Local musician’s concept album draws on ghostly legends
On Oct. 16, local Salem musician Ronan Baker will debut a two-act concept album as part of the band Light Treason at the new venue Venture Hall, which was fast-tracked to open at the old Cinebarre after the Grand Theater unexpectedly closed in Sept.
The first act was performed last year at the currently shuttered Grand Theater, but Oct. 16 will be the first performance of both acts. The album blends music and theater to create a unique experience that shows audiences the story of a fictional band beset by ghostly happenings as they rehearse and perform a reunion concert.
"This is actually a very ambitious project in that it's a concept album, and it kind of blends not just a concert and show, but adds theater into it as well," Baker said. "I'd be overstepping to say it’s an epic like Homer's ‘Odyssey,’ like a giant story with all the moving parts, but to me, it feels like an epic poem."
That grand narrative scope is woven into the sound itself, bridging the gap between the show's story and the project's musical style, defined by an impressionistic approach that prioritizes emotions and atmosphere.
"I've always described Light Treason's music as impressionistic indie folk music, which may sound a little pretentious," Baker said. "It's indie folk music, but there's a larger thematic feel to it."
Baker described the performance as a "metaphysical musical" that tells the story of a fictional band called Hugh and Guy who, as the show begins, are about to reunite after breaking up at the height of their fame. Hugh is played by Baker, and Guy is played by another Salem local named Sean McLeod.
"One of them had a very successful music career (post-breakup); the other one did not. And that's my character, the one that constantly feels looked over, not appreciated, and has been kind of missing from the limelight,” Baker said.
Those feelings and the clash of characters result in ghostly appearances that threaten to derail their concert, but it is up to audiences to interpret what the ghosts represent.
“It kind of blurs the line of ‘Are the ghosts actually the ones that live in the theater? Are they the ones that we bring with us?’ Throughout the show, it's up to the person experiencing it to kind of differentiate and figure out where that lies,” Baker said.
While the nature of the performance’s ghosts is left vague, the project was sparked by a local spirit supposedly haunting the Grand Theater. As Baker was running sound for a production company known as Enlightened Theatrics, Baker learned of a specific legend that helped inspire the show.
"One of the producers would always talk about the ghosts in the theater, and they would talk about this portrait of this ghost called Ethel," Baker said. "The portrait that they were pointing to is actually Ethel Barrymore, who is the great-aunt of Drew Barrymore, who performed in the Grand in 1922… so there's a lot of history. Some of the ghosts in my show are doing monologues from the play that Ethel Barrymore did in 1922, called ‘Déclassée’ by Zoë Akins."
While the performance is a blend of theater and a concert, it is mainly a supplement to the music performed, not a full-blown musical.
“I didn't want there to be a situation and then suddenly, for no reason, we're breaking out into a musical number… that's why I set it in the actual setting of being a dress rehearsal, sound check and the concert itself,” Baker said. “Everything that we're experiencing is as if we're just sitting in at the rehearsal or just there experiencing the concert, but weird, freaky stuff is happening."
Part of that immersiveness is the inclusion of mistakes, technical glitches and other mishaps caused by the apparitions.
"There's things where you might experience it and be like, ‘Did they just make a mistake? Did they restart that song on purpose, or is that a part of the show?’" Baker said.
Because the line between performance and reality is blurred, the experience demands a sharp eye and rewards attentive listeners.
"It's kind of abstract, and if you're not paying attention, you're not gonna get everything," Baker said. "So that's kind of what's cool about the live show. And then if you miss stuff, you can listen to the record and really like delve into the lyrics."
Looking ahead, Baker sees this iteration as one step in the project’s evolution, with hopes of eventually bringing the show back to where its inspiration and performances began last year. While the Grand is currently dark after multiple performers alleged that the theater’s management never paid after performances, Baker still would like to return to the historic venue when it reopens.
"Certain aspects of this actual performance aren't going to be 100% what my end vision is…," Baker said. "If I did do it again, it would be revisiting ‘Can it be in (the Grand Theater)’ since a lot of the
lore of the actual show is rooted right in the theater… if I could secure doing it at the Grand again, I would 100% be open to doing it."
Regardless of the location, as the phrase goes, the show must go on. Despite moving to a newly opened venue and the Oct. 16 performance needing a fill-in character, since Guy’s actor Sean McLeod will be unable to attend, Baker has worked through these issues to create a unique performance that is uniquely tied to the artistic history of Salem and the Halloween season.
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