Still Ghost is the passion project of Dee DiMeola, TJ Heafner, and Ryan Venancio derived from their previous band, My Lonely Heart. The three began playing shows in early 2019 after half a year of writing together. Their debut single, ‘Nervous Habits’ was released on March 13th, accompanied by a music video, fully introducing the band to the world.
“With our music videos we want to take an approach that everyone can find enjoyable and relatable.” The band explains “the song is about becoming the person you want to be and the steps you’ll take and habits created. So, we wanted to create a video that would represent the struggles of our daily lives but in a satirical and humorous way.”
Like most of their music, Still Ghost work collaboratively and organically to come up with the perfect final product. “When I (TJ) write songs I usually start with an instrumental track. I’ll be in my room and I’ll put together almost an entire song. After that, I’ll take it to Dee and we will break down every part of the song and build it back up to a piece that we are both happy with. After that, we have Ryan put his drum parts on the song and then build it back up to a full song including lyrics.”
Nervous Habits definitely brings that feel-good energy that Still Ghost embodies, making it the perfect first release for the band. “We felt that this song was a great choice for our first single because we think it’s the catchiest one we’ve written so far! We hope to get our name out there. We want to play as many gigs as possible and gain a following. We believe in our music and we want people to enjoy everything about it.”
As a group that has been playing together for a long time, it’s hard to narrow down their favorite moments on stage together. “We played a Paramore cover set for a Halloween show and it was fun as hell, everyone was super into it and I (Dee) got to live out my childhood fantasy of being in Paramore for a night in a way.”
“A few years ago I opened for Emarosa and A Lot Like Birds at House of Independents” Ryan adds “biggest crowd I’ve played in front of.”
While the Paramore cover set was a highlight for all members, TJ fondly recalled their first gig together, saying that “our first show as a band was a memorable gig. We really came out and gave it our all.”
Being in a band is more than just releasing music and playing shows. It’s the feelings that those moments bring and the joy that the music brings others. “For me (Dee), being a musician is about having the ability to express however I’m feeling in a creative way that doesn’t require using words. That and I have met a lot of awesome people through playing music and I’m grateful for that.”
TJ agreed, saying that “being able to write my own songs and be myself with my music is the best part for me. I’ve come a long way through my time being in active bands and I’ve become more comfortable in my own skin being able to play my own music and do what I love.”
“The writing and recording process is definitely my favorite!” Ryan said “I love writing drums to anything my bandmates write to make it our own.”
Despite wanting to put their own mark on the music industry, Still Ghost have plenty of inspirations to thank for their love of their craft.
“There are so many!” Dee exclaims “the biggest ones that have continually inspired me over the years are Foo Fighters, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Incubus, Queen, and Fleetwood Mac.”
“I take inspiration from whatever band I happen to be into at the time.” TJ says “most of our music ends up sounding like how we want Still Ghost to sound, however, I have taken inspiration from Foo Fighters, Incubus, Turnover, Circa Survive, Pink Floyd, and Rush.”
“For me, it’s A Lot Like Birds, Issues, Slipknot, Blink 182, Incubus, Four Year Strong and anything Prog.” Ryan adds.
Still Ghost have hit the ground running with no plan on stopping anytime soon. With ‘Nervous Habits’ freshly released and more music in the works, this is a band you’re going to want to keep an eye for a long time.
“We want people to be able to enjoy our music at any time. something to turn on to pick you up and make you feel good.”
You can follow Still Ghost on Instagram and Twitter as well as like the band on Facebook to keep up with new music, upcoming shows, and more! Don’t forget to stream Nervous Habits!!