Exclusive video premiere of ‘Raven’ by Ghostkeeper, from the upcoming album ‘Cîpayak Joy,’ available August 28, 2024, via Victory Pool Records.

Since day one, the Ghostkeeper band name has been defined by the core duo of namesake singer, songwriter, and guitarist Shane Ghostkeeper, and singer, songwriter, and percussionist/electronics manipulator Sarah Houle. Over the years, the band has encapsulated numerous other configurations and stages of development, and the most recent one is responsible for their critically-acclaimed album ‘Multidimensional Culture.’ But the newest chapter in the Ghostkeeper saga is ‘Cîpayak Joy,’ at once a sub-project in the band’s universe and also the start of a series of new albums. Here, the approach is sheared back to that core duo of Ghostkeeper and Houle, coming full circle and mirroring their seminal days writing and performing as a duo. Along with Victory Pool Records, the band is pleased to share ‘Raven,’ the second single from the upcoming ‘Cîpayak Joy’ album.

Cîpayak – a Cree term that translates as ‘the ghosts are dancing’ and is often used to describe the Northern Lights – has its origins as a project in a few different places. Originally in the running as an alternative to the Ghostkeeper moniker, its initial usage was as the name for Shane and Sarah’s collective visual art practice, widely debuted at Contemporary Calgary in April of 2020 for their interactive piece ‘Four Words Challenge,’ which included a few pieces of music the two had spontaneously cooked up with tech wizard and longtime audio associate Brad Hawkins. Following this initial jolt of inspiration, the three began descending to the basement for a string of collaborative, off-the-cuff sessions that quickly became defined by new working methods that were the direct inverse to those that have produced the “Ghostkeeper sound” to date, and uncovered some new sonic territory for the band, as evidenced on the album’s second single.

“‘Raven’ is a mantra written to manifest a life together in which we walk, talk and breathe in a good way with nature and all her realms. Living in the realm of the raven and embracing that medicine keeps us in solidarity and committed to each other’s well-being.” Shane goes on to say, “May the spirit of the raven keep us well as we walk in the realm of rock n roll.”

After all the initial tracking for the songs on Cîpayak Joy was completed, the band decided to ask longtime associate Jay Crocker to try his hand at a mix. Crocker is producer, composer, guitarist, and instrument builder known for his avant-electronic project JOYFULTALK (with a string of releases on the venerable Constellation Records label) and his production work with Sackville’s Jon McKiel, but he was also once a key early member of Ghostkeeper and produced their second and third albums.

‘Raven’ is out now on all major streaming platforms, and stay tuned for details on the full ‘Cîpayak Joy album,’ slated for release later this year on Victory Pool Records.

Ghostkeeper Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
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