Ghost Prom On the Making Of “5am”
What was the creative process like for this particular "5am?"
Ghost Prom (Cameron Crosby, songwriter/vocalist): This is a song I had been working on for years but never seemed to fit together quite right. I was going to Aaron Mones's (our guitar player, and producer) studio to record that day and in the morning I was panicking because it still didn't feel right. I got frustrated with myself and I think threw my phone into the woods in our backyard. Sometimes I can behave really childishly and have a habit of promising people that I would change but it never stuck until a few years ago. While looking for my phone the chorus just popped into my head out of nowhere and I ran back inside and wrote it down and went to record it probably 15 minutes later.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for "5am?"
Aaron lives on the same street as me and his studio is down below their house so not only is it a convenience, it's nice to be able to collaborate with someone you respect and have a deep friendship with. I think it was the fourth or fifth song that Aaron and I had recorded together. At one time it was a slower song but the new chorus made me pick up the tempo and the opening riff Aaron plays injected a little more energy into it and it was finished pretty quickly, maybe a day or two. I remember him being more excited by this one more than any other song.
What did you enjoy most about making "5am?"
It taught me to give up trying to force anything, to just say what I mean, and not try to censor myself or my feelings. It was an important moment for how I want to write songs in the future. I was so obsessed with being intentional with every thought or feeling and I think I lost some of the initial creative spark that you can't recreate, I think the way this song progressed brought me back to that. With all this being said, I think the thing I enjoyed most about making this song was sitting on Aaron's couch with my dog's head in my lap watching Eden does vocals for the song.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
I don't think of music as a career. I do it because I have to. It's the best way to express myself without having to rely on anything or anyone. If I don't get all the crazy shit in my head out onto a page, it's stuck in my head and that's not good for me or anyone else in my life. It makes me feel good knowing that even if I had to bang a hammer 8 hours a day, I could still do music no matter what. A friend of mine who has a 5-year-old told me that his daughter had made a painting, and he said to her, "Wow that's really beautiful, maybe when you grow up you'll be a painter." She responded, "But I already am a painter because I made this painting."
Are there any specific themes or messages that you aim to convey through your music?
That no matter how hard things seem in the moment, it'll pass. Nothing lasts forever. Reach out to people if you need help. I don't know if there's anything harder for me than to ask for help but when I have in the past, it's saved my life. That's most important and I think a theme of our new record. You can even reach out to me if you want at our email - it's ghostpromband@gmail.com.
