Behind the Shoot with Rosewood Ghosts

Dark skies and torrential rain may have overtaken Hoboken the past few days, but on Sunday that didn't stop the classic rockers of Rosewood Ghosts from getting their work done. Using Paul Vincent Studios' main room as the setting for two new (and currently untitled) music videos and a free showcase later on that evening, the Hoboken-based band enlisted their friends from LocalBozo.com to help them film and invited Patch to come along for the ride.

Rosewood Ghosts—made up of vocalist Joe Montague, guitarists Jamie DiTringo and Saul Slotnick, bassist Steve Brown, keyboardist Adam Weissman, drummer Matt Teitelman and lap steel player Eric Walden—formed in 2009 after Montague, DiTringo, Weissman, and Brown's old band, Bill Owens Five, was put to rest. Those four soon teamed up with the other three guys, and the Rosewood Ghosts sound seemed complete. Rosewood Ghosts released their self-titled and self-produced debut record in May and has been making beautifully crafted rock ever since.

Forming a circle in the space on Sunday, the seven-piece band made things look more like an impromptu jam session or band rehearsal, which could essentially give the footage a more intimate feel. However after watching the initial takes, it was obvious that they weren't just there to play around. They meant business and wanted nothing less than perfection, even if it would take a continuous loop of playing the same song over and over.

"It's a virtue and a vice because your effect is to get things done right," DiTringo said. "But it takes many takes to get it down. We really want to get it down, but over time it did improve."

Don't think that Rosewood Ghosts are a bunch of intense guys that take themselves way too seriously. It's the complete opposite. From bursting into infectious laughter between takes to even cracking on each other during this interview, these guys play as hard as they work.

"We really don't take ourselves too seriously," Slotnick said. "We don't have a game plan either. It's just new music, and we want as many people to hear it."

Sure Hoboken may not be a big city, but Slotnick believes that its mere location makes it an ideal location for more people to see the band. "Hoboken's kind of a middle ground for everybody," Saul said. "You've got people from South Jersey, people from the city. It's right in the middle and in a great place. And there's a great arts community in Hoboken that not a lot of people know about. That's why we're here at Paul Vincent Studios, just trying to help everybody out."

Weissman admitted that the Mile Square is also a muse for the band. "It's been sort of the lifeblood for everybody because it's been where we come to play music and write music together. So it's a classic inspiration just being around here, knowing the city well, being comfortable at home. It's just a good musical vibe here," the keyboard player said.

Rosewood Ghosts won't be shy to admit that they're not attached to a record label, which in a way can work out to a band benefit since the band can call the shots on when they can release new material whenever they wish opposed musicians who are contract-bound and can't necessarily call the shots. "We're not at the mercy of anyone," DiTringo said. "We don't have a record deal. We don't have commitments to just throw out new material."

This isn't to say that they wouldn't love to land a deal and make music their full-time jobs. However with the way things are at the moment, they all hold day jobs that each member makes sure to balance with their rockstar evenings. 

"We're not elitist," DiTringo said. "Anything that makes sense for us that we could do what we want to do and be on the road and tour and have a decent living to play music. Whether it be indie or major whatever, sign us now."

With their first record already out, a multitude of other material they can record in the future and a growing fan base, no doubt this band is on the path to a bright future. And if they have to wait a bit longer, Weissman's outlook on the band's unsigned-ness looks pretty positive. "It's a lot of sweat before and after," he said. "You just try to enjoy the in between."

Rosewood Ghosts will be performing at Brooklyn's Spike Hill on Sept. 22 and Court Tavern in New Brunswick, N.J. on Oct. 1. If you're interested in checking out the footage from Sunday's performances, check out LocalBozo.com this fall.