TftH: Let's start by you giving us some background info on the band. Who are some of your biggest influences?Danny: Well, there are the five of us: Spencer – drums, Ben – Guitar, Allan – Vocals, Matt – Bass, & Danny P.(me) – Guitar. Originally, Matt and I wanted to start a really heavy band in the vein of His Hero Is Gone, Integrity, etc but when we jammed with Spencer, we all sort of realized that we weren’t going to stick to any specific genre and/or song structure, and try to mix it up a bit. So originally it was just the 3 of us…Ben was one of a few guys that came and played with us, but he stuck out because he’s an awesome guitarist and we’ve all been good friends for a while. Allan is a good friend of mine who I’d skateboarded with during all of high school, and it just turns out that he’s a great front man/vocalists too.
As far as influences go, I hate to write shit like this because it’s always hard, but that category is pretty much all over the place. In addition to the “standard” metal/hardcore/punk fare, we all listen to stuff from Mozart to Jimi Hendrix to the Beatles to Soundgarden, ect. As for some examples of the “heavier stuff”, we like Slayer, Infest, Integrity, Unbroken, Napalm Death, Catharsis, Pig Destroyer, At The Gates, Death, Converge, His Hero Is Gone, Repulsion, Old Man Gloom, old Cave In, Ringworm, Cro-Mags, Deadguy, old Metallica, Misfits, etc. We get different things and inspirations out of all the different bands and styles we like. If anything, we want our music to be unique, but also to be as loud and as heavy as humanly possible.
TftH: That sounds awesome. And the name, Turn Into Ghosts, where did that come from?
Danny: That name came from the name of a song by Damnation A.D. off of the Kingdom of Lost Souls record. Everyone was trying to come up with names for the band, and I was driving around listening to them one day, and it hit me that it was gonna be the band's name. Haha, also there was an attraction to the name because, as far as I know, there aren’t any other bands called Turn Into Ghosts, nor have there ever been.
TftH: Word. You all have a 3-song demo available, right? Tell us about that.
Danny: Yep. That demo is the first and only thing that we’ve released thus far, and it consists of the first 3 songs that we wrote. We recorded it, in Spencer’s basement, with the hope that we might be able to play some shows and let people know what we’re doing. So far the response has been great, and we are very thankful to everyone that has been supportive, and especially those that have given us a chance and booked us a show(or two). Since we have the means to record in Spencer’s basement, we use it to its full potential and just about every song/part/rhythm we have written(or are working on) has been recorded, though not necessarily with the same care and quality as the demo.
TftH: Wow, it sounds really good for being a home recording. What equipment does Spencer use for recording?
Danny: Thanks. To be totally honest, I am not sure about the specifics, but I know that it is some kind of Pro-Tools setup…he actually went to recording school and knows a lot about recording and audio engineering, which makes him an invaluable resource. Usually, he records the drums by himself first, and then we come over later to record everything else.
TftH: That's cool. Must be great having someone like him in the band. So you guys have the whole demo available on your MySpace, http://www.myspace.com/turnintoghosts, but the lyrics aren't posted. Could you tell us what topics Allan, or whoever else might be writing the lyrics, covers? Is there any meesage trying to be conveyed?
Danny: I just talked to Alan not too long ago to make sure my answer would be accurate, so hopefully my response to this question does justice to the lyrics. Something we all feel strongly about is sincerity. You have to put your heart into everything you do, and you are just setting yourself up for a fall if you settle for bullshit. Lies and betrayal are things that everyone has experienced, and they bring very painful emotions with them. The lyrics to our music encompass that pain. The lyrics are about calling out the dishonesty of this world, and expressing the total hatred and frustration that comes from dealing with the bullshit of society, and it's fake people that we encounter everyday.
TftH: Word. So how have people been taking to the band, online and live?
Danny: The response that we’ve gotten hasn’t been large in volume, on either fronts, but we’ve all been very pleased with what we’ve gotten so far. It’s kind of strange, but amazing, to be in a situation where your pain and sleepless nights become something that other people can relate to, and support. When we play a show, usually a few people leave during the first song, but everyone that stays after that seems to stay for the whole set, which is cool. As far as the online response has gone, it seems that everyone that has listened to it and commented back to us has had something good to say. I’m not sure what more we could ask for.
TftH: Alright, well I hope this helps in getting people to listen to Turn Into Ghosts. I love the demo, and I hope others love it, too. Thanks for taking the time to do the interview and good luck with the band's future endeavors.
Danny: Thanks for the interview and the kind words. Hopefully we'll have a record out in the near future that you can review.
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So now that you've heard of the band, you need to go listen to their demo! They have all 3 tracks on their MySpace, so listen to them, download them, share them.
http://www.myspace.com/turnintoghosts
Keep it chill,
J
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