The new buzz band Magnets and Ghosts is a duo that hails from Atlanta, Georgia. The two collaborators, Dean Roland and Ryan Potesta, met in 2007 through various high profile projects they were both involved in (Roland is the rhythm guitarist for Collective Soul). In November 2011, they released a full-length album of their own work. The album is entitled Mass.
We got a chance to interview Ryan Potesta! Check it out!
How was your first touring experience together?
The first touring experience was awesome. We really didn’t know what to expect. I’d be lying if I said the first week of shows weren’t a little rough. We knew it was going to take a second to get where we wanted to be on this first tour. It takes time to find your live personality. Especially when you are playing songs that you conceived in the studio. There was always going to be a cool challenge taking these to a live setting. Now that’s out of the way, it’s really coming together.
What has been your most memorable live show so far?
That’s a tough one to answer because there were a few really great ones. How about I give you 3. Cool? In no particular order: Brooklyn at Union Hall was a good one. It was the first time we played New York. The venue was really cool. It was pretty much the definition of a seedy basement rock club – great vibe and great crowd. Next was The 40 Watt in Athens. I’ve wanted to play that venue since I first saw a show there in high school. I love that place and you could really tell we were happy to be there. The third was The Earl in Atlanta. We really got some hometown love that night. It kind of blew me away. There was lots of cool energy that night. Also at all 3 of these shows we had great sound engineers. That shit goes a long way…
How do you connect with an audience during a show?
There really isn’t a certain way we connect with an audience. No bells and whistles. We are going to get up there and give you what we got that night.
Did you have any strange fan encounters on tour?
Ha! Yeah there were a few. In our world you get a little bit of everything. Having the Collective Soul background definitely brings out their fan base and as we start to acquire more of our own fans. That gets thrown into the mix. So each night had a little something different. As far as in detail, I don’t think we need to go there…
When can we expect a follow up to Mass?
We are actually in the studio as we speak shedding out our ideas. We are hoping to release something in Spring of 2014.
Magnets & Ghosts will be at Smith’s Olde Bar with The Kicks and Half King 10/25. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 day of show. Online and phone sales end at 2:00pm day of show. You can get your tickets here!
