The Ghost formed out of the ashes of several defunct hardcore and emo bands in and around the Berkeley and Oakland area of California. Brian Moss and Shakin Shane Stevens had both played together for a few years when their band dissolved, so they quickly found Randy Bleichner and Jordan Schalich and began to play live within a month. They managed to secure a deal with Some Records in New York City and worked with producer Steve Albini on the resulting This Is a Hospital, released in spring 2002. This Pen is a Weapon followed in May '04; by this point The Ghost had re-settled in Chicago, and replaced Stevens with guitarist Paul Lask. ~ Bradley Torreano, Rovi