Further Inside the Milky Way - Skeletal Family, Ghost Dance, James Ray episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 14, 2026 · 35 MIN

Further Inside the Milky Way - Skeletal Family, Ghost Dance, James Ray

from Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music · host ITMW Music

This episode is part of our Further Inside the Milky Way series. These are shows that we will do from time to time where we go deeper into vast collection of the music and artists from the early alternative era. In these episodes we will discuss a few artists in the one show. We will try to pick artists that have something in common or a connection between them.  In this "Further" episode all of the bands fit into the gothic rock style or genre in some form. The first is a band that has had a very long career after their 1982 start, Skeletal Family. One of the original Skeletal Family members was lead singer Anne-Marie Hurst, who left to form the second band we discuss, Ghost Dance. Ghost Dance was formed with Hurst and Gary Marx, who had just left The Sisters of Mercy. For the third band, Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy brought in the singer and musician James Ray to his Merciful Release Label after the departure of Marx, and would lead to the band, James Ray and the Performance.(Pictured : Anne-Marie Hurst)

This episode is part of our Further Inside the Milky Way series. These are shows that we will do from time to time where we go deeper into vast collection of the music and artists from the early alternative era. In these episodes we will discuss a few artists in the one show. We will try to pick artists that have something in common or a connection between them.  In this "Further" episode all of the bands fit into the gothic rock style or genre in some form. The first is a band that has had a very long career after their 1982 start, Skeletal Family. One of the original Skeletal Family members was lead singer Anne-Marie Hurst, who left to form the second band we discuss, Ghost Dance. Ghost Dance was formed with Hurst and Gary Marx, who had just left The Sisters of Mercy. For the third band, Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy brought in the singer and musician James Ray to his Merciful Release Label after the departure of Marx, and would lead to the band, James Ray and the Performance.(Pictured : Anne-Marie Hurst)

NOW PLAYING

Further Inside the Milky Way - Skeletal Family, Ghost Dance, James Ray

0:00 35:03

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music?

This episode is 35 minutes long.

When was this Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music episode published?

This episode was published on June 14, 2026.

What is this episode about?

This episode is part of our Further Inside the Milky Way series. These are shows that we will do from time to time where we go deeper into vast collection of the music and artists from the early alternative era. In these episodes we will discuss a...

Can I download this Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!