Carbondale-based band Typical Ghost released its self-titled debut album in April, formally introducing the group’s improvisatory jazz, rock, funk and pop tunes to audiences on streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. 

Now, the local jam band and KDNK Community Radio are hosting an album release block party to commemorate the milestone achievement. Scheduled for Friday, the party will include food trucks, drinks, and of course, a live performance by Typical Ghost. All beer at the party was donated by Mountain Heart Brewery, with proceeds supporting KDNK. 

Although band members Chris Lambe, Sam Chittenden, Soozie Lindbloom, John Moffitt and Shane Lieberman started Typical Ghost in 2023, the band has quickly become a local favorite. It’s debut album is just another momentous push forward for the blossoming group. 

Featuring 10 original songs, the album was recorded over the course of one weekend at Cool Brick Studios in October. The professionally recorded and mixed album preserves Typical Ghost’s musical ethos — that music is momentary. 

“A lot of our music is diverse. There’s a lot of differences in the songs, songwriting, melodies and so forth,” guitarist and singer Moffitt said. “For us, when we’re playing live, to be able to go off into this space of jamming, we were able to take that space and shrink it. The form is still there, and that space for the improvisation is still there, but it’s truncated a little bit.”

The group worked closely with every layer of sound, listening to the nuances of each instrumental and vocal line. After the album was mixed and mastered, they let it sit for a month before coming back to listen to it again with fresh ears. 

“For that space that we left it, to be able to put it on in the car, put it on at home, and just listen, like we’re just listening to an album, that was what was needed for me,” Moffitt said. “At one point I was like, yeah, I’m just listening to something I would listen to on the radio or something, so that was cool.” 

Moffitt and Lieberman’s personal favorites on the album include “Notis.” Written by Lieberman, the song is named after his dog, Otis, who earned the nickname after a particularly harrowing puppy stage. 

Another standout is “Pieces.” 

“It gives a really good snapshot of what to expect from the album and from the band,” Lieberman, who’s also a singer and guitarist, said. “It’s got good songwriting, it’s got good harmonies, it’s got this interesting breakdown…solo section that helps build the energy throughout the songs. That’s the track we’ve been promoting the most.”

Despite just releasing their debut record, the group is already cooking up plans for their sophomore album, which they hope to drop within the next year. For now, the local jam band is looking forward to celebrating its achievements with their community.

“We’ve been working with (KDNK) to have this community celebration,” Lieberman said. “I think that’s always been really important to us — we’re all from here, we all consider this home, we all love this community and we want to be a part of it.”