MUSIC

McGonigel's Mucky Duck presents Ghosts Along the Brazos.

If you're listening at all, you'll never shake the sound. It's honest - real music played by real people. The melodies will inspire, the words may haunt, and the rhythm will undoubtedly have you miles away from your chair. The music is undeniable - nothing short of a genuine celebration, bubbling up from the cracks in the street like west Texas oil.

The band is the Ghosts Along the Brazos and the idea is simple: Play and write music that you believe in, and others will believe in it too. Don't inflate it with smoke and mirrors, and don't water it down in search of conventional success. Play what speaks to your heart, and it will speak to theirs too. It's been less than a year since the Ghosts arrived on the Austin, TX scene, and they've quickly charmed their way into the hearts and minds of a town steeped in timeless American music, and not always quick to shower praise.

Jacob Jaeger, a precocious songwriter and remarkably comfortable entertainer, leads a cast of Austin's most formidable young acousticians through sets packed with original rhythm and blues, up-beat swing, and harmony-laden folk tunes. You will surely dance, you will often laugh, and you will inevitably be awed by the musical prowess of twenty-somethings playing far beyond their years.

Connor Forsyth on Piano and Hammond B3 is a wunderkind, a player that truly commands attention. As a member of another young Austin favorite, The Belleville Outfit, he honed his chops touring the country, and now splits his time between the Ghosts and the legendary Ray Price's touring band.

You may also recognize bassist Kristopher Wade and guitarist Gregory Harkins from one of Austin's brightest swing/jazz outfits, The Marshall Ford Swing Band, and the interplay between Forsyth, Harkins, and Wade might well be worth the price of admission alone. Drummer James Gwyn rounds out the 5-piece, another in-demand young Austinite who splits his time touring with country legend, Junior Brown.

Together, the Ghosts Along the Brazos are on a journey. And if you're in earshot, you're probably coming with them. They're a veritable force, a band with contagious energy, churning out a joyful noise with obvious glee. That's what the commotion is all about, that's the celebration, and wherever the Ghosts are tonight, that's what you'll find.