Spirit Parade

Spirit Parade is a Baltimore-based neo-soul band consisting of soul singer Ernesto J. Ponce, bassist Ethan Montgomery, drummer Arejay James, guitarist Dominick Tardogno, keyboardist Garrett Neal, and trombonist Lionel Abbott. The band originally formed as a backing band for Ernesto’s solo project, "The Dream is Gone" in 2014. After playing local radio (WTMD) and venues (The Metropolitan, Gallery 788, etc.) the band went into the studio to begin recording new material. It soon became evident that the material was taking a more mercurial form and Spirit Parade was born. With the solid blues base of Ernesto’s solo material as a jumping point, the crew formed a six-track EP released September 22nd, 2015 which was recognized by veteran blues crooner, Ursula Ricks. Spirit Parade featured Ursula Ricks as a vocalist while playing such gigs as Artscape Mainstage 2016 and showcases in PA by Grammy-winning producer David Ivory before continuing on its own course. In pursuit of it's own sound and style, SP has created a stunning collection of ten songs on their first full length effort "Worlds Apart" which masterfully mixes their diverse influences, creating a sound that is both familiar and novel. It’s SP’s goal to provide a genre-defying experience both through sound recordings and live performances while pulling from the traditional sounds of blues, soul, funk, and rock.

Past contributors to Spirit Parade include Steve Gallagher, Mathew Lampart,  Garrett Neal, Mark St. Pierre, Gary Gilpin, Ryan Escolopio, Kirn Dangerus, and Ony Vega.