential to grow as big as we want it to, as long as we keep feeding it.
Scene Point Blank: I asked Josh this question in our Raging Nathans interview for this piece, so I should ask you too: What's the biggest misconception people have of Dayton, Ohio?
Nick Hamby: I'm not sure I know how to answer this one. Honestly, whatever your pre-conceived notions are about Dayton, they're probably right. LOL
Scene Point Blank: How many times have you attended The Fest? Have you ever played it, or attended as a fan?
Nick Hamby: I believe I have played Fest 7 times. I could be forgetting a year, but I think that's right. I've never just gone as a fan, I've only been there during the years my band has played.
Scene Point Blank: Who is a band you discovered at The Fest?
Nick Hamby: Hmm...the first band that comes to mind is Rehasher, Roger from Less Than Jake's other band. I had actually never heard them before and I was totally blown away.
Scene Point Blank: Share a random memory from Fest, whether that was seeing a favorite band, running into an old friend, or some weird thing you saw/experienced.
Nick Hamby: One of my best Fest memories is watching Chris Moore play drums for Floor right before Negative Approach. If I remember correctly, Chris was there with Coke Bust. Floor's drummer got sick right before their set and Chris agreed to fill in. He learned the whole set 45 minutes before they went on, or something like that. It was incredible. Then right after, Negative Approached played and they were amazing, of course. That was probably one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Scene Point Blank: Do you have any surprises in store for your FEST 22 set?
Nick Hamby: I guess you'll just have to wait and see.
Now, a rapid fire Fest-focused Q&A:
