Six-foot-five Christian Serpas takes the stage in tight black denim and a retro cowboy shirt. Around his hips swings a doubled turquoise chain belt. His coal-black hair is fashioned into an Elvis-inspired ducktail with long pork chop sideburns. He swings his guitar like Johnny Cash and grinds his hips like Elvis, but he has created a sound that is uniquely his own.

I am not a country music fan. But from the moment Christian Serpas and Ghost Town took the stage, I found myself entranced by the band's eclectic style, intrigued by their tall-tale lyrics and unwittingly tapping my feet to their rhythmic beat. I came to the show out of curiosity, but stayed for great music and a great time.

Ghost Town is not country music and not rock music, but a unique fusion of the two. Serpas dubs it "thrillbilly" music. "Take country, rock, rockabilly, and bluegrass, cram it all in a blender and mix it up-fast." Using this recipe, Ghost Town cooks up songs about heartache and happiness with an irresistible beat.

Christian Serpas is a prolific songwriter. He deftly weaves musical tales and puts a well-crafted slice of life into each song. "Everyone can relate to our songs because they are about heartache and happiness. It's the story of everyone's life," says Serpas. A look around the audience confirms that Ghost Town's appeal is widespread. Twenty-something hipsters jam with cowboy-hat-clad two-steppers. And there is plenty of room for everyone in between.

The story of Ghost Town's formation is the stuff legends are made of. After touring solo in Nashville and successfully obtaining solo playbills at legendary Nashville venues like The Bluebird and The Courtyard, Serpas decided that he craved the fun and community of performing with a band. He got together with his long time music partner, Jeff Oteri, and asked him to head up the rhythm section. George Neyrey, a friend from high school, was soon on board as guitarist, but the group was still short a bass player. They placed an ad in the paper for a bass guitarist. As fate would have it, the first to respond was none other than Joe Lincoln, another old neighborhood buddy. Thus, in 1999, Ghost Town was born, and they have been making musical history ever since.

Just four months after the band was conceived, they won first place in the True Value Jimmy Dean Country Showdown. In 2000, they released "Electric Hoedown," a five-song CD that received a surprising amount of radio play and was voted Best CD by the readers of Tambalya Magazine. By 2002, Ghost Town had signed with a New Orleans label, Ralph's Records, and released their second CD, "Giddy Up," named one of the top Louisiana CDs by Off Beat magazine. This eleven-song CD features irresistible originals like "There She Goes," "That's It, I Quit, I'm Gone," and "Ain't No Good In Goodbye," and one cover of Buck Owen's "Tiger By the Tail" that is so catchy it is still playing in my head.

Ghost Town's covers are as good as their original songs and just as unique. The band's sound pays tribute to country legends Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Buck Owens. But their interpretation of the classics comes through a filter of musicians who grew up listening to bands like Led Zeppelin and the Ramones. Ghost Town plays old favorites like "Blue Moon," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Little Sister" and "Do Ya Wanna Dance" like you've never heard them played before.

The band has a true connection with the northshore. All but one of its members make their home in St. Tammany Parish. Their CD, "Giddy Up," was recorded and produced in Mandeville by Dave Fortman and Balance Studios. And one of the band's biggest sponsors is our own beloved Abita Beer.

The group has spent the past four years rocking the South with their own brand of thrillbilly music. They have turned in electric performances at all of the major local festivals, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Madisonville Wooden Boat Festival, the Slidell Heritage Festival, the Mandeville Seafood Festival and the Abita Brew Fest. They frequent local clubs like the Columbia Street Tap Room and often can be heard at the casinos. Ghost Town has also performed with musical heavyweights, including Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Randy Travis, Brad Paisley, Terri Clark, Ricochet, Tammy Cochran, Steve Holy, SheDaisy, David Allan Coe, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Hank Williams III and Kenny Chesney.

Ghost Town is a must-see-live act. The energy and charisma of Christian Serpas are the hallmarks of a star. As lead singer, he turns out vocals filled with emotion and sings tales underlining the common connections among us all. The sets are tight and professional. This innovative quartet takes the audience on a musical ride from old classics to new original songs. The band puts in a solid performance, and usually has the whole audience dancing by the third song. Enjoy them live, and then pick up a CD and one of their famous black "God Bless Johnny Cash" t-shirts!

"We try and take the spirit of the guys who inspired us, and we hope that the same excitement that we felt comes through," says Serpas. "If you look at music as a big river that runs through history, and we can be a small drop in that scheme, then that's important to us." Only the future will tell of Ghost Town's impact on musical history, but for now, Ghost Town is creating its own musical river-one show at a time.

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