For L.A.-based husband and wife duo Haunted Summer, a visit to Ninkasi in Eugene began a beautiful musical partnership. “What started as a brewery tour ended up being a brewery family that we adore and got accepted in,” band members Bridgette Moody and John Seasons write me via email.
With Ninkasi’s support, Haunted Summer recorded their latest release, last year’s languid and sultry Spirit Guides, at Rancho De La Luna, a storied studio located in Joshua Tree, California. Neal Williams of the Eugene post-rock band Gazelle(s) appears on the record, as well as Dave Catching of Eagles of Death Metal.
Haunted Summer says the desert influenced the album’s semi-psychedelic and moody vibe, lending its “eerie, beautiful, peaceful sky and land” to the texture of the music. While in the studio, they tried not to overthink or overwork the material.
“We wait for when a song is ready to be written,” they explain. “We usually record on the spot, too, because sometimes you can’t recreate those magical virgin moments of feeling.”
And when playing live, Haunted Summer says they become submerged in the music. “We definitely like to set the tone with lighting and fog when we can, but it’s always about telling the story and bringing the listener into our world,” they explain. “It honestly feels like we just become a vessel for the song.” — Will Kennedy