The Ghost Is Dancing Keep Battling

The Ghost Is Dancing may have been referred to as Toronto's happiest pop band on their recent Canadian Music Week report card, but it hasn't been easy to keep up those smiles.

The act will release their sophomore full-length, Battles On, through Sonic Unyon next week. Completing the record was no small feat. The Ghost Is Dancing have faced their fair share of adversity since they issued 2007's The Darkest Spark, including the departures of Jim DeLuca, Gabrielle Nadeau and Ben Deschamps. The loss of DeLuca, one of the group's vocalists and lyricists, was especially difficult to deal with.

"The new album's title directly refers to our struggle to stay together as a band despite Jim leaving, being completely broke, massively in debt, having gone through three managers, and surviving two near-death experiences on the road," explains vocalist/guitarist Jamie Matechuk.

"Jim left right after our first Canadian tour in 2007, and I remember us all crying on a bench outside of Ottawa during his second last show with us. I felt like I had let him down, but I knew he was just doing what he had to do. We started the band as a kind of collective dream between friends, and to see people leave the band was terrible."

Battles On was written over a year-and-a-half. The Ghost Is Dancing originally wanted to record it in March 2008, but lacked the financing to do so. After they worked many extra hours at jobs they generally loathed, the members were able to scrape together the necessary funds.

"I spent most of my time doing valet parking for rich people at a fitness club, writing lyrics on the back of valet tickets and recording ideas into my cell phone when my boss wasn't looking," says Matechuk.

"I'd say at least half of the songs for Battles On were written that way — on the backs of parked cars, in alleyways and in restaurant lobbies."

The Ghost Is Dancing entered the studio to record Battles On last fall with producer Chris Stringer (Rush, Ohbijou). The sessions were emotional, but the band were able to create exactly what they wanted. Fans of The Darkest Spark and 2006's eponymous EP will find plenty to enjoy on Battles On. It's a solid disc filled with a dozen well-crafted slices of uplifting, hook-laden indie pop.

"The atmosphere in the rehearsal space and in the studio was an atmosphere of excitement and desperation," says Matechuk.

"Jim and I used to write lyrics together, but now it is just me. While there was more pressure, the process itself was easier. We had settled into our roles in the band, and after a pretty harsh transition, we trusted each other completely."

The Ghost Is Dancing will embark on a North American tour this week in support of Battles On. Matechuk says they're approaching the gigs with a "go for broke" mentality to ensure they give their all each night.

"Over time, we've just gotten accustomed to taking our clothes off when it gets too hot on stage. It's almost instinctual, we can't stop. We've tried. I keep telling everyone, 'No, not this time,' and then we do it.

"Odie [Ouderkirk, keyboards] has his name on his underwear for fun, and I've been completely nude in Guelph. It's a liberating thing.

"After the Guelph show, a guy came up to me and said, 'I can't believe it, you wear the same underwear as me and you're in my favourite band.' I thought that was pretty neat."

(Check out this video interview with the band, where one member refuses to wear pants.)

Matechuk and Lesley Davies sing "Don't give up on the fight, don't give up on your dream" on Battles On's "Old Children." Following their own advice, The Ghost Is Dancing are optimistic about the future and are confident they can endure any hardships they'll face.

"I think we've come out of everything tighter and more cohesive than ever, more focused and more hopeful," says Matechuk. "We know that in order to continue the battle, we have to stick together.

"Playing music together makes us giddy, and hanging out and driving around together is always fun. While there's been many a struggle, most of the time we find ourselves with perma-grins on our faces, just in awe at how interesting and inspiring this whole thing has been."

The Ghost Is Dancing will play these dates:

April 23 Montreal, QC @ The Green Room
April 24 Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee's
April 25 London, ON @ The Black Shire Pub Bar w/Lioness and A Horse And His Boy
April 27 Winnipeg, MB @ Lo Pub & Gallery
April 29 Edmonton, AB @ Black Dog
May 1 Regina, SK @ The Distrikt w/Hot Hot Heat
May 3 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
May 4 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
May 5 Chicago, IL @ Darkroom
May 6 Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn
May 7 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe
May 8 Louisville, KY @ Derby City Espresso w/Bedtime
May 9 Lexington, KY @ Al's Bar w/Bedtime
May 10 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks w/Japandroids
May 11 Cleveland, OH @ Wilbert's Food & Music
May 12 Philadelphia, PA @ The Manhattan Room
May 13 Philadelphia, PA @ Mill Creek Tavern
May 14 Brooklyn, NY @ Goodbye Blue Mondays
May 15 New York, NY @ Fontana's Bar w/Spiral Beach
June 2 Peterborough, ON @ The Gordon Best Theatre
June 13 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox