Back with a Bang! featuring an interview with Michale Graves





Hello everyone. I would like to say that it is great to be back blogging. And as the title suggests, what better way to comeback than to interview Ex-Misfits Singer Michale Graves while on his "When Worlds Collide" tour. The tour has not come through my town yet,but the last time I saw him perform was at a show that I had the distinct privilege of opening up for him. The energy from Michale and his band that night was unprecedented. I was able to get in touch with Michale while he is out on tour and this is what he had to say:



Nate:How did you first discover your love of music?
Michale:My home growing up in New Jersey was filled with music – classic rock n roll, early punk and big voices like Sinatra and Elvis


Nate:How did you develop the Michale Graves image and persona?
Michale:I had been interested in the theater for years – in front of and behind the curtain. Over the years I have evolved both the voice and my make-up – to now what we call the “Skel-crow”


Nate:Who are your influences?
Michale:Metallica, Megadeth, the Ramones


Nate:Tell me about this new album,what inspired the theme of this one? what songs stand out? how is this different from your previous releases?
Michale:The title that Mark (my business and music collaborator) came up with was “When Worlds Collide” and from a vocal and style standpoint that is exactly what this album is – called it “Graves fusion". There is punk, rock, heavy metal, monster rock – all on one album. The range of song (11 on the album) are all very different yet still within the same family to be on the same album. “Bedlam” is an absolutely frenetic train ride…while “When Worlds Collide” is a more focused rock song….





Nate:Mark Allen Stuart is producing this album, how did this collaboration come to light(should I say dark lol)and how is it working along side of him as you both molded these albums into finished products?
Michale:Mark and I meet 4 years ago. We met several times in person and decided to become business partners about 5 years later. Mark not only operates the business and produces our music but he also writes and directs our video projects.


Nate:How did the songs evolve from your ideas on paper to the final recordings?

Michale:Mark created the concept for the album – 9 of the songs are based on classic horror or sci fi films. After the concept is created we discuss each title and have “homework” to watch the original film. Then I write the music and I send a demo to Mark. We then work out the final lyrics. The 2 songs that weren’t based on classic films are “3 Days til Dawn” – that is a unique concept Mark had for a potential film project. The last song “Dying on Sunday Morning” takes up where “Crying on Saturday Night” left off.


Nate:Are there any personal favorite songs on this album? If so what are they and what are they about?
Michale:That’s like saying who is my favorite child….:-) I think that “Robot Monster” is a really big song….very heavy – and 3 Days til Dawn is like listening to a monster movie.


Nate:What is the message that you are trying to give to your fans with When Worlds Collide?
Michale:The message is that we are in a very turbulent yet dynamic time….think about it, don’t let it get by you.


Nate:Will there be any music videos?
Michale:Yes we did a music video for “Old Dark House”. Mark had the idea of using footage from William Castles classic “House on Haunted Hill” and he reshot the beginning with me doing the intro and we used some fans in the video as well.





Nate: How did the album art come to life? was this your concept? who did the final draft?
Michale:Mark does all of the art concepts - directed Tony Treloar for the art.


Nate:What is band line up for this album and tour?
Michale:We have Loki, JB and Tony Bones again on this tour


Nate:What is it like being on tour with these guys both on and off the stage?
Michale:After 55 venues…you get to know each other really well. But they are great –real pros


Nate:Comparing this to previous tours, what is something that you hope will happen again on this tour?
Michale:We are focusing on the new music this tour. We will play the classics and I know how people love them, but I still go out and people ask “You don’t have any new work since the Misfits?” So the new music is really important to me.


Nate:How is the tour going so far?
Michale:Actually – it is starting out as the best tour ever! Huge crowds and really happy people!


Nate:What is your favorite thing about being on tour?
Michale:Simple – meeting the people – its why I do it.


Nate:What are favorite cities to play in and why?
Michale:Really as long as fans are there – I would play on a bus Really I like each city for different reasons.


Nate:Would you like to say something to your fans?
Michale:Thank you thank you thank you – for all of the continued support!!!


For more information on upcoming tour dates, please see the poster below and for more information on how to Purchase When Worlds Collide and Michale's Other releases please Visit:

Hydraulic Entertainment



Hello, I'm Nate Dal Cais. I am a life long musician and songwriter. Most notably with my own band Imbolg, which I am the lead singer and guitar player for. And I also started our record label, Forever Autumn Records. I decided to create this blog to share my experiences as a musician, educate others on Musical facts and interviews other artists. I have also created a web series on You Tube "Talking Straight with Nate" for the same purpose and talking about my favorite show Cobra Kai. More Info Here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wonder Years : Revisiting the past for one night that will be remembered forever

Image
Hello All, This post is dedicated to my friends, classmates and teachers from Ridgefield Park Class of 1994 For those of you who don’t know, I write a weekly blog post about life and stories as musician with some music facts. I usually start with a paragraph like the next one you’re about to read(unless you find this one too corny and say “Fuck this”lol) You are welcome to continue to read on and share with anyone you like and feel free to read my Inagrual Post . I’m sure by now we all back to our routines and this past weekend is yet another great moment in time we can look back on fondly. However, for myself personally I found it to be a really enriching experience that helped me look at my preset life with more perspective. A lot has been going on lately, and I don’t just mean my ability to keep this updated on a consistent basis. After last week It’s safe to say, I’ve covered the topics of when to speak and when to listen. But I should point out...
Read more

I’ll Stop the World and Melt With You

Image
Hello All, I know this one is coming to you a bit late this week. There’s been so much going on. And while I should be dozing off because I have a gig early in the day tomorrow, I decided to at least start writing this. Tomorrow is my first official gig of the year with the band. We have a few more planned and since I’m helping coordinate some of them I’ve been busy trying to handle some preliminary business. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how fast time moves. Which is probably why when we get the opportunity to look back at the past, we do it with such nostalgia. Most likely because it was gone in the blink of an eye, without us even taking a quick pause. Those of us who have have seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off know that he told us to do just that. And we probably didn’t even listen.- I had plans to continue this shortly after or the day after the show. But here I am over a week and a half later continuing this while laying on a beach in Jamaica. Thi...
Read more

With a Little Help from My Friends

Image
Hello All, I would like to thank everybody that took the time to read my post from last week . I was truly unaware I wasn’t the only one that was having anxious feelings upon our upcoming high school reunion. And I’m glad that we were all able to overcome that and have a good night to remember. Like many other issues that troubles our lives, they are often easier to overcome when you discover other people better dealing with the same problems. After all, the feeling of isolation or lack of understanding only compounds a problem. So “strength in numbers” as they say. I’m still amazed by the fact that, despite all the time that has passed and how we have gone our separate ways, so many of us were in the same place mentally. Maybe this is because we all started off in the same place. Who knows? But I do know that it for me it was not only a great time, but a real eye opener about life in general. I maybe acting a bit dramatic here or taken by how wonderful the reuni...
Read more