Don’t Forget The Exclamation Point: An Interview With Believe In Ghost!

By Dan Dellechiaie | August 4, 2026

The first time I heard Believe in Ghost! was at a battle of the bands in Queens, where I was rooting for the band that'd played before them. I was outside with that band's guitarist getting some fresh air when Believe In Ghost! started. After one song, I turned to the guitarist, pointed inside, and said, "I'm so sorry, but they're gonna win." Believe In Ghost! did end up winning the first round and losing in the finals (booooooo!), but what they did win through their excellent blend of funk-rap-blues and their charming stage presence and maybe their black-and-white baseball jerseys were many new fans. knifetwister records new york sat down with Believe In Ghost! as they were preparing for the release of their second LP.

What's Believe In Ghost!'s origin story? Where does your awesome name come from? How did you guys meet?

Billy: Rocco and I met while working with our previous band, All Types of Kinds. We also met Berk (an original member of BIG!) at the same time, brought together by the band leader separately. When that project disbanded, the three of us decided to keep working together since we had a good relationship and started kicking around names. It took nearly two months for one to stick, stemming from a conversation we were having at dinner. "Rocco, do you believe in ghosts?..believe in ghosts ... Believe In Ghost (no "s", too much tss tss). When the server came back, we asked what they thought, they mulled it over a second and said, "yeah." We tried it at a few gigs, said it a bunch, found all the names online were available, and that was it.

Rocco: Yeah it was a lot of trial and error with the new name. A lot of them at first were so dour or flat, but something about "Believe in Ghost!" with that exclamation point felt optimistic and like it fit what we wanted to do with the rebrand.

You guys blend funk, blues, and rap in such a fun way that you can't help but dance at your shows. Do you each bring a specific genre to the musical potluck?

Rocco: Billy definitely brings most of the hip-hop influence, and I feel like my love of dance music, funk, disco, and pop helps to drive some grooviness. Tyler loves angular and alternative rock music and jazz quite a bit which can add some much needed edge. I feel like through all that, we craft a blueprint for our sound that comes out when we get to writing the material together.

Billy: We all have such diverse musical tastes and influences; it would be impossible not to combine them naturally. We have a very easy-going writing style with everyone contributing at all times. If the idea works, it's in. I don't think we are consciously trying to switch or mashup genres, it comes about very organically.

Tyler: Organic is a great way to put it. When I started playing with Believe in Ghost!, we immediately clicked - everything was welcome. I loved that no one was a telling anyone else what to do. We all clearly had respect and admiration for each other as people and artists and trusted each other musically to add what felt right. I think that's a really special element of this group.

For people fed up with passive resistance, "Terrorism" is a punch in the right direction. What inspired it?

Billy: After the election, I made a joke to a friend of mine that is a local organizer and activist, "I don't wanna be a revolutionary, I just wanna be an artist." They said to me that that was my part and it really inspired me to use my words and voice as a tool. Fascists don't want people speaking up about anything, they rule by fear. So instead of being coy or tongue-in-cheek, I wanted to deliver a sobering statement and leave no doubt as to where I stand. I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by bandmates who believe in the right causes too.

Rocco: There's also a much longer version of that verse and song we recorded. He had a lot to get off his chest, and I can comfortably say he does a great job of not just articulating his own frustrations with the world, but also representing our values and feelings as a band too.

Talk to me about "Mindless", your new high energy love song.

Rocco: I feel like this one was constructed in a way that is representative of how we're making this entire second record. We found the structure piece by piece, moved a section of the song from one place to another, thought of a groovy thing and added it later, even threw a key change in just because! We really just collaborated harder than ever to Frankenstein this thing together. We actually named it before we wrote any of the lyrics too, so we had to find a way to retroactively make the name work for the song. It was a really exciting approach and is fun to take that "let's try it" energy into creating the whole record.

Billy: It's actually the first song I've written on the bass! I had been wanting an upbeat, fun, catchy riff people could jam too.

Tyler: We love to groove out and Mindless grooves pretty hard. And it's always fun to get the audience involved, and the breakdown gives a good opportunity for that. Also I get to take a guitar solo on this song, which I don't do very often, and that's exciting for me.

On stage, you guys wear custom baseball jerseys. Where did that idea come from? Can I get one :)?

Billy: Rocco and I are huge baseball fans. Red Sox and the Mets, respectively. I'm also part of a sandlot league that got custom jerseys at a fairly affordable price so I thought it would be great to roll into a gig as a team. Fans and band alike with a very distinct piece of merch. And of course, you can get one! There's an order form on our LinkTree now!

Rocco: Please join the team! Pick your own name and number and wear it to the show.

Everyone should check out your debut LP, TIME, especially my favorite track "Once Upon A Time." But what direction does your new record take you guys?

Billy: Thanks for saying as much. That record took us a while because we wrote and developed it over the course of two-three years as we established our stage show. "TIME" was a maximalist effort that dealt with a lot of existential themes and delved into the idea of time, much of it looking into the past. This new record is titled, "NOW!" (that's an exclusive right there!), and concerns...well, now. On this one, we're taking a very active approach for a more immediate effect. We want to leave in the blemishes. As with most if not all of our recordings, all the main instruments are recorded live together in the studio then we pick the best take, overdub our vocals and any other instruments over it afterward. We've also gone back to a more stripped back, homemade style of recording to keep an atmosphere of directness.

Rocco: Yeah this new record is a whole different experience. All the songs are coupled together in pairs that sample bits of each other which was a lot of fun trying to make happen. We're also getting weird with it. Look forward to some sound FX, many shouty, punky, gang vocals, and even a radio announcer intermission.

Tyler: This album is one wild ride! We're all pretty upset with the state of the world and specifically our country right now. To be fortunate enough to live in a country as prosperous as this, with this magnitude of suffering, desperation, hate, fear, and divisiveness is beyond a tragedy. There's an anger with the current state of affairs that comes through pretty clear on this album. I think the raw nature of our approach to recording this album lends itself to carrying those sentiments with deeper truth and mirrors the immediacy and messy nature of everything that's happening now.

What's each of your favorite songs on your new record and why?

Billy: We recorded our first "metal" song and it bangs! I'm super excited to play it live!

Rocco: I think for me it may be the song right before the "metal" track called "SOMETHING" because we all get a verse and a chorus, and the lyrical content of the song along with the musical stops are really bombastic and exciting.

Tyler: Mine is called "BEST DAY" because it's how I feel every day.

MC Billy! This one's for you: there aren't many bands rapping these days. I blame nu metal. Can you spit some bars about what rap brings to your sound? (You can totally answer this question in verse, if you're so compelled. Prose is fine too.)

Billy: Haha, please leave in the prompt to answer in verse. I'll spare us all and leave it in the music though. I love hip-hop. The music itself is a lesson into the history of music, borrowing from every genre and creating something new. Before being in any band, I was a MC/songwriter and released several mixtapes and EPs, so it was natural to incorporate it within any other projects I was part of.

If readers need a laugh, they should check out your comedy skits on Instagram and TikTok. What do you think about the lengths bands have to go to to remain digitally relevant?

Rocco: The internet is supposed to be this powerful tool for creation and accessibility (allegedly), but the algorithms for these platforms can be gate-kept and reserved for those playing the game the most. It can be disheartening because most musicians have to work day jobs to pay bills, so

there isn't that much time to also become a social media professional. I think for us, we don't want to worry too much about being relevant in a

'normal' way, and just make content and music that we love and hope it gets pushed out to other weirdos like us haha.

Billy: We want to satirize the whole thing. It seems ridiculous to us so if we have to do it, we might as well be as absurd and funny as possible without coming off as bitter or vindictive about it.

What's next for Believe In Ghost!?

Billy: We want to hit the road, jack! I think we are an incredible live band and I want to spread the music far and wide. Hoping to drop this new album this year too!

Rocco: Definitely dropping an album this year, but yeah, bigger stages, more music, more travel, all the time.

Who are your favorite bands to play with, your comrades, your day ones?

Billy: We love playing with Lolux (Astoria band). We make a great bill. We did two battle of the bands in the past year and all the bands in those were amazing. We met Cellophane Kiss through that and are joining them on some bills coming up!

Rocco: Also shout out to NOTNORTH who are killing it, as well as Planet Mercury

Tyler: In addition to those awesome bands, we love to play with Loser Cruiser (make sure to check out their new band, Good Ruined, as well) and King $lut. Also, I really hope we can play with the great bands, Thrilldriver and The Manimals, very soon!

Anyone you'd like to thank?

Billy: Would love to thank our BOOs! Everyone who has even bothered to give us a listen, or come to a show, or buy a shirt. We wouldn't be anywhere without them.

Tyler: I also want to thank my family and my partner, Alicia, for all the support. And most importantly, I want to thank my band mates. I feel very fortunate to have friends and artistic collaborators like these guys. I'm proud of the work we've done and I'm incredibly excited for this album and beyond. Cheers to all the chapters ahead!

Rocco: I'd like to thank the academy (preemptively).

Band links: https://linktr.ee/believeinghost

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