Today we’d like to introduce you to Ghost Guns Adriana (Adj) DeMeo & Mike Levine.
Hi Ghost Guns, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Adriana: We met in high school but went to different schools. Mike was close friends with a girl I befriended in an acting program. I was pretty shy in those days, and Mike was the loud life of the party and welcomed me into his friend group. He introduced me to Pavement. I particularly remember him driving down Rt 9 blasting Embassy Row for me. He sang all the words animatedly and danced with his hands, and I knew I had found a great friend. I didn’t realize how great of a person he’d be in my life. I would go to his place at NYU, and he’d record me singing in his closet.
Our group, The 19th Story, was born in his apartment on 6th ave with another close friend. Sadly, I moved to Cali, and we lost touch for a while. When I got sick of the LA life, I moved to NJ, and we reconnected in the form of Fuckery, a rock band we formed with more high school friends. We had so much fun playing live with our friends. We even played one of our best shows at The Cave! During this time, Mike moved to NC to work on his doctorate. We’d still send a lot of ideas back and forth. I felt that I wanted to explore a less rock approach to vocals and explore a more chill side. We started writing some electronica tunes from a distance, and Ghost Guns was born.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Adriana: Our struggles lie in our name. We call ourselves Ghost Guns because we write from far away and ship parts of songs to each other until we create the whole. If we lived in the same town, would we be further along? We are full-blown adults with responsibilities, so it’s a blessing and a curse. When we get in the same room, it’s fun and magical to create together. We get a lot done because we have less time. And it leaves us wanting more. Being far away is a challenge but also keeps us accountable. I am thankful for a partner like Mike because he carries the same energy and love for the project. Our next big challenge is doing our first show together.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Adriana: We make our music because it is a creative necessity. I love all avenues of creativity that shines a light on the human condition. I also work as an actress on various television shows and commercials. Most of the time, I am working on someone else’s script. Ghost Guns is an avenue for me where I don’t have a boss. Mike and I are the bosses of the sound and message, and it’s very liberating. Our newest releases include a cover of Nirvana’s Dumb, which we reimagined with the sounds that move us today, and 6 am, an original for which we shot our first music video.
Mike: Likewise, I consider music a necessity. Now that I have my doctorate in musicology from UNC-Chapel Hill, I plan on devoting my life to showing students how important it is to understand music’s central role in our lives, no matter what they listen to. I bring this commitment and breadth of listening to the music of Ghost Guns, always looking for the next sound from anywhere to pull into our work. But of course, none of the music would work at all if it weren’t for what Adj brings to the table, whether in her voice, lyrics, or ability to render a wide range of ideas into a cohesive message.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Adriana: I’m most proud of our drive for the project. We specialize in dark, moody indie-electronic sounds. I’m proud of our consistency. Even if we are moving slowly, we are being very specific and pointed in our direction.
Mike: 100%. Whatever we have going on, everything comes together to form a cohesive whole: fun, danceable music, with darkness looming just under the surface. I also want to mention how surprised I always am at how Adj can take a source from anywhere (like the Korean film “Old Boy,” for instance, that inspired the song “6 am”) and connect it to the personal subject matter. When she’s done with her lyrics, it sounds like she wrote the film herself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @_ghostguns_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtuXhMDyj1Dmd8HRrnF_utw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ghost-guns
- Other: https://linktr.ee/ghostguns
Image Credits
Seamus Bestwick, also a Carrboro local. @countryfriedqueer
