The Motor Primitives, the ghost particles

It’s been more than a decade since The Motor Primitives were a regular presence (and crowd favorite) on Madison stages, and longer than that since the original lineup — Pam Barrett, Robin Davies, Matthew Sanborn and Kat Spring — played a show (2007 to be exact). That quartet will reunite to play their self-titled album in its entirety, joined by the ghost particles, a quintet with a history in Madison bands back to the 1970s in Spooner, The Rousers, Fire Town and other heavy hitters. Their excellent self-titled debut album from 2022 features reflective roots rock originals by Phil Davis, and a second album is on the way in 2024. This matinee concert is a benefit for Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

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Andy Adams

The original lineup of The Motor Primitives.

The Motor Primitives

media release: The Motor Primitives were a four-piece band from Madison, Wisconsin. The group played rock'n'roll they called Proto Pop Punk.  Their sound infused catchy melodies with the raw elements of proto-punk music. They’re together again to play their self titled album that was released in 2006. Their live performances  lead their audiences through a set that span high-energy rockers to mid-tempo head-bobbers to warm, grooving, melodic songs.

The ghost particles is a new band comprised of veteran Madison musicians, some of whom have been active on the local music scene since the mid ‘70s. Bassist Joel Tappero (Spooner), keyboardist Don Irwin (The Rousers), guitarist, harmony vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Dave Benton (Spooner, The Rousers, The Waterdogs) and lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Phil Davis (First Person, Fire Town, The Emperors of Wyoming) came together in the fall of 2019, planning to record an EP of originals and start playing live shows. But the global pandemic of 2020 changed all that, shutting down live performances worldwide.

Fortunately, the band members had extensive recording experience, and moved effortlessly into a new and vital phase—arranging and recording the new 11-song debut album of Davis originals in their respective personal studios, then transferring master quality tracks among themselves before sending them off to be mixed. Working with Minneapolis producer, drummer and mixer extraordinaire Jeremy Tappero, who has his own personal recording studio and is also bassist for Twin Cities luminaries, Soul Asylum, the new ghost particles record is built on a highly collaborative, guitar-based foundation that synthesizes a panoply of the band’s deep pop and rock musical influences and harmonies. The band plans to release single tracks and videos from the album periodically. They will make the entire album available for worldwide streaming from online music services, or for download from Artisanal Records, CD Baby and BandCamp. the ghostparticles are currently recording and rehearsing with new band member, drummer Lee Laski (Stavin’ Chain, The Rousers, The Waterdogs) as they prepare for live performances later in 2022.