Songs for Ghosts
Alamantra is the creative handle and multimedia universe of Birmingham, Alabama guitarist, vocalist, and producer Bobby Shiflett. This collection of music is a dark, cinematic exploration of the American South’s fractured psyche, the project locates itself squarely within the realm of Southern Gothic/ Gothic Americana—weaving hard-driving guitar rock, early jazz, Americana, and psychedelia.
The definitive chronicle of this journey arrives with Songs for Ghosts, an archival retrospective examining religious imagery, systemic trauma, and the quest for grace. The collection spans decades of hidden history, stretching back to the pre-Alamantra track “In The Shadows”—a jaunty, pub-style musical outlier featuring Jim Evans on tuba and Matt Slocum (Aquarium Rescue Unit) on piano. It also unearths a 2012 tracking of “Vase Flowers,” a song whose origins date back to Shiflett’s time in Subject II Change in the early to mid 1980s. Alongside these rarities are message songs like “Voodoo Mouth”—originally hosted on Neil Young’s Living With War platform—and “Alarm Clock,” which found its way inside of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The album’s title is a literal testament. Rather than dwelling on grief, Songs for Ghosts serves as a celebration of vital collaborators who are no longer with us. The record honors the indispensable guitar work of Steve Casteel; a razor-sharp rap section by Carlito Jackson on “Ajarah Jam”; and the haunting lead vocals of Laura Stansell, whose striking performances anchor “Voodoo Mouth,” “Alarm Clock,” and an unvarnished, early version of “Brian Jones.” The album also features archival collaborations with vocalist Jennifer Skates from their time performing as The Other Day, alongside a host of other local musical collaborators and luminaries.
This comprehensive retrospective now resides at the top of its new digital home: the culture, sound, and story journal The Bohemian Star (thebohemianstar.com).
While Songs for Ghosts bottles the fierce, haunted energy of Alamantra’s history, the creative signal is moving forward. Shiflett and Jennifer Skates have transitioned their active musical output into a brand-new musical project, Bohemian Star. Self-produced by Shiflett and featuring a guest backup vocal from Jeff Waites, their debut single “Bang It Out! (Boom Mix)” serves as a passing of the torch—a raw, guitar-driven rock anthem that bridges decades of DIY ethos with a forward-looking vision.