The phrase “supergroup” gets thrown around a lot in music, and it would be a fitting title to bestow upon Ghost Light. Comprised of Tom Hamilton (American Babies, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead), Holly Bowling, Raina Mullen (American Babies), and Scotty Zwang (Dopapod, RAQ) — this an all-star gathering if we’ve ever seen one.
However, Ghost Light is more than just a “supergroup” it’s a collaborative, creative project between four widely regarded musicians looking to push the boundaries of their creativity. The result is a beautifully complex sound that is put on full display on their record, Best Kept Secrets.
We caught up with Raina Mullen to discuss the band’s formation, their unique collaborative process, and their new record as the band gets set to perform at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey tonight.
When Ghost Light formed, you were all successful musicians from a wild array of different musical sounds. When posed with this thought walking into the band – were you excited or nervous — and why?
There’s always going to be this sense of excitement and wonder with a dash of nervousness when you play with someone new. The possibility of the unknown is scary, but it being uncomfortable pushed me, and that’s where growth happens.
Can you talk about the writing experience of this record? How did you approach this record from a thematic standpoint as well as a musical one?
We wanted to try create something original, so we spent a lot of time ruminating on ideas. Ideas that had been sitting in our voice memos for a few years, and seeing how far we could take them. It was a lot of throwing things at the wall and seeing if things felt derivative or not, and then either pursuing it or moving on.
Writing for a band verses writing on your own is a different thing, as well. You want to create something everyone can contribute to in their own way and have some ownership of. That’s a different head space for me, for sure.
One of the things that intrigued me about the recording of the album was you guys were all in the room for the first time together on day one of recording. How did that first day go? Was it difficult to get on the same page or was there a natural chemistry?
The first day was so much fun. We took our time with ideas and gave each other space within each song to see what each band member could bring to it. We also just jammed for a while to see what would happen. We got lucky that there was a natural chemistry. Where ever a person lacked something, a different member would have strength. It was an encouraging environment to work in and that allowed us to be fearless in our approach.
You and Tom cut your vocal recordings live and at the same time – how was that experience?
It was great to be able to feed off each other’s energy and with each take we would find more and more power. It can be tough sometimes when you’re recording on your own. You hear these little imperfections that may or may not be in your own mind, but with someone else there encouraging you, it allowed me to get to this place of comfort when there’s usually self imposed pressure.
What song do you think truly captures the essence of Ghost Light?
That’s tough. I’d say “Best Kept Secret.” There are so many different elements in Ghost Light and it’s hard to encapsulate it in one track, but this one comes pretty close.
When the band formed you say in press release you wanted to create the most original sounding music you could – do you think you did that on this record, or did you just merely scratch the surface?
I think we created a good record. We set that goal of trying to find something not derivative, and it’s a good mission statement that we can use for every album. Sometimes you hit the mark and sometimes not. But I think you can hear our intention.
Tom really did a great job producing this record and bringing our vision to fruition. I think we’ve created a great foundation to work from and grow within for the next record.
In a live setting how much room is there for improvisation? The songs are rich and lush and complex (to my ear) — does that require you stick to the script more?
There’s plenty of room for improv. I think one of our greatest strengths is transforming a song in a live setting. Knowing we have the freedom to take it anywhere we want…it’s incredible. There’s no script at a Ghost Light show.
What do you love about being in Ghost Light?
I think the thing I love the most about Ghost Light is how much it challenges me to grow as a player. We get up there and have fun and at the end of the day, that’s all I could ask for.
What is a definitive goal you want this band to accomplish in 2019?
I hope to see continuous growth in how we play and communicate on stage. It’s tough to be on the same wave length but once we get there, it feels like floating above the clouds. And , of course, to get into as many peoples ears as possible.
What are you most excited about for Ghost Light in 2019?
We’ve got some great festivals lined up for summer and I’m really looking forward to getting back into the studio at some point and working on new material.
