When Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields met in Toronto in 2005, they discovered their mutual obsession with the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. Once they realized their shared affinity for the eerie, it was only natural for them to start work on a theatrical-monster-ghost-love story for the stage. They decided that this story should have music, so they began learning how to play various instruments. Eventually, they decided to continue with the music and put the play aside. Their band, Dead Man's Bones, began recording, and Now release their self-titled debut.