Blame it on college

“The hardest thing about being a drummer in San Diego is staying cooped up inside to practice when it’s 70 degrees and sunny in January,” says drummer Ryan Miller, who’s currently banging the kit for indie/folk/jazz/rock group Ed Ghost Tucker. “I usually tell people we’re an alternative pop band featuring three-part harmonies and eclectic rhythms.”

It’s a fairly radical departure from the sound of his previous band, the punk group Numskull. “The hardest thing about coming from a punk background is learning to control dynamics behind the kit. Ed Ghost Tucker’s music has many small intricacies and vocal harmonies that will get lost if I don’t control my volume correctly.” Two of Miller’s former Numskull bandmates joined him in EGT: Rutger Rosenborg (guitar) and Cameron Wilson (vocals, bass), supplemented now by Cameron’s sister Michaela Wilson (keys, vocals).

“This project spawned in 2012, after Cameron, Rutger, and I finished college, and Michaela moved back from Europe. All four of us have known each other since childhood. As for the band name, we found it on a receipt. ‘Ed,’ ‘Ghost,’ and ‘Tucker’ were printed on an old receipt, and we used them.”

At the end of November, Ed Ghost Tucker released their debut six-track EP Channels, featuring a cover design by Austin, Texas–based artist Brian Gossett. “We’re working on recording another set of songs to put together on a full-length in 2015,” says Miller.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

1) Grizzly Bear, Shields. “The drum sounds on this record are phenomenal.”

2) Jungle, self-titled. “I love this album, because it does a great job of blending ambient electronica with classic funk grooves and melodic hooks.”

3) Radiohead, The King of Limbs. “I find new things I like about this record each time I listen to it.”

ANYTHING YOU WERE EMBARRASSED TO MENTION?

“I have Shwayze’s self-titled album from 2008 in my iTunes library. Why? I’ll blame it on college.”

IN WHAT FICTIONAL UNIVERSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE?

“Welcome back to Neverland, Pan the man.”

USELESS (BUT FASCINATING) TRIVIA?

“Walt Disney was afraid of mice.”

BEST CONCERT YOU EVER SAW?

“Blink 182, Green Day, and Jimmy Eat World at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Okay, not the best, but memorable.”

ANYTHING MISSING IN YOUR WORLD?

“I’m pretty dang happy right now, so not much. A steady paycheck would be groovy, though.”

SOMETHING YOU NEVER RUN OUT OF?

“That answer is NSFW.”

SONG THAT DESCRIBES YOUR LIFE?

“We played with this band called Radical Something once, don’t ask me why, and I heard the line ‘Long hair, don’t care.’ I’m pretty sure that’s also the title of the song.”

FEARS OR PHOBIAS?

“I’m not huge on the life-size characters you’d find at a theme park.”

WHO DO PEOPLE SAY YOU LOOK LIKE?

“A celebrity, not so much. A woman, fairly often.”

BIGGEST OUCH?

“I broke my arm skateboarding in the street as a kid. I’ve been a surfer ever since.”

BEST AND WORST THINGS ABOUT LIVING ON MT. HELIX?

“It’s great to have some peace and quiet out there. The worst thing? Too much peace and quiet.

WHO HURT YOU?

“Someone stole my wallet out of my car once. Why did I leave my wallet in my car?”

WHERE DO YOU TAKE OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS?

“The beach and Filippi’s Pizza, because I’m selfish and I love the beach and I love Filippi’s Pizza.”

BIGGEST REGRET?

“Not joining the high school choir.”

FAVORITE MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK?

“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”

THREE THINGS WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?

“I’ve lived in Spain.”

“I wear Ugg boots sometimes.”

“I like turtles.”