with this statement about The Ghost's recent lineup shift:

"As some of you may have already heard our bass player Jordan Schalich has decided to leave the Ghost due to the nature of full time bands and their potential interference with the personal lives of their members. At times the work and constant sacrificing seem to outweigh the original intention and fun of playing music. We understand Jordan's decision, however the other three of us haven't reached that point yet; were still having lots of fun and have quite a bit of fight left in us. Of course we will be going on with this endeavor known as The Ghost, seeking out the finer points of creating, traveling with, and playing music. The struggle continues…onward we go. We wish Jordan all the best and we will miss seeing him in the van, on stage and along side of us.

The response for auditions regarding the opening in the band was overwhelming and we would like to extend or thanks to everyone who wrote us either to support our situation, or to seek out a slot.

Omar Mashal is our new bandmate and all of us are excited for you to witness and hear him in action. Omar moved to Chicago six months ago following a couple years of studying painting at an art school in Boston. His intent on moving here was to get invovled with the music community and we are glad to help him on his way. He's twenty one years old, currently works as a bike messenger in the loop, and word on the streets is he that he likes petting zoos and long walks on the beach. Omar's debut show will be September 26th, in Indianapolis, where we will be playing with our friends Haymarket Riot. Thanks for bearing with us once again. Our new record will be out in January, new mp3's will be posted soon.
xoxo,
The Ghost"

Click READ MORE for the band's first batch of upcoming shows with their new bassist, most of which are with The Lawrence Arms and Haymarket Riot.