Deflecting Ghosts Breaks Down The Message And Emotional Weight Behind “Risen”
Punk Head: Do you ever feel like the act of layering guitars and vocals — doing it all yourself — changes how you process anger or grief? Is the song finished when the take is done, or does it keep echoing in your head afterward?
Deflecting Ghosts: I don’t usually know what I want the layered guitars and vocals to be like. With the vocals, I usually record them over the span of a few different days, and I sing it so many times. Depending on the day, it comes out different. I also record it, and then I listen to it and I sing in the car or at home or at work, pretty much until it feels right. Sometimes I go back to the first take if the emotions behind it feel right. Guitars, I usually record 6 guitar tracks with 3 different parts each. Apart, I record twice and pan them left and right. I usually record a 7th track doing some lead. To be honest, the main rhythm track of guitar is the only one that’s actually written. The rest I usually just freestyle until it sounds right, then I record it again, which takes time because I don’t electorally remember what I played. Solos are one take. We just got a second guitarist, Sam Means, so he will take over lead and writing the second guitar parts. We also just changed drummers. Jeremy Burnett took over for Austin, and we are excited for the future.
Punk Head: You’ve said the song is about accountability and people “blindly following.” What moment — in your life or in the world — made you sit down and say, I can’t stay quiet anymore?
Deflecting Ghosts: If you pay attention to what is going on in the world today and the United States, it’s gotten out of control. I’m not big on politics. I don’t care if you are left or right. They are all evil and not in the best interest of the people. They fill the people with lies and distractions, and with AI now, I don’t know what to believe. To me, it seems like evil has taken over. Just watch the news, read the headlines. It’s sickening, and I don’t know how much worse things can get.
Punk Head: Listeners often find their own meaning in songs they hear. What kind of response hits you the hardest — when someone understands exactly what you meant, or when they tell you it meant something totally different to them?
Deflecting Ghosts: Most of the music I write is very personal and very deep. It’s emotional and about things I’ve been through. Whether it’s about death, addiction, depression, or just when everything falls apart, which I’ve been full of all these things. I try not to be as clear about what the song is written about because I want people to relate to it however they can. Music is what got me through the last 25 years, and it hasn’t been easy. All I want out of music is to have my music help someone get through the day because if one of my songs is about what they are going through. If they can relate directly to what my story is, great, but if they can relate it to something else they are going through, then I think that’s even better. I’ve had a few people thank me for my songs and told me how it helped, and that means the world to me.
Punk Head: There’s a tension in “Risen” between destruction and awakening. Do you think music can genuinely wake people up, or is it more about finding clarity for yourself first?
Deflecting Ghosts: I think music can genuinely wake people and make them think. “One night,” a song by Cold came on a mixed CD I made. Bleed came on, and that song literally saved my life that night. I won’t go into any details, but I wouldn’t have made it otherwise. I don’t think as many people these days connect with music in the same way as they did 15 years ago, but I still think there are some people it can reach.
Punk Head: You’re part of a scene that’s often about volume and impact — but your work feels introspective. How do you balance these different aspects?
Deflecting Ghosts: I’ve been through a lot and lost a lot of people close to me, and I’ve seen and experienced a lot of extremely traumatic things. I was an addict for years. I’ve died multiple times and had multiple heart attacks. I was homeless, and I’ve been a millionaire.
Now I’m living paycheck to paycheck, but I’m finally happy for the first time in my life . I’m at a good place in my life, and my music is about going through life, and I don’t care who you are; life is tough. I know there are people out there that struggle; there are real people out there that still want to know they aren’t the only ones going through something. They also can benefit from seeing that you can get through it. That’s what music did for me, and I grew up in the 90s and 2000s when people still sang about real things, and it helped me to know it’s okay to struggle; it’s okay to have pain, and it also showed me that music can help heal. So it’s not just for me; it’s my release; it’s how I cope and deal with my life, but I also wrote about it because I’m not the only one who is at the end of their rope, who sometimes is tired of fighting and struggling and wants to give up.
I know there are people out there that are dying on the inside, and if I can help by telling my story, that’s what I’m going to do. I hope that it’s loud enough to break through and will have some impact. It’s tough because a lot of people don’t want to hear about real issues these days. They want to just cover it up and say everything is okay, and it’s obvious things are not okay. People are not okay. All you have to do is look at question 2 and my answer from that. Watch the news; read the first 10 headlines on any news site.
People are struggling; there is a real problem right now, and it’s getting worse. People need to wake up and realize something is wrong. Someone needs to speak up and make people think about what that is, what is missing.
