Elements is a tribute to alchemy, the transformation of matter. I always believed that sampling has the potential to transform a dusty, forgotten moment into a vibrant landscape of fantastic impossibilities. Music has an alchemic property, transforming silence into song, nothing into something. I chose Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, the four basic element of alchemy, as seeds for these songs. 
The first, Slivers of Light, represents fire, the sun, and the light given by both. Your Ghost, a song dedicated to the memory of my father Tadeusz Menert, signifies the element of air, and the unseen spirits therein. Eventide's two parts embody the duality of water: Part 1 is the turbulent high tide, water's destructive powers, crashing along the shores into Part 2, which sweeps through the lifegiving and cleansing properties, a low tide of sorts. The album closes with Quiet Earth, a song for my mother, Jolanta, as well as the earth that we chisel away at as a species. This song begins with the noise of humanity, with a lone voice cry out "Do you see, just what you mean to me" until the commotion calms, signifying the end of us, a finality, a quiet earth. 
I hope you enjoy what I consider my favorite work so far, remastered and released as a whole, digitally, for the first time ever. 

Produced by Michal Menert (except Quiet Earth, produced by Michal Menert and Mux Mool)
Mixed and Mastered by Schollaships
Artwork by Garret Meyer



Eventide Pt 2

"STRENGTH & PAIN" from Van Ghost - The Ghost Unit

Michael Harrison Berg - Vocals / Acoustic Guitar
Jennifer Hartswick - Vocals / Trumpet (Trey Anastasio Band)
Natalie Cressman - Vocals / Trombone (Trey Anastasio Band)
Nick Cassarino - Vocals / Electric Guitar (The Nth Power)
Chris Chew - Bass (The Word / North Mississippi Allstars)
Dominic Lalli - Saxaphone (Big Gigantic)
Grant Tye - Electric Guitar (Sonia Dada / Robbie Fulks)
Chris Gelbuda - Acoustic Guitar /  Keys
Rob Marscher - Synths / Keys (Matisyahu / AGP)
John Staten - Drums (Pimps of Joytime / KDTU)

Recorded at The Barn in Vermont by: Ben Collette (Dec 2014)

Mixed & Edited in Chicago & Los Angeles by: Greg Magers & Manny Sanchez (Feb/March 2015)

Mastered in Nashville by: Jim DeMain at Yes Master (May 2015)

Song written by: Michael Harrison Berg (2014)

Song Produced By: Michael Harrison Berg, Nick Cassarino, & Jennifer Hartswick (2014/2015)

The Ghost Unit

Strength & Pain

Cut up and sampled a groove from the tonight show with Jimmy Fallon

artwork: Kevin Dickey

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Jimmy Fallon Beat

We're coming to your town next! sts9.com/tour-dates-tickets


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New Dawn, New Day - LIVE - 12.04.15

Day Dream'n

Salt N Pepper

"Crazy Eyes" - Tortuga
www.tortugabeats.com
@tortugabeats

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Crazy Eyes

Ryan Viser - Volumetric (Released via The Mile High Sound Movement)
Produced and Mixed by: Ryan Viser
Mastered by: Daniel Ready
Artwork: Zach Hueser

Volumetric

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History Will Judge ft. Tre Houston

Drink the Light

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Old Cassette

A funky sampled-based banger, enjoy
**FREE Download Link** http://gravitasrecordings.com/wonder-years-dream-big/
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Where's The Thrill

Written by Jagger C. Holland,
Produced by Stryker Holland,
Featuring Ryan Ballentine on Drums

Quotes by Terrence Mckenna.
made in a week of quarantine.
Remastered 08/06/2020

Ecology Of Souls - Remastered (feat. Ryan Ballentine)

In a way only true and humbling hindsight could provide, after Van Ghost's nearly decade long run as a musical project concluded, the band and singer/ songwriter Michael Harrison Berg found themselves at a crossroads. Over the next few years the band scaled back on touring to only a handful of special festival-based performances per year ranging from Costa Rica to Chicago, and from Mexico to Florida. 

Recognizing inspiration comes in waves, Berg wrote a series of new songs and assessed old ones that never got recorded, but fit the current version of the band’s vibe. And for a week before New Year’s of 2015, Van Ghost co-founder, Jennifer Hartswick, got the band invited to a fabled studio in her home state of Vermont, known as The Barn, which is owned by the band Phish. 

For years, the line up has served as a rotating cast of Berg and Hartswick's musician friends, who fans and the band started referring to as The Ghost Unit, a nickname for the extended family participating in recordings and live shows in support of Van Ghost. 

Hartswick and Berg have served as the primary voices and organizers of Van Ghost activity since the early days. And their devoted friendship comes through in the music as clearly as it does in real life. When they started brainstorming ideas regarding the brand new, third Van Ghost record, they reminisced on members of the Ghost Unit who could fit a certain vibe they were striving for. This led to the most balanced and unified vision of the band that has ever existed. 

Van Ghost's main songwriter and founding member is singer Michael Harrison Berg. Other members consist of Jennifer Hartiswick on vocals & trumpet, with her band mate from Trey Anastasio Band, Natalie Cressman on vocals & trombone. The two headed lead guitar tandem is made up of The Nth Power's, Nick Cassarino and Grant Tye, who hails from Sonia Dada and Robbie Fulks Band. A rhythm section that any band would dream of has bassist Chris Chew of The North Mississippi All Stars & The Word plus drummer John Staten, a player with gospel roots who has served tenures in Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and currently plays with Pimps of Joytime. Hailing from Nashville, by way of Chicago, the multi instrumentalist & prolific songwriter, Chris Gelbuda has had a huge presence with Van Ghost both historically and musically on this record. Recently writing and producing songs for stars like Meghan Trainor, John Legend, & Billy Currington, Gelbuda's co-written songs for Van Ghost have served as both educational and influential on Berg's songwriting style. On key's, the band was thrilled to have Rob Marscher who has played with Addison Groove Project and Matisyahu over the years. Finally joining the party as a cherry on top, a few saxophone solo's we're later laid down by very special guest and friend, Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic. 



Strength & Pain

VAN GHOST

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