Macabre Daily Talks "Ghoulish Rock N' Roll" With Isaac Rother Of "ISAAC ROTHER & THE PHANTOMS"
Isaac Rother & The Phantoms Facebook
Macabre Daily sits down with “Ghoulish Rock N’ Roll” maestro, lead singer, and founder of Isaac Rother & The Phantoms, Isaac Rother about rock n’ roll, horror movies, touring, and more!
Check out the interview below, baby!
Most of the staff here at Macabre Daily, love us some music from death metal and punk rock to country and hip hop. Listening to music while writing our articles; doing just that, we discovered Isaac Rother & The Phantoms. While scrolling through Instagram’s music searches, we felt the immediate remembrance of the 50s and 60s rock n’ roll when hearing the guitar tone and jumping beat of “The Phantoms”. It made our ears perk up and take notice. We had to know more about this band once we finished listening to their latest single “Like A Wolfman” on Outro Records and reached out to the man himself, Isaac Rother aka “The Phantom”.
Macabre Daily: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Let’s start from the very beginning. You’re website says you knew you were different and rock n roll was special when you were around five years old and in kindergarten.
Isaac Rother: Yeah, no problem. Thanks for reaching out. I remember my teacher asking us to bring music in for a show-and-tell portion of our class. I brought in the song “Wipe Out” by The Safaris. Everyone dug it and danced but nobody else brought in a rock n roll song but me. Rock n’ roll to me, even back then, was just the most exciting music there was and is. I wondered why it was just me though, no other kids knew what I knew about rock n roll and right then I knew I was different.
MD: So after that fateful day, when did you start playing guitar and are you self-taught or did you take lessons starting out?
IR: I was around 13 and took lessons in Santa Monica for a few years at McCabes Guitar Shop.
MD: “The Phantoms” then officially started in 2012 but I noticed that the members in the band fluctuate from a six-piece to now just yourself. Is it hard to find like-minded people to work with?
IR: Yeah, the band’s first formation was a full six-piece with backup singers. It’s not hard to find people who love rock n roll really, but touring can be hard with so many different schedules and making sure its feasible to even tour. I’ve had the good fortune of finding some amazing musicians. I have, over the last five years, been working with drummer, Andre Pacheco as well and am excited for what the future holds.
MD: So how did you come up with the idea for “GHOULISH ROCK N ROLL” as you have coined the term? Do people get confused by the title or are you just compared to the likes of Screaming Jay Hawkins, The Misfits, or The Ghastly Ones?
IR: I never said I was the one who mixed the two styles of horror and rock n roll but some people do not understand my idea behind “Ghoulish Rock N Roll”. At least you get it. People always asked me to sum up my style and it’s so long-winded to say horror and 50s and 60s rock n roll so I just coined the term “Ghoulish Rock N Roll” to better describe our sound.
MD: I notice you venture more toward kid-friendly horror. Do people gravitate to that type of sound better? The welcoming aspect to it sort of? Like The Misfits talk about skinning people alive and killing babies etc, you’re more monsters and ghosts.
IR: Yeah, I wanted to make the music welcoming but still have a spooky vibe to it. I’m not going to sing songs about killing babies Misfits-style or go into graphic detail either. This is meant to be fun rock n roll with a ghoulish twist.
MD: You have two albums out, a compilation of singles released during the band’s first five years, and now an awesome single from Outro Records, “Like A Wolfman.” Is it difficult to find a record company for the distribution of your music?
IR: There’s not a lot of opportunities out there nowadays for the music we do. We technically have no record deal but Steve over at Outro Records approached me to release our next single and I’m proud of “Like a Wolfman”. The sound production on it especially the guitar tone are my favorite and we worked hard on it to get it right. We wanted to have a singalong-type song with a catchy hook and nailed wit with “Like A Wolfman.”
MD: Since the group’s formation in 2012, you have played all over the United States and even opened up for legends like Dick Dale and Wanda Jackson, do you find that there are areas that are more accepting of your style of rock n roll?
IR: The South for sure is more accepting. They showed me love out there and paid attention to the music. It’s funny, out here in California, it has a very “cool guy” attitude about it where the audience is afraid to dance and have a good time. In the South, we found none of that and everyone danced.
MD: So what inspires you to write?
IR: Lots of things inspire me. I love old horror films from the 50s and 60s. I used to attend a monthly horror movie marathon event at a theater we had up here in Oakland. I loved it because you could go watch “DIE MONSTER DIE” on the big screen. Now I have to drive an hour or more to see something like that and it’s always a debate within myself to go or not. Musically I enjoy 50s and 60s rock n roll and punk rock. I get so much inspiration from all over.
MD: So what’s next for “The Phantoms”, where can fans find out about what you’re doing or where you’re touring next?
IR: We have plans to visit the south again and we just played in Seattle and Portland. We are hosting a big Halloween party here in Oakland and will be announcing that soon. After that we are playing a special Halloween night show in Las Vegas. You can find any and all info about the band at Isaac Rother & The Phantom’s social media pages.
MD: Is there anything else you’d like to tell anyone reading this?
IR: Yeah, we appreciate you. Thank you for all the support over the years and we will be in your area in 2025 so come on out and party with us, baby!
MD: Thanks so much for your time, man, we really appreciate it.
IR: Not a problem, we enjoyed the talk.
You can check out all the fiendish fun and musical mayhem of ISAAC ROTHER & THE PHANTOM’s at their Instagram page found HERE . As a fun little sidenote, check out a few videos from the band. We really dig these tunes and think you fine fiends will as well. Dig it!
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