The Ghost from North Carolina
Jared Draughon’s act ended with a simple phrase. “Thanks for coming tonight,” he said. Meanwhile the crowd was still trying to decipher what the hell just happened.
The band that played before Jared mostly focused on violent bass and guitar solos. The crowd was uncannily relaxed even as the volume reached deafening limits.
I spotted only two men, one in a cut off t-shirt, shorts and Timberland boots, and another in a black shirt and cargo pants, bobbing his head to the punkish rock. Aside from that, everyone was just chilling and keeping warm inside the Emerson Theater in Indianapolis.
But when Jared stepped up to the plate, we all entered a trance for approximately 40 minutes, yielding to the power of electronic loops and overdubs — songs that toed the line between beauty and pain — while an old school projector equipped with tie dye and a petri dish shapeshifted before us.
It’s playoff time for baseball fans and I was reminded of moments in October where the crowd reacts to special players.
When Derek Jeter used to step up to the plate for the New York Yankees, you knew in your heart something amazing would happen. This is precisely how I felt when I heard the first groove that night, and I quickly noticed I wasn’t the only one hooked from the jump.
I wouldn’t call it an ambush, but people definitely moved from their comfortable spots at the back and congregated towards the front of the stage.
Jared was busy setting up a large wolf-like creature and a projector was just about ready to fire up. Before we knew it, we were victims to a simple graphic show performed by Jared’s friend, Evan.
Tie-dye mixed warm and cool colors to form psychedelic images.
At this point, the music grabbed me just before I slipped too far. I woke up and realized what was happening. Perhaps the crowd figured it out too.
Jared’s entire goal was to make us focus on the aesthetics instead of the man, and that, at its core, is why Must Be The Holy Ghost is the perfect name to describe the artist.
Ironically, Jared says he doesn’t consider himself religiously affiliated at this point in his life, rather he is spiritual. This is certainly present in the music he chooses to perform.
Born and raised in North Carolina, he told me his name came from, wait for it, a giant dumpster truck a friend saw on the highway out East.
“The name actually just happened,” Jared said. “I had a buddy who took a picture of this dump truck in (Washington D.C.) and on the back of it was written Must Be The Holy Ghost. I needed a name and it came from that.”
He goes on to explain that although the name came from a random event, it does relate to his first solo project titled Get Off, where he describes the songs as “outlets,” hinting at the fact that he suffered some form of depression prior to composing the music.
Indeed, it is somewhat ludicrous to discuss religion when there aren’t major themes of it in his music, however, it does manifest intrigue and mystery, but I question if Jared is aware of this.
From the beginning of our interview, I could tell he was an easy-going personality and that contrasts the feelings his songs will give listeners.
He didn’t seem to be bothered by my prodding questions and obsessive curiosity, but he rarely looked me in the eye as he spoke, guarding himself closely in a crouched position as we conversed outside of a Chase Bank drive-thru.
His black hoodie gripped him closely. His shoes were quite casual with brown laces. His beard had very small traces of gray.
If we must speculate, these are possible descriptors of a man who performed in bands, lost himself along the way, went solo, and is now reaping the benefits artistically.
It’s certainly something we’ve heard before in popular and underground culture. We glorify the struggling artists, the women and men who power their way to new heights after failing, but we also recognize the fact that many people don’t make it in this profession, regardless of talent level, however, I’ve never seen someone so content with his place in music.
He probably knows fame and fortune is besides the point.
After almost half an hour in his presence, I can’t say I know that much more about Jared personally, besides the fact that his musical influences vary greatly.
At times he sounds like a fusion between The Weeknd and Radiohead, but the comparisons pretty much end there. A closer look at the way he makes music shows us that almost everything known to man has a place in his sound.
“I’ve fronted band for several years,” Jared explains, “but I just wanted something more than an acoustic guitar so I started messing around with a loop pedal a lot, figuring out ways I could use this pedal to make more effects and vibes.”
The loops themselves are mostly based on drum patterns, and I couldn’t help but think of Kanye West, J Dilla, MF DOOM, Madlib, DJ Premier, and even 9th Wonder, a fellow North Carolina native, as he explained this facet of his music.The sounds aren’t overtly hip hop, not by any stretch, but he does take it to fantastic extremes.
Moreover, the difference for Jared as he performs under the Must Be The Holy Ghost persona is making sure the loops add flavors to the music instead of taking things away. Jared clearly recognizes he is limited as a solo artist, but when he strings drum melodies in tandem with guitar riffs, he found a way to produce music in a lively fashion, focusing on vocal overdubs that bounce one after another. In essence, although he is one individual, it sounds as if four or five people are singing, like a gospel choir or soul ensemble.
Maybe that comes from the beauty of Nina Simone, one of his favorites, or maybe it doesn’t. I can’t be too sure at this point and neither is Jared. He seems to know where he stands as an artist but the music itself continuously feels free of conventions.
This is best represented in his lead single “Immoral Support,” a song with hidden messages to his tumultuous past, but the overall meaning remains a mystery. Whether or not that was intended is still in question.
Another song on Get Off that catches the ear is titled “Drained.” It’s grungy and much dirtier musically compared to the other tracks, but it’s still melodic, because his lyrics express painful events. He sings:
“Drain all my strength, make me second guess myself…now I’ve come into my own.”
When I referenced that song to Jared during the interview, he laughed before explaining the meaning behind the lyrics. I distinctly remember that moment being one of the few times he looked me in the eye before speaking.
“That song is definitely the most heavy for lack of a better word, aggressive I suppose,” he said, then he stopped to gather himself and continued.
“Ahh, you know, I was just going through a pretty rough time, pretty literally second guessing myself lifewise. The whole record Get Off describes a bad spot I was in while I was putting the record together. That lyric is just a piece of honesty and a feeling of really bad things happening that later set you free.”
After he says this I ask him if it is easier to write music from a happy or sad place.
Jared replied, “It’s always easier for me to come from a negative space lyrically.
“I appreciate people that can come at it from a really positive and loving way but it just comes more natural to me to let music be my outlet…you know, I’m pretty chill from day-to-day normally but we all need some kind of outlet I guess.”
I would be lying if I said every song by Must Be The Holy Ghost was sad, dreamy and introspective.
There are two songs in particular, “Permanent Tar” and “Shove My Feelings in The Couch” that aren’t as minor chord happy, but the overall feeling I get from the project is darker in tone.
Must Be The Holy Ghost uses vocal loops that makes music simpler once you peel the layers back, because the repetition creates a soothing effect for listeners.
It’s ingrained in us, from the lullabies our mothers sing to the the ABC’s we spell in kindergarten, his music has a clear melody that balances the chaotic effects and drum samples.
As of now, he’s performed this batch of songs live for over a year, and in my opinion, he’s just about perfected the process while still keeping it relatable.
By no means is he robotic sounding, just the opposite.
The loops, although electronic, are an asset, not a crutch. He’s a one man electronic jazz band of sorts, and crowds react to him as such.
And just like jazz, his music may not reach the masses or enter the Billboard Hot 100.
Jared knows that and he is seemingly content.
“I don’t have any dreams or aspirations to be famous or fill stadiums, but I would love if I could afford to just continue this type of expression and push boundaries with it, and have people come out and enjoy it in the end. I guess that’s now my goal,” he told me, perhaps implying that it hasn’t always been so.
He ended the interview by telling me he’s completely focused on performing, having already done over 80 concerts in 2015, and I get the feeling that this newfound persona has been therapeutic. Being on the road, meeting new people, and having people enjoy your music on a nightly basis will have that effect.
The album may be titled Get Off, but with each passing listen all I want to do is get back on, just to experience the moment where I got it, where the lightbulb flashed in my head, and where the shadowy figure emerged above the blood red background.
