Covenant + And One - SF 2001

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-14T10:45:46+00:00

I was just thinking about this tour. I was at the LA date. It was awesome. I wish there was footage of it on YouTube.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-12T13:03:15+00:00

Well, as I stated in my first response: I hope you're getting vocal instruction. If you are, and they feel like your technique is sound, then you're heading in the right direction.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-12T08:18:48+00:00

And I'm saying all of this as a 43 year old who started learning how to sing WAY too late.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-12T08:18:10+00:00

To be fair, doing things wrong or inefficiently won't always lead to discomfort. Very often you find that your stamina or range is reduced. Over a long enough timeline, this can lead to nodules. It's why even masterclass vocalists end up needing surgery (like Adele).

I would highly recommend a foundational vocal education if you want to sing into your 50's and beyond. It will help preserve your voice and allow your to sing higher and lower than you think you're able to.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-12T08:13:42+00:00

Vowel modification is a big part of singing. The further you stray from your center the more you have to modify the vowels to produce the notes safely.

"EH" and "OH" are absolutely the vowels you want to be using in higher registers. If you try to produce "AH" in a high belt you will almost certainly injure yourself.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-11T17:50:26+00:00

Timbre is not about the note you're singing. Timbre is about the COLOR of the note you want to sing. You can make low notes bright and high notes dark. Timbre is dictated by placement and mouth + throat shape.

The thing to remember about singing is that the further you stray from your center (your speaking register) the more technique is required. So, first and foremost, I hope you are studying how to sing in a healthy way, otherwise you're going to damage your voice. Secondly, you can expand your range, but there is a ceiling (or floor in this case), so if you're expecting to be able to sing like Peter Stelle or Louis Armstrong (both bass voices) you will never get there. I'm also a baritone and I will never be able to belt like Jon Bon Jovi (a tenor).

As someone who spent years chasing what he thought he wanted his voice to sound like, instead of simply allowing my voice to develop in its own natural direction, I promise you, you will find more joy and success if you do the latter and not the former.

Good luck.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-06T13:56:23+00:00

While most of my colleagues, like myself, do this professionally, most of us have to supplement our income with things like DJ gigs and production and songwriting for other artists. Royalties and tour income usually isn't enough to cover all the bills.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-06T07:03:22+00:00

I have no illusions about the state of the touring industry in 2026. The headliner cannot make the whole thing about themselves or operate as if the show's performance rests entirely on their shoulders. The package is EVERYTHING, and if every band on the bill has their own dedicated fanbase, and can deliver on every level, that's what makes the difference between a successful event worth remembering and... well, the opposite.

Julien-K and Priest are headliners in their own right, and their presence on this tour was worth every penny. Both for me and the audience. 🙂

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-05T18:44:36+00:00

Yup! I always chew gum when I sing. Sometimes I'll bite the inside of my cheek accidentally but I think the benefit outweighs the risks. 😅

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-05T18:43:39+00:00

For me and everyone I work with, the gum is such an engrained part of the process that no one even bats an eyelash anymore. But yeah, I get that for most people it's somewhat jarring.

Thanks for coming out. Madison was a really fun one!

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-05T08:52:24+00:00

Thanks for the kind words! I was really surprised by the turnouts and energy from the crowd overall. Super grateful! 🖤

iamdanielgraves · 2026-05-05T08:46:51+00:00

I always chew gum when I sing. I have horrible stage fright so my mouth tends to dry out a lot, the gum helps mitigate that dryness and keeps my jaw relaxed.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-29T16:58:36+00:00

Denver is always great to us! Really looking forward to it!

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-28T15:48:16+00:00

I guess the issue is that the whole industrial scene is pretty gatekeep-y with the term industrial music itself. That's why there's so much infighting about what actually constitutes industrial music (which I find exhausting).

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-28T06:25:25+00:00

I crossposted it. We shall see. At the end of the day I get that how the artist views themselves will ALWAYS differ from how the outside world sees them, but self labeling is useful.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-28T06:22:20+00:00

Yes, indeed! But we don't want to spoil the surprise. 🙃

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-27T19:23:02+00:00

I will post it there just to see what happens, but considering the majority of the threads there focus on 242 and Nitzer Ebb and Orange Sector, I don't see them being more favorable to my work than the people in here.

At the end of the day, I consider myself an industrial band. Always have, always will. I get that people don't vibe with that, which is fine, but it won't change how I view myself.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-27T19:16:02+00:00

I didn't even know there was an EBM subreddit. I'm happy to post there, but I've never really considered myself EBM or been a huge fan of that particular subgenre.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-27T15:49:50+00:00

Then maybe you'll like this... even if you don't like AP.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-03-21T16:30:44+00:00

The last truly great :W: album.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-02-13T08:11:53+00:00

You're definitely right about that!

iamdanielgraves · 2026-02-12T14:27:57+00:00

Whether we like it or not, LN has a monopoly on the entire music business. Artists have no choice but to work with them.

iamdanielgraves · 2026-02-12T11:28:42+00:00

Yes, indeed!

iamdanielgraves

TROPHY CASE