Stacking The Deck with Don’t Believe In Ghosts
Stacking The Deck is a feature exclusive to Adam’s World where I bring packs of 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards to artists, and we discuss who they find in each pack.
Don’t Believe In Ghosts are primed for a huge 2025 ... at least if the NYC-based band’s Dropbox account is any indicator.
The trio of Steven Nathan (vocals), Dan DelVecchio (guitar), and Ken Yang (drums) all contribute ideas for songs in the band’s account, and according to Dan, “We got at least like 30 (ideas) going into the new year.”
This, he explains, is where their song creation process starts, “We collectively work on these ideas, and then we put them all into a folder that we can access, and listen to, and maybe contribute more to, and give suggestions of where some of these ideas should, or shouldn’t go. Most of the ideas, I mean, a lot of them start with Steve … (but) whoever it starts with, we end up collectively working on it together as a band.”
He adds that the timeline for how long it takes for one of their ideas to become a song varies wildly. “Some songs take months and months of sitting on them saying, ‘What does this need? This is not really hitting me the right way.’ Just refining it, rewriting it, whatever it is. Other ideas just come together so insanely. They’re just so natural, and they really take off into something. It’s like the stars are aligned.”
Most recently, the stars aligned for their latest single, “Brooklyn Baby,” which is a pop-rock ode to NYC.
With their new song fresh in everyone’s ears, I caught up with Steven and Dan before the band’s recent show at Mercury Lounge to open up some packs of MusiCards. The artists we found sparked conversations about a tragic ending for a Zakk Wylde guitar Steven received as a gift, what Don’t Believe In Ghosts currently has in common with The Doors, and the magic of The Beatles.
We’re going to start with Zakk Wylde because based on your reaction when you pulled this card it seems like you both have great stories about him.
Dan: I got to see him perform a private party at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, and I was standing maybe a few inches from him while he was shredding in front of my face, which was a pretty awesome experience.
I grew up listening to a ton of ‘80s shredders, and he was one of the top on the list who influenced me when it came to guitar playing. He’s definitely one of the guys who maybe subconsciously I channel a little bit of when I’m doing my guitar solos.
I definitely love me some Zakk Wylde.
Steven: Yeah, he’s great.
My story is I worked in a company doing radio promotion, and Zakk Wylde is the coolest, and the nicest, and the most amazing dude. He came in, and he sat down in front of my desk, and he drank a six pack entirely. We hit it off. We had a great time. We hung out, and it was like 10 AM, and he did that, and we were talking music, listening to music. Then he sent me one of his guitars.
That’s crazy.
Steven: Yeah, it was super crazy, and then I had to sell it to pay rent.
Oh no!
Steven: And all I could get was 500 bucks because they didn’t believe me that it was Zakk Wylde’s guitar.
I sold it right around the corner from here.
When you originally received the guitar, did you expect it to show up, or did it show up out of the blue?
Steven: I knew nothing. That’s just the kind of guy that he is. All of a sudden it shows up, and it’s like, “Yo Steve, you got a box.” I’m like, what? And that was it. No communication, nothing. He probably just went, “Yeah, send that guy a guitar.” He was cool.
Such a cool dude. Such a cool thing, man.
How was he an influence musically?
Dan: When I heard “Crazy Babies” (by Ozzy Osbourne), and I heard that twisting guitar pick screeching sound that (Wylde) made with the pick when he was playing, I needed to learn how to do that.
So he was an influence in that way, and of course I have nothing but respect for him as a player. He’s amazing.
Speaking of making sounds that no one else had – The Doors. What kind of influence have The Doors had on your music, or on your life?
Dan: Maybe some of the synth sounds. I mean, they probably were one of the first rock bands to use heavy synths in their music. That, and also maybe the lyrics. Jim Morrison was definitely like a poet when it came to stuff like that. He was really great at writing captivating lyrics.
Steven: And the most obvious thing is that neither band has a bass player, right?
Dan: Technically that’s us right now, but we have a great guy who plays bass with us.
Steven: But The Doors, I mean, everybody goes through that phase in 7th grade where you’re introduced to Led Zeppelin, and The Doors, and The Beatles, and The Who, stuff like that. Going through that, you’re like, “Wow, this Jim Morrison guy is otherworldly. He’s really on to something,” and lyrically you try and get inspired in that way.
If I’m going to be honest, I think The Doors are a little bit overrated, but I think they’re great. At the same time, it’s 2024 … that we’re still talking about them makes them relevant in every possible way.
Dan: Yeah, I’m kind of in the same camp with what you said, but you can’t undersell the influence that they had on so many of the bands that came after them.
Staying in classic rock, let’s move to John Lennon, and, of course, The Beatles.
Dan: For me, The Beatles was actually the band that got me into playing guitar in the first place. I was probably around eight years old, and I think the first (album of theirs I had) was like a greatest hits CD. That’s kind of what got me into them. After that, it was Magical Mystery Tour. Don’t ask me why that was one of my first albums by them, but it definitely interested me. It was something weird and different. Then, of course, Abbey Road. If you’re playing guitar, learning an instrument, you could pretty much learn the entire core discography just from listening to, and learning those songs.
For my entire first year and a half, all I did was learn Beatles songs.
And you were eight?
Dan: Yeah, I was eight. I think for my first recital I did “A Hard Day’s Night,” and then I did … I think it was the George Harrison version of “Till There Was You.”
My guitar teacher was heavy into that. He’s the one who inspired me to do that.
Steven: The Beatles are such a big thing for me. I mean, I love it. You go through that phase when you’re introduced by your older brother to classic rock, and all that stuff, and then there’s the ones that stick with you for life, that are a part of your soundtrack for the rest of your life, no matter what. The Beatles are a huge, huge part of that soundtrack of my life.
Do they always remind you of him?
Steven: They do.
I feel like it’s something so much bigger than all of us. Something about The Beatles, to me, comes off as bigger than any of the members … even of anything they could even comprehend. I think that they tapped into something that was just absolutely magical. You think about it all taking place in this short span of time, and how much they evolved, and how much music they created, and how much timeless music they created, and how much they’ve inspired and influenced music. Even people who don’t like The Beatles are influenced by them ...
Dan: Without even realizing it.
Steven: Without even realizing it. They don’t even know. Because everything they’re listening to was inspired by it.
They changed everything.
I just saw The Clash sitting there and I’m like, we have to talk about The Clash, because who doesn’t love The Clash, right?
Steven: The Clash is one of the most underrated bands of all-time.
You want to talk about guitar playing that changed music for the ‘80s and the ‘90s, and changed how people play now …
Dan: Right. When I think of punk rock, I don’t normally think of colorful chords, and things like that in the songs, but I felt like The Clash did do that, and it kind of made them stand out a little bit.
Steven: Yeah, there’d be no U2, there wouldn’t be any of that stuff without The Clash.
For more of Don’t Believe In Ghosts, check out dontbelieveinghosts.com.
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