Overview:
The former David Bowie sideman will perform at the Local on May 7.
Recently Ulster County welcomed a performance by David Bowie alumnus and bassist Gail Ann Dorsey. On May 7, the area will host another show by an ex-Thin White Duke accompanist when guitarist Gerry Leonard brings his Spooky Ghost project to the Local.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Leonard was Bowie’s guitarist and musical director from 2003 to 2010, playing on the albums Heathen, Reality, and The Next Day. Known for his ambient, loop-heavy sound, he’s also worked with Roger Waters, Laurie Anderson, Suzanne Vega, Rufus Wainwright, and Duncan Sheik and on the soundtracks of such films as Zoolander 2 and, most recently, Twig (2024).
Leonard launched the Spooky Ghost project, whose moniker comes from the nickname an early collaborator gave him to match his playing style, while he was living in New York in the mid-1990s. Spooky Ghost’s eponymous debut materialized in 1996, but it was 2002’s The Light Machine that really got the attention of Bowie, who declared it “Quite the most beautiful and moving piece of work I have possessed in a long time.” Since then, Leonard has released two more albums and as many live albums under the Spooky Ghost banner.
Gerry Leonard’s Spooky Ghost will appear at the Local in Saugerties on May 7 at 7pm. Tickets are $29.87.
