From the swamps of Louisiana to sunny SoCal, from pop-punk to indie rock, from 2 members to 4, the boys that make up Sorry Ghost are no strangers to change and reinvention. The band was originally made up of childhood best friends Matthew (Marty) Tate on guitar and vocals, and Daniel (Dan) Anton on bass and vocals. Tate Silver on drums and Sean Duong on guitar and vocals joined a few years later, making the duo a quartet.
These up-and-coming silly sweethearts are sweeping the indie music scene not only through their optimistic and lighthearted musical style, but they’re also reaching new heights and new audiences via their unique and hilarious approach to social media. Posting silly and relatable skits about band life has turned out to resonate with people in a big way. Now, they face the challenge of blending those two worlds, while always keeping optimism and joy at the center of everything they do.
Melodic Magazine had the absolute pleasure of chatting with all four members of the band a few days ago.
Welcome guys! So, what are your names, what instrument do you play, and what was the first album you ever bought with your own money?
Daniel: My name is Daniel. I play bass in this band known as Sorry Ghost, and also sing. The first album I bought with my own money was the album Punk in Drublic by NOFX.
Matthew: I’m Matthew. Tate will sometimes call me Marty, which confuses and bewilders fans. I play guitar, and the first album I ever bought with my own money was Dookie by Green Day.
Tate: I play the drums. I was nine at the time, and it was Five Score and Seven Years ago by Relient K.
Sean: My name is Sean, I play guitar, and I sing sometimes. The first album I bought was a live album called LiveSOS by a band called 5 Seconds of Summer. Bought it from a Barnes Noble in eighth grade.
You guys were childhood friends, but each of you had pretty individual musical journeys. Tell us about those journeys.
Daniel: I grew up playing trombone; that was the instrument that I was super into. I started it in fifth grade, and I played all throughout high school. I’m from Louisiana, like Matthew, so I played in a jazz band. I loved trombone, and then wanted to add another instrument. So in high school I was like, “I love the sound of the low end, I love the sound of bass.” I thought, “It can’t be too hard.” So I convinced my mom to get me this old used one. Then I just watched a bunch of YouTube videos.
Matthew: In contrast, I didn’t grow up musically at all. My family is tremendously musically disinclined. I remember being in seventh grade, and I was like 12. I’m like, “Well, I’m 12. I don’t know any musical instruments, I’m basically done, there’s no chance that I’ll ever be a musician.” I would like doodle band logos in the margins of my notebooks, being like, “man, wouldn’t that be cool if my life weren’t already over the ripe old age of 12?”
Then one summer, I had this moment. I went over to my friend Van’s house, who was like, “I wanna show you this, I just got this.” He pulled out a guitar, and I’m like, “Wait, do you know how to play guitar?” He says, “No, that’s why I got it, so I could learn.” I was like, “If you can do it, I can do it.” So, I bought a drum set, and it turns out you can just decide to be a musician at any moment; you just have to pick an instrument. So, that was this reawakening of me when I thought my life was over, and at the age of 13, I began to be the musician I am today.
Tate: I started drumming in ninth grade, freshman year of high school. I grew up having two older siblings who I viewed as 10 times more talented than I am, in most things. Like any younger sibling, you want to kind of be like your older brothers or your older siblings. They played drums, and they influenced a lot of how I drum and what I listen to. I grew up playing in church, which gave me an excuse to play every week. When I met Marty at work, [many years later], he was like, “I’m in a band! I don’t have a drummer!” I was like, “Oh, I desperately want to be a drummer in a band.” That was my moment where I realized how much I really loved it and how much I really wanted to be in it.
Sean: Around middle school age, I realized I sucked at sports. So, kind of like Matthew, I started learning drums first. (That’s three-fourths of the band that started learning drums first!) I realized you can’t write melodies and songs inherently, unless you’re Phil Collins. Around eighth-, ninth-grade age, I just started teaching myself guitar with the help of Marty Schwartz guitar on YouTube. It’s funny, ’cause I’d probably say bass is my favorite instrument to play nowadays. You know what? I’m alright being a guitarist for now.
Having all these different backgrounds is interesting. How do you think it impacted your current sound and band profile? Has it helped or made it more complicated to find a unifying sound?
Daniel: I think that in our case, it definitely helps. I think in any band, if you are open to other members’ backgrounds and ideas, it will always help the sound of the band. I think that what has helped our sound is that Tate has such a different background, and Sean does, and then Matthew does too. The melding of backgrounds is really what makes a band shine.
Where did the name come from? Were there any scrapped names?
Daniel: Yes, Lampost Station. We were almost Lampost Station.
Matthew: I think naming a band is like naming a child. You’re like, “First of all, what names are popular now?” Those are not the names that are gonna be popular when the child, or the band, is kind of grown up. You don’t wanna name it too topically. But then, you also don’t want something that in the modern age is just like, not Googleable. You can’t just be a noun anymore. It’s gonna be, at a minimum, an adjective and a noun, or an extremely quirky verb. It’s tough because I don’t wanna pick a name that’s so unique, like,
“I don’t want my child to get made fun of, right?” Being memorable is always more important than being cool.
Daniel: It just has to show up first in SEO if you just type it into Google.
Many fans, listeners, and even critics have fallen in love with the fun, charming, light-on-your-feet sound you guys are known for. How do you keep that fun and wonder at the center of all your projects?
Matthew: I think core to our brand and the way we present ourselves, in our music, our content, in person, and our live shows, is this authenticity. We want to convey a true expression of the kind of music and the kind of people that we are. We’re just trying to make fun music that is a good time and helps like lift people up. I think it’s so important for us for our music to feel like it has a positive impact. For us, it’s always something where we wanna take this approach of being our authentic selves, we love a little bit of whimsy, and I think that’s the thing that just comes through.
What is your songwriting and creation process from start to finish? How has it changed or stayed the same across your existence as a band? Because you guys have been doing this for a while.
David: Matthew and I grew up on pop punk. We originally wanted to be a pop punk band. The process was always pretty organic, just like it is now. We kind of get together in a room and say, “Here are some ideas we all have, let’s start jamming on it.” We are just reaching a point where both Matthew and I didn’t feel like we were wearing the suit of pop punk; we were just not really feeling it anymore. We just sort of started to take a shift, we leaned into it, and I think it resonated a lot better.
Matthew: The big shift happened with the addition of Sean and Tate, is just having more people in the room. When it was just me and Daniel, we were sort of limited. We kind of have an understanding of each other’s instruments, but there’s a limitation that has opened up with having Sean in there, who, in addition to playing guitar, can also sing, so he knows how to write vocal melodies, and he can play bass and drums as well. Then Tate, who I think is very involved, even just as a drummer, is involved in the songwriting process. It feels like all four heads are being put together.
For a lot of your songs and projects, they have unique and specific imagery and theming. For example, the sand album cover for “kites,” the uptight suits for “polyester, (yes, sir),” and putting Shaun in the Nemo costume for “big fish, (small pond).” What is your process for finding the artistic theming, the branding, if you will, for each of your projects?
Matthew: We try to find the most embarrassing outfit we can put Sean in, and then we work backwards.
Tate: I do love a good brand. So, it starts off from the ground up. Of what we feel the song encapsulates, the vibe of it. I have a terrible habit where I don’t know the lyrics of our songs. So, I will always ask what the lyrics are and what the inspiration is, so we kind of just build it off of that. A lot of times, especially nowadays, you have to market yourself on social media a lot. So you want something eye-catching, you want something fun. So for these last four singles, we all thought it’d be fun if each of us had like a limelight moment where it was our cover, where we were like the protagonist of it. I feel like cover art is a prime time to tell a little story.
If you were to give your 2020 selves one piece of advice, what would it be?
Matthew: I think I would choose to tell myself nothing. So I could just be authentic. Just like, “Hey, just whatever you make, that’s what it’s supposed to be. Just do it. Don’t overthink it.”
Daniel: To just make the stuff that you want to make. Just do what, what you want to do.
Tate: I would tell 2020 Tate to start drumming again. I drummed from 15 until about like 19. When I moved to LA and I made the excuse like, “Oh, I can’t afford to like, go to a practice space every day or every week, and I don’t have space in my apartment for drums. I’m gonna focus on acting, that’s what I came here for.” But when I decided to join these guys, [Matthew and Daniel], there was a lot of rust that I needed to shake off. I would probably say, give yourself a little bit more of a head start, start practicing again. Get that rust off so that when you do join, it can just be like fun immediately, and you’re not having to second-guess everything.
Sean: I would say one of my only regrets in life, honestly, is not having gone to college for like music production or something. Other than that, I mean truly, the whole thing about authenticity. A big reason why I joined Sorry Ghost was to explore more creative options that can come out of indie/alt rock. Just emphasizing the authenticity of the music that is written, I’d say.
Many people may better know you from your extremely popular social media presence with really funny and witty skits about band life and general goofing around. Now that social media has become such an integral part of getting noticed in the modern music sphere, what inspired you guys to approach social media in the way that you do?
Daniel: I feel like the big unlock for us with social media was when we started having fun with it. I think you just have to have fun with social media. ‘Cause like that’s the easiest way to set yourself apart because yeah, you are just being you, there is only one of you. It’s, when we started laughing at what we made, those are the ones that also started to resonate with the audience. Now it’s something where it is sort of our bread and butter, I feel fortunate that we can have fun with it, do things that we think are funny, entertaining, and goofy.
What methods do you guys use to direct fans from your, like, funny skits on Instagram to discovering your music? Is it easier or more difficult than you expected?
Sean: It’s quite possibly the hardest part of our job. The funny part is, the videos that often take the most time and energy will be the ones that aren’t as successful. The ones that literally take eight seconds to film become a rollicking success.
Matthew: It plays into how these social media platforms work, and the way the algorithms work. Instagram desperately wants you to stay on Instagram, and TikTok does not want you to leave TikTok. All these platforms do their best to make their platforms a one-stop shop, right? The music being played on the platform is similar in that your music and your content can coexist in the same space. So if someone wants to listen to your music, they don’t have to leave the platform.
Unfortunately, the way that a lot of the music industry works now really has sort of like, Spotify is kind of the end-all, be-all of success as an artist. Even if you have hundreds of thousands of followers, if you don’t have a lot of monthly listeners, it’s sort of apparent that you’re not able to translate the audience that likes your content into an audience that enjoys your music. So it’s this constant kind of struggle with the platforms themselves, where you’re like trying to convince people on the platform to leave the platform without the platform noticing.
Across all demographics and all platforms, no one likes to be advertised to. I think that that’s often the struggle is you’ve got to convince the audience that you have a worthwhile product, without even trying to sell it. Like “Whoops, I left my song out on the counter! It’d be a shame if somebody went and streamed it!” The songs do stand on their own. We just have to get people to listen to them by accident.
How do you keep the fact that you are a band at the center of your social media endeavors? Or do you just kind of like, let both worlds mesh a little bit and avoid fighting it?
Daniel: I think what doesn’t work is fighting it. It’s like the thing is ultimately, you know, you just have to be grateful to get some sort of attention from people, right? Who actually want to follow you and are invested in it. It’s not a fight of like, we are just musicians or we are just content creators and we want it to be all-inclusive. It’s a struggle, but I think that we are always thinking of new ways.
Tate: On top of that, I think we’ve done a good job about not having like an ego about it and not being offended. If any of us have ever been approached being like, “oh, I saw your guys’ video and it was funny, I didn’t realize you were a band,” none of us would be like, “How dare you. We’re serious artists.” We always try to have like a, a very lighthearted energy being, you know, we get a lot of comments being like, “Wow, this is really bad.” And I’m like, “You’ve heard of us?! That’s amazing!”
Daniel: Any publicity’s good publicity!
Tate: Then they’ll respond being like, “okay, that was funny. I’m kind of a fan now.” You know, we take our stuff seriously, but like, we don’t take ourselves right seriously. That like, if we get a hate comment or someone’s like, “I thought you guys were just four semi-funny guys,” we’re like, “We are! But we, we do music as well. So like, feel free to check it out.”
Daniel: Ultimately, like we’re not surgeons and rocket scientists. We’re just trying to carve out a space in it to provide some joy for people. We’re just creating art here, but art is supposed to just make you feel good.
We know that you guys have a release coming up soon, “it’s getting late.” Can you tell us what Sorry Ghost fans can expect from it?
Matthew: We’ve been sitting on it for like, over a year now. So “it’s getting late” was actually recorded with our song, “to the creatures.” [It has] this sort of like alive energy to the song, where it has this bounce to it and this sort of almost like rawness. This was really something where I feel like we captured Sorry Ghost in its purest distillation.
Daniel: The song really is about a relationship that both people know is dead in the water. You drag it out, this idea it’s either already ended or it’s about to end, but you know, your significant other is saying like, “Hey, well it’s getting late if you do just wanna end up staying the night again.” I think that’s something that I was kind of experiencing. So the, the words really just center around that.
If this new song were to be placed into the soundtrack of any movie, TV show, or video game, where do you think it would fit best?
Sean: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater!!
Matthew: Our goal is always to write a song that would fit in like the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World soundtrack.
Daniel: In Juno I would would say, I could hear it.
Matthew We just love Michael Cera films.
Tate: Like, I’d say like an early 2000s coming-of-age kind of rom-com kind of vibe. Like a 10 Things I Hate About You or She’s All That.
You guys are playing a one-night-only show at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles in a little bit more than a month. How do you feel, what are your favorite and least favorite things about doing live shows?
Matthew: My favorite part of doing the live shows is seeing how the songs connect with people in a live setting. I think people can leave comments [on their socials] and it’s awesome! I love reading what people say about the songs and it, and it means the world to us to know that the songs are connecting with people. Then, to see someone standing in the crowd and then singing the song back to you, you’re like, “Okay, so the song does matter to some people. It’s not empty words.” My least favorite part is tearing down all the gear at the end of the night.
Tate: I’m stoked to play the Moroccan, I love the Moroccan Lounge. I’ve seen a lot of great bands there, so I’m, I’m excited that we get to potentially be one of those great bands up there. I think my favorite part is just interacting with people. Just seeing, not only people singing the songs, but people coming up to you and being like, “Hey, I loved it so much.” My least favorite part about shows is just how sweaty it is.
Sean: My favorite part is when Daniel makes a joke and no one laughs.
Truly, it’s just meeting the fans. Like receiving bracelets is crazy, just meeting people that like would go outta their way to even pay $1 to see us, you know?
Daniel: My favorite part is when you hit the opening chord of the first song, and then you kind of just go into a flow state. It’s sort of out-of-body. Then you get to interact with fans and everyone. I think least favorite part for me is, I still, no matter how many shows I do, I still get nervous before them.
After the release of “polyester (yes, sir)” and this new single, is there perhaps an EP or a album on the horizon for you? Maybe even a tour? World domination perhaps? What’s next for Sorry Ghost?
Daniel: We are in the works for a February 2026, like three-week tour maybe. That’s going to be in spots that we haven’t hit before, which is exciting. At least one and perhaps a couple more songs before the end of year.
I have a couple of rapid fire questions for you guys, lets go!
What are four things each of you can’t live without?
Daniel: Dental floss, kiwis, earplugs, comfortable orthopedic shoes.
Tate: This ring I always wear from my mom, soup, PB & J’s, air conditioning.
Matthew: Tea, noise-cancelling headphones, a cat on the sidewalk, cable-knit sweater.
Sean: Sriracha, Spongebob Squarepants movie, Fortnite, and Sorry Ghost.
Dream venues to play on tour?
Daniel: The Greek Theater and Tiger Stadium.
Tate: Red Rocks and Cain’s Ballroom.
Sean: Matthew’s mother’s house and Denny’s.
Dream artist to be featured on a Sorry Ghost song?
Tate: Hayley Williams from Paramore.
Matthew: Kesha.
Daniel: Julian Casablancas
Sean: One of the fictional characters from Gorillaz, Noodle probably.
First concerts?
Tate: I was 13 and I saw Fleet Foxes at Cain’s Ballroom.
Daniel: I was 14 and it was blink-182 at Voodoo Fest in New Orleans, and I started crying uncontrollably.
Matthew: Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton when I was 13 in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Sean: American Authors in some random park, but the first one that I paid for was 5 Seconds of Summer.
Picture this: You get a call from one of your band members who has just been arrested. Who is it, what is it for, and who is going to bail them out?
All, unanimously: Sean.
Daniel: It’s Sean for a “wrong place, wrong time” thing.
Tate: Like he fell asleep at a Denny’s during a big drug bust. Daniel or Marty would go bail him out.
Daniel: I would feel too guilty and we would pick him up.
Before we sign off, anything you wanna plug?
Matthew: “it’s getting late” out August 22nd! And come see us at the Moroccan Lounge September 27th! (You can still get tickets here.)
Tate: Don’t forget to floss, drink your tea, eat a PB & J, and listen to Sorry Ghost!
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