Many stories lie scattered along Canada’s roads, hugging the highway like ghosts in the breeze. They fold themselves into countless voices and engrave their shadows on an endless landscape, waiting to be written further into the void...

From Dawson City to the Baja Peninsula, from Haida Gwaii to the Cape Breton Highlands, Jeff Andrew and shayne avec i grec have trekked tens of thousands of miles by thumb, rail, bus & foot, chasing minstrels, miscreants and mysteries along the way. In spring 2008 these ragged wanderers are joining forces as Ghosts of the Highway. The plan is to hitchhike from Vancouver, BC to St. John’s, NFLD, bringing instruments, voices, a video camera and epic stories of adventure on the open road.

In the past year Jeff has played at the ArtsWells Festival and the Robson Valley Music Festival, has released a self-produced EP called Truck Stop Wall and a book of stories and poems called Shade Tree Philosopher. Last spring he toured eastern Canada as part of the Shade Tree Revue and has shared stages with artists such as C.R. Avery, Rae Spoon and Geoff Berner. In 2005 Jeff co-wrote the song “Dark, Now” with Sarah Noni Metzner and sang on her album Daybreak Mourning. Jeff is currently at work on his first full-length album with producer Corwin Fox.

shayne has also had a busy year, performing and emceeing the North Country Fair, ArtsWells and the Brandon Folk Festival, as well as touring eastern Canada with the Shade Tree Revue and sharing stages with spoken word artist Damo Suzuki among others. shayne is an “enabler of awesome” in Victoria, BC, where he puts his organizational skills and contacts to work as a member of the Tongues of Fire spoken word collective and as the Artistic Director of Solstice Festival for the Folk. During a recent trip to Halifax, shayne was awarded the Artistic Director position for the 2009 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, which will take place in Victoria.

Both Jeff and shayne are dynamic performers with years of experience playing to many different types of venues and crowds. As Ghosts of the Highway they bring a show like an old-style revue: a mix of music, storytelling and audience participation. They frequently perform straight from the floor, stomping their boots and belting like born-again carnival barkers, and whenever possible the stage is opened to anyone in the room with a story or song of their own. The result is an inclusive, inspiring atmosphere that breaks down the walls between audience and performer.

The Ghosts of the Highway perform at Local Loco’s on Thursday March 13 at 8pm ($8 cover)