It seems like everyone in Arizona knows the story of Ghastly, a guy who grew up on a goat farm in Buckeye who risked it all moving out to L.A. for the chance to make it as a DJ/producer. I got the chance to sit down with Ghastly at Goldrush last weekend and crack deeper into life and mind of Ghastly. David Lee Crow was born in Buckeye, Arizona to a family that owned a goat farm, and as you can imagine, working on a farm requires dedication, persistence and a strong will. “They really instill hard work and a genuine effort at a young age because working on a farm you really have to pull your weight. They [his parents] were always hardcore entrepreneurs and they really made me understand business and music is a business.”

Many musicians come into the industry with a dream and a love for music while others come into the industry seeing it as a cash cow. David had a different appreciation for music than the rest of his family, one that was more intimate and abstract which allowed him to understand both aspects of the industry.

He remembers his love for heavier music that drove his sounds such as Megadeth and Slipknot but he also remembers the moment he realized that music has a power unlike anything else. “I love big melodies with lots of aggression and that’s where a lot of my music came from with like Megadeth and Slipknot but I remember my parents cracked all my albums and threw them in the trash and I looked into the trash I realized, ‘Wow, if music can make someone scared of a fucking disc, this is some powerful stuff.’ And it made me love it even more.”

It was around 20 that David decided that he wanted to move out to Los Angeles, California to pursue music full time and try to make a career out of it. He was originally in a band with other members but he wanted to evolve his music to a new level. David explained how in a band every person is a pillar and without one person pulling their weight everything would fall apart. When he realized not everyone wanted this dream of music as much as him, he packed up everything he had into a van and drove out to sunny California for a shot to make it, but it wasn’t easy. “It was hard you know sleeping in parking lots writing music off of a laptop charging it at Jack in the Box.” He was able to find work but in his words, “I was great at the job interview but bad at the actual jobs.”

After having 8 jobs in a matter of three years he lost everything and he realized that he had to move back home. David left California with a steely resolve to come back and prove himself again. “It’s hard having to look into the eyes of failure and doubt but doubt is just a way of seeing what kind of resolve you have.”

“I came home and I said okay look, I’m not going to go out as much, I’m not going to party as much, I’m not going to go out of my way to meet up with random girls I’m going to focus and make music and that’s it.” It seems like after his first failure, David was ready to come back and make his dream happen no matter what happens. He started by writing for EDM.com and from that doing promotional work at Exchange LA and it wasn’t long before he got his first opportunity to open in the bottom room.

What started out as a bottom floor opportunity quickly rose into a residency but he worked hard for every opportunity he got no matter what it costs. “For some people, success just falls into their lap but for the 99% of people who work their asses off we go through obstacles and me personally, I like the journey and evolving.”

Ghastly has definitely evolved over the years and while he maintains his heavy, aggressive style he has also seen success in the melodic realm as well. “I like to make pretty stuff because I like pretty stuff and the name Ghastly came from this idea that I wanted to transcend hose euphoric feelings.”

Ghastly’s first exposure to the rave scene was Bloodfest 2009 and it was the first time he had ever seen a DJ play something besides Love Shack or the Macarena. While he primarily remembers the hardstyle sets with the heavy ‘kong’ most of us know well it was the whole experience that enticed him. “The whole idea of one person writing the song and actually making the music was enticing because I was still in the metal band at the time but yeah it was an amazing experience.”

The best part about Ghastly I that he is a part of a big wave of Arizona Superstars such as Mija, Bijou, and Drezo with so many more people up and coming as time goes on. The feeling he had about that was almost what you would expect from a proud parent. “It’s awesome a lot of really creative people are coming out of Arizona, growing up here we entertain each other or entertain ourselves. If we had a beach or Six Flags or a Magic Mountain then we wouldn’t get anything done and I think that’s why we are so creative.”

be sure to head over to freedlancecollective.com for his full video interview and even more exclusive content!