SLO LIFE Magazine AugSep 2021

It’s the long, hot summer and everyone is
starving for sights and experiences—the food,
drink, and live music that defines the SLO life.
Co-founders of the group ghost/monster, Nataly Lola and Jaxon
Camaero know that world well. Their “Indiana Jones” map of the
Central Coast is drenched in red ink. The duo perform all the
way from Paso Robles, Cambria, Morro Bay areas through to
the Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, and Lompoc valley wine country
venues, from tasting rooms and bars to farmers markets or
festivals in vineyards.
For Camaero, who plays lead guitar and sings for ghost/monster,
live music is his bread and butter. The swell of support and
response from locals for their reinvigorated live music scene after
a long hiatus has been humbling and spiriting, he said.
For some audience members, the experience becomes downright
exuberant. “It’s like a rubber band, where everything was so tight
before and now everyone is letting loose,” Camaero said. “It does
feel like we’re back to our pre-COVID cadence. Nataly performs
solo, I perform solo, we perform duo, and we perform with a full
band. About once or twice a month we have full band gigs.”
The band includes James Yerkes on bass and drummer Alen
Doom, Camaero explained. The four-piece plays regular
shows at venues like Liquid Nation in SLO, Cal Coast Beer
in Paso, and larger venues welcoming in full bands. A sample
of music and their list of upcoming gigs are available at
ghostmonster.bandzoogle.com.
Whatever configuration you see ghost/monster in, their love of
popular music is impressive both for its expanse of time and genre
but also their creativity and interpretation. But what happens
when a full-time performing cover band is without venue for
more than a year?
The group got to work, Camaero said, with the end result of the
band’s first full-length album, “new stars/new skyes.” The ten-song
collection includes nine originals, with one cover, of course. The
nine original songs are written by Lola and Camaero, and one song by Yerkes.
“We were trying to survive COVID, just like any band,” Camaero said. “It was
a confluence of good timing. We were able to all get on the same page.”
Available online through streaming apps and for purchase, ghost/monster’s
new album is the confluence of years of collaboration between Lola and
Camaero. The two have toured the East and West Coasts in the same way they
do the Central Coast, logging thousands of hours of time playing music and
performing together. “The genesis of the success with Nataly and I with ghost/
monster is I believe we’re the perfect complement to each other,” he said.
“She’s a singer who plays guitar, and I’m a guitar player who also sings. It’s just
like a team.”
Camaero’s lead guitar work is impressive and depthful. It’s easy to play
electric guitar riffs from a can, but tell me something I’ve never heard
before, something fresh and exciting, and I’m all ears.
Lola’s relationship to ghost/monster as a serious
vocal project is impressive, and her originals
show her expressing something completely her
own. Lola, whose skillful guitar work is almost
underplayed by her voice, makes the spirit of
each song.
As she should, since she puts the “ghost” in ghost/
monster. The name comes from Lola’s love for
horror films and everything paranormal, whereas
Camaero craves a cryptozoological conspiracy
theory from Nessie to Bigfoot, so he’s the “monster”
part of the name. “A lot of people ask about the
name,” he said. “It’s like a conversation piece.
Instead of the classic two-name band, like Nataly
and Jaxon, it’s ‘ghost/monster,’ which is us and what
we’re into.” SLO LIFE
JOE PAYNE is a
journalist, as well as a
lifelong musician and
music teacher, who
writes about the arts on
the Central Coast.
AUG/SEP 2021 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | 33