There is no Spotify playlist for this article because NP Presley HATES streaming services!

Lexington, Kentucky’s NP Presley and The Ghost of Jesse Garon released their sophomore full-length In Celebration Of Everything That Went Wrong in early May. I was particularly excited about this one because I f*%#ing love this band and their debut Broken Fantasy and couldn’t wait to hear what they would do next. And (in full disclosure) I’m close friends with NP (Nate Presley, who has lineage to his namesake - The King himself) and some of the other Ghosts. We’ve shared stages and late-night hi-jinks in more than a couple cities and states in recent years.

Broken Fantasy was a great record in every way, but In Celebration… is a big step forward - better songs, more confident performances, and an overall better sound. “Shadow of a Ghost” was an early favorite, with some of the best lyrics on the record, a great hook, and a key harmony vocal from new member Leah Connolly, whose presence is felt throughout the album, though just a bit more sparingly than I’d like. “I Remember A Time” takes me back to Bat out of Hell with its theatric peaks and valleys, and provides another opportunity for Connolly to shine, adding some sweetness to Nate’s growl. The ballads are strong too, with vocal performances and spaced-out guitars that elevate them to tear-jerking levels.

Guitarist Tex Dynamite has elevated his chops too – laying out smoking lead after lead with a new ferocity. He also takes over lead vocals for the first time on “What Used To Be,” a strong live staple going back over a year that might remind you of early work by Jawbreaker or Two Cow Garage. Drummer Whitney Mehringer is as solid as ever, no surprise there, setting up the groove for bassist Richard Brinegar to lock onto.

The whole band stepped it up on this one, but it’s Nate out front, exposing fresh and deep wounds with vocal performances that are part Westerberg, part Danzig, part Waits, part Elvis. The band is at their best when they explore their melodic side with strong harmonies, and interesting vocal lines against a couple cranked-up Gibsons (the second provided by defacto-band-leader Matt Sigler), with NP’s raspy drawl leading the way.

With a 30+ date Spring European tour postponed, and a release show played to cameras rather than faces, both because of the Corona virus, coupled with Nate’s defiant and stubborn stance against all streaming services, this release might not garner the attention it would have otherwise, and most certainly deserves. While the band successfully managed to capture their ferocious live sound to tape, this material needs to be heard on a stage, and stages aren’t an option these days. NP is a restless sort, not one to sit still for long, and I know that the idleness is killing him. He’s probably pacing a groove in his living room floor, chain-smoking cigarettes, Roky Ericson on repeat, trying (out loud) to figure out how we can all get back to that soon. If I know him like I think I do, he’ll be leading the way.

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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