Rosewood Ghosts’ DiTringo Discusses Their New Album

Rosewood Ghosts

by Jacob Singer

Rosewood Ghosts are a bunch of Jersey boys who grew up listening to bands like Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, and Wilco.  They are unapologetic about their love of classic rock. Their self-titled album is full of guitar solos, powerful drumming, and strong vocals.  They play blues, country, and ballads but with a focus and unifying drive that is all their own.  A few years ago their old band — Bill Owens Five — split up, so they hosted a “Kill Bill” party for their final show and were reborn as Rosewood Ghosts.  Below is my interview with Rosewood Ghosts’ Jamie DiTringo.

Rosewood Ghosts – “Paid In Full”

Rosewood Ghosts – “Cape Cod”

Jacob Singer:  Jamie, why did you kill the Bill Owens Five and start Rosewood Ghosts?

Rosewood Ghosts

Jamie DiTringo: We decided to kill Bill Owens Five when we decided to bring Saul (guitars) and Matt (drums) on board.  I personally never liked the name Bill Owens Five. So when Joe (vocals), Adam (keyboards), Steve, and I decided to go in a different direction, both musically and personally, it made the most sense to make a clean break from the Bill Owens Five moniker. A fresh start with new musicians was needed, so we decided to change the band name and immediately began working on new material.

Can you tell me about the writing process involved with the new album?  I’m interested to hear about how all of you write a song.  What did you do to take the project in a new direction?  How did you decide what songs belonged on the album?

Jamie DiTringo: When Rosewood Ghosts got started, the plan was to get Saul and Matt acclimated with existing material by playing some shows and then take a break to write new material and record an album.  The songs “Too Late”, “Barry Dime”, “Store Bought Drugs”, and “Walking Lightly” were older songs we used to play.  Adam wrote the music and lyrics to “Too Late”, and Joe helped shape the lyrics and melody.  “Barry Dime” and “Walking Lightly” are in the mold of most of our songs.  I write the music and Joe drafts his lyrics and melodies to the musical framework.  I wrote the music and lyrics for “Passing Cabs and Footsteps” and “Store Bought Drugs” but Joe wrote the ending lyrical hook in “Store Bought Drugs”.

Adam, Saul, and I collaborate on a lot of songs.  Saul brought forward the music to “I Warned You” and then Joe wrote the lyrics.  Matt wrote the framework of “Rashers of a Wanton Touch”, but I added the intro and middle section.  When we first played “Rashers”, I imagined the breakdown section of Radiohead’s “I Might Be Wrong”.  It stuck with me and I remember pushing Matt towards what became the album version.  He was very happy when he saw where I was coming from.  “Rashers” is so freakin’ heavy that we went with that feel along with spacey interplay.  I like to call the ending solo I’m doing my tribute to monster movies like King Kong, Godzilla and Cloverfield.  I wanted something fucked up sounding, like a monster crawling out of the ocean who will eventually throw the Statue of Liberty’s head at unsuspecting passersby.

The process is interesting because we work on the music then hand it off to Joe. Our writing is full of discussions and debates, but we trust each other enough that the end result is great.

Did you write the songs in the studio or ahead of time?

Rosewood Ghosts

Jamie DiTringo: All of these songs were written before entering the studio. As a band paying for studio time, we have to be prepared to knock it out when we are recording.  We get all our songs down to a click track, so our timing is on point.  This time around we had some extra time to experiment with sounds and tones, but I cannot wait to have the luxury of real studio experimentation.  There is so much that I want!  But I realize we’re on a budget, so I have to pull in the reigns.

Joe and I have crafted the majority of the material both in Rosewood Ghosts and Bill Owens Five.  We have a very open and trusting relationship.  We love the music and words we both write.  It’s all about trust and having an open mind.  Joe’s stories are personal but he also creates interesting characters like Barry Dime, Tommy the Avenger (unreleased song), and the words to “Paid in Full.”  Musically the Rosewood Ghosts is going in a different direction from BO5.  Working with Saul has been an incredible experience.  Not only is he one of my closest friends, but (he’s) a helluva guitarist. We’re always on the same page musically and always looking to push the musical direction.  I love to take chances.  It’s the thrill of music.

I’m also the manager of the band and oversee just about every facet of the organization, whether it’s hiring a photographer, scheduling recording sessions with our engineer, or working with our web designer.  I wear many hats.  I love doing it because music is my passion in life.  I love working with the guys in the band and love meeting new people in this business.  Side note: being personally involved in mixing the album was a great experience.

What’s your plan after the CD release party?  I know you’re more or less limited to NYC for most of the year.  Are you planning any trips to Chicago, like you did last summer?  Any promotion with the album or placement at college stations?

Jamie DiTringo: The plan after the release party is to start gigging again and hopefully being picked up by a label.  Writing music and performing is amazing but the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is touring and having proper label representation and management.  We’re limited to our local surroundings, because we have jobs that support our life.  If music was the means to support ourselves, that’s what we would be doing full time.  That’s the plan and that’s the goal.  We have no long road trips on the books as of now, but a lot can happen after the album is released.  We haven’t experienced peoples’ reaction to the album—positive or negative.  We cannot wait to release it.  We will be reaching out to many local radio and college stations to play the songs, do interviews, and play shows.

Official Rosewood Ghosts Website

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