Eight years ago, Domenic Dunegan left a Bruce Springsteen show with his dad knowing he wanted to make music. Now, he and his band, The Ghost Club are playing SXSW, Austin, Texas’ annual music, film and arts festival. They will take to the stage Tuesday, as part of the “Spin Magazine” showcase.
“I walked out of that [Springsteen] show changed — I thought to myself, OK, this is something I have to try and do, or I just won't feel fulfilled,’” the Pittsburgh native said. “For a good bit, it was just me. And then during COVID, I had a band build up around what I was doing.”
Many of the alternative band’s members are also from the area. “It’s actually like a really small world because I went to high school with our bassist, Logan,” Dunegan said. “And our drummer, Christian, I went to middle school with out in Cheswick.”
The band’s name came from a text group of musicians that Dunegan was in. “It just kind of went completely silent, and I felt like I got ghosted, so I changed the group chat name to The Ghost Club,” he said. “And then all of a sudden, everybody was like, ‘Yeah, I don't really want to be in a band, but that's a really good name, you should use that.’”
The Ghost Club released their self-titled album in 2022, which includes popular songs like “Same Graves” and “This Bird Has Flown.” The band has played local venues like Thunderbird Music Hall and Mr. Smalls Theatre, and started their first national tour in February.
The tour takes them through Texas in early March, just in time to play showcases at the SXSW music festival. “It worked out pretty well logistically that we're going to be in Texas right when it's all happening and then resuming [tour] once it's over,” Dunegan remarked.
The band is excited to meet other creatives and people in the industry while there. “It’s just a cool feeling, you know, because we're still without a booking agent currently and we're looking for a booking agent,” Dunegan said. “There's always so much cool stuff that goes on at SXSW, with film and more stuff than just music.”
Growing up in Pittsburgh has influenced Dunegan as a musician. “We've always kind of been like a no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll town,” he said. “People can smell inauthenticity from a mile away in Pittsburgh, which is a cool thing.”
Whether it’s a local show or a national music festival like SXSW, Dunegan said he wants people to leave his performances feeling good.
“Bruce Springsteen was… it's that indescribable feeling whenever you leave a concert and it's that concert to you, you know,” Dunegan said. “At the end of the day all I want is for whoever comes and sees us do our thing to leave not feeling like their money's been wasted.”
Indie singer songwriter and Pittsburgh native Merce Lemon was also set to attend SXSW this year for a second time. She has since canceled her official showcases, following suit with other artists who are expressing support for Palestine and condemning the festival for its alleged ties to defense contractors.
A post on Lemon’s Instagram reads, “I refuse to be free advertising for an event that is directly tied to the genocide of the Palestinian peoples.” She will still be participating in free shows adjacent to the festival.
The 2024 SXSW music festival takes place March 11-16.
India Krug is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh and a freelance journalist, with bylines in 90.5 WESA, WYEP, and Pittsburgh City Paper. Her favorite band is MUNA — who she hopes will come out with their next album soon.