Michale Graves

For other people named Michael Graves, seeMichael Graves (disambiguation).

Michale Graves
Graves performing in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Michael Emanuel
Born	(1975-03-21)March 21, 1975 Dumont, New Jersey,U.S.
Genres	Horror punk heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Geffen Roadrunner GDU Hydraulic/Vile of Venom Horror High SOS
Formerly of	Graves Misfits Gotham Road

Michael Emanuel(born March 21, 1975), better known by his stage nameMichale Graves,is an American singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist for the 1990s re-incarnation of thehorror punkbandMisfitsfrom 1995 to 2000, leaving briefly in 1998. He has also released several albums as a solo artist.

Life and career

Misfits

Graves was born and raised inDumont, New Jersey.He was recording a demo with his band the Mopes inLodi, New Jersey,when their engineer, Bob Alecca, mentioned that the Misfits were reforming and holding auditions for a new singer. Graves bought theCollection IandWalk Among Usalbums to familiarize himself with the band and became an official member about a year after trying out.

In September 2008, Graves confirmed that he would return to the Misfits if asked: "Jerryand I do not have a dysfunctional working relationship. Him and I both know and I know he knows that I am on board. It is a phone call away. I won't step back into what I walked away from, but the problem isn't with Jerry and I. The problem is withDoyleand withChud."

On December 26, 2009, Graves appeared on stage with Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and Dr. Chud's bandGorgeous Frankensteinat theStarland BallroominSayreville, New Jersey,who was opening forDanzig.While on stage, the band (along with Graves on vocals) played four late-1990s-era Misfits songs ( "Helena", "Lost in Space", "Scarecrow Man" and "Shining" ), but they were cut short from playing "Dig Up Her Bones"due to time.

Graves' singing can be found onAmerican Psycho,Famous Monsters,backup vocals on the 1999 single "Monster Mash",and"Cuts from the Crypt".He also wrote original songs for the band such as"Dig Up Her Bones","American Psycho ","Scream!","Saturday Night "," This Island Earth "," Fiend without a Face "," Shining "," The Haunting "," Devil Doll "," Witch Hunt ", and" Fiend Club ".

Graves (left) with the Misfits in 1998

Lost Boys

During a break in touring in 2000, Graves andDr. Chudformed a band called The Lost Boys. They played two shows before the Misfits regrouped to embark on another tour, which was their last tour with this lineup. The first Lost Boys show consisted of Graves on an acoustic guitar and vocals while Dr. Chud played drums. They played Misfits songs they had written as well as songs later used for the bandGraveswhich Graves wrote. The second show was the same music played as the first show, only this time the lineup consisted of Graves on vocals and electric guitar (he used Misfits guitaristDoyle's oldIbanezIceman which was given to Graves as a gift upon joining the Misfits back in 1995), Dr. Chud on drums, and "J-Sin Trioxin" (Mister Monster) on bass. Later on as an encore set, J.V. Bastard (ofMister Monster,Gotham Road,Darrow Chemical Company, andBlitzkid) took the stage joining the band to play guitar as Graves sang. The four played a set of "classic" Misfits songs from the 1977–1983 era of the band.

Graves

After Graves and Dr. Chud's split with the Misfits on October 25, 2000, they formed the bandGraveswhich made one album calledWeb of Dharma.Before the band finished writing songs, recording, touring and even solidifying a lineup, Graves rejoined the Misfits, but only as a guest vocalist for a month during the M25 kickoff tour. He would perform Misfits songs written during the time of his tenure with the band to raise money for his new project, Graves. During a two-day break on theirWeb of Dharma 2tour, the band recorded what was to be new material for a second album in Ripsnorter Studios, located inMinneapolis, Minnesota.The studio is owned by members of the Minneapolis horror rock band Ripsnorter, who offered the band free studio time. The recordings were never finished due to disagreements between the mi xing of the songs and have never officially been released. After two successful US tours and the verge of a breakout record contract, Graves dissolved due to differences between Graves and Dr. Chud, after only releasing one album.

Gotham Road

Graves formedGotham Rdshortly after with Loki, JV Bastard and Paul Lifeless. Under the assumed name ofGravesthey recorded a five-song demo of redone Graves songs, three which were released onWeb of Dharmaand two other songs which had been written and demoed with the original Graves lineup but not officially released. Around this time is also when Graves announced via his website that he would begin producing other bands albums on his off time. One such band is Stressbomb fromConnecticutwho recorded their first album,Self Medicate,with Graves as producer and his drummer Quincy as engineer during January 2006.After a few months of the band practicing, they decided to change the band's name toGotham Rd.They released one album before going on hiatus so Graves could join theU.S. Marines.His last show ever was to be on December 31, 2004. They went on two successful tours: 2003'sSeasons of the Witchtour and 2004'sMourning Lightstour. Before theirMourning Lightstour, the band entered a studio to record three new songs they had written after their first tour. Out of the three songs, only one ( "My Way" ) had been mixed. The only way it was available for listening was by requesting it onSeton Hall University'sWSOU,Pirate Radio. Before going on indefinite hiatus they would play one-off shows in New Jersey when home from thePunk Rock Is Dead,Graves solo tour. Their second-to-last show to date was held at the now defunct Connections inClifton, New Jersey,in March 2005. The band announcedThe Nightmare Rides Are Backall over the net and played a one-time-only reunion show inBelmar, New Jersey,at the Goodwill Fire Hall with Cryptovyrus, The Zombie Mafia, Morbid Visions, and Johnny B. Morbid. They played a mix of material from Graves' solo works, Graves re-records, and Gotham Road, as well as some Misfits songs written by Graves. In 2008 and 2009, the band contributed some songs to the German compilation CDsGet Acquainted Vol. 1andVol. 2.

Solo projects and beyond

2005–2008

Right before his leave for the marines, Graves was approached by Horror High Records to do a solo album. He eventually recorded his debut solo recordPunk Rock Is Deadin 2005. The entire album was written and recorded with friend and bandmate in Gotham Road, Paul Lifeless, on drums in only one month. After beinghonorably dischargeddue to a back injury, Graves went to embark on a tour in support of the album with Loki, JV Bastard and Matt Johnson.

In March 2006, Graves began a tour in support ofDamien Echolsand theWest Memphis Three.Matt Johnson was replaced with Quincy Smash, who had played bass guitar for one of Graves' bands, The Mopes, before the Misfits. To coincide with the 2006 Halloween/Almost Home 2tour, Graves' second solo effort titledReturn to Earthwas released on Halloween day of 2006.

Graves has written an album entitledIllusionswith Echols. It consists of 15 songs and was released October 31, 2007. The lyrics are written by Echols and Graves, and feature J~Sin Trioxin and Quincy Smash. A year later, in October 2008, Graves releasedIllusions Live/Viretta Park,a combination live album and demo EP. It was recorded on April 24, 2008, at Club Bourbon inNew Port Richey, Florida,and July 8 and 9, 2008 atBucharest,Romania.

Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg

Graves performing with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg in 2010

Graves began touring as the singer forMarky Ramone's Blitzkrieg, which features the namesake drummer and at one stage members of the band Antiproduct, although the band now features a rotating lineup. The band covers vintageRamonessongs live, and in 2010 recorded a cover of a Graves song called "When We Were Angels", originally featured onIllusions.In March 2011, Blitzkrieg also released another song written by Graves entitled "If and When".

2012–present

In March 2012, Graves met Mark Allen Stuart, CEO of Hydraulic Entertainment. After several meetings discussing potential projects, Stuart and Graves decided to create their first albumVagabond.On September 28, 2012, Graves began a pledge throughKickstarterto release the album,which eventually was released on February 6, 2013. WithVagabond,Graves showed a completely different side of his songwriting, as the album genre ranges betweenfolk,rockandcountry.The release marked the beginning of the highly productive and successful partnership between Graves and Hydraulic Entertainment. On August 27, 2013, the albumVagabond Acousticwas released, containing eightacoustic songsfromVagabondwith a short description of each song.

Later in 2012, a second Kickstarter release was announced,Lost Skeleton Returns,which Graves referred to as a return to horror punk, and stated would feature ten re-recorded classics as well as four new songs.Lost Skeleton Returnswas released on June 20, 2013.Motionless in Whitevocalist Chris Motionless provided guest vocals on the track "Forbidden Planet". The album was supported by nationwide touring with Graves performing as his infamous "Skele-Crow" character for the first time in nearly a decade. Following the release ofLost Skeleton Returns,an instrumental version of the album was issued and made available to fans online. An extremely limited number of copies of this edition were made. An acoustic album calledSupernaturalwas released on February 7, 2014, and features acoustically performed songs ofLost Skeleton Returns.

On June 3, 2014, Graves released a new album titledWanderer,a musical follow-up toVagabond,which was once again funded through his Kickstarter project.An acoustic version of the record calledWanderer Acousticwas released on February 3, 2015, following the tradition ofVagabond AcousticandSupernatural.Later in 2015, a CD titledThe Hydraulic Entertainment Demo's Volume 1with demo recordings of songs fromVagabond,Lost Skeleton Returns,Vagabond AcousticandSupernaturalwas released.

In January 2016, the full-band albumWhen Worlds Collidewas released as the follow-up toLost Skeleton Returns.The album contained 11 new songs and combined punk, horror punk and monster rock in Graves' typical manner. The record also included the sequel to the fan-favorite song "Crying on Saturday Night", which is called "Dying on Sunday Morning". In summer 2016, Graves recorded and released the albumBedlam,which is the acoustic counterpart toWhen Worlds Collide.A new take on "Dying on Sunday Morning" was added with the song "Feels Like I'm Dying". In the spirit ofLost Skeleton Returns Instrumental,Graves releasedWhen Worlds Collide Instrumentallater that year. Graves and Hydraulic Entertainment also made the demos ofWhen Worlds Collideavailable for the fans and released a limited CD with early versions of the songs.

So far, Graves has produced and worked on 14 music projects/albums with Hydraulic Entertainment.

Michale Graves' current solo project is managed by Arturo Santaella (Lynch-Moore Studios). Graves and Santaella started an acoustic tour around the U.S. in September 2021 performing in venues and private parties. Per Santaella, Graves is scheduled to tour in South America in 2022.

Other projects / guest vocals

Along with the month-long writing and recording session ofPunk Rock Is Dead,Graves also laid down vocal tracks for the band Summer's End's debut self-titled release. He wrote the lyrics and recorded the vocals for the song "Headwound". Graves wrote and sang on the albumThe All-Star Sessions,made by all the bands which reside on theRoadrunnerrecord label, before his departure into the marines. His vocals can be found on the track he penned withTrivium's guitarist/singerMatt Heafy,"I Don't Wanna Be (a Superhero)".

Graves appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "Zombie Romance" in Snow White's Poison Bite's albumSnow White's Poison Bite: Featuring Dr. Gruesome and the Gruesome Gory Horror Show,released in April 2013.

In October 2014, Graves and the Russian punk band Night of Samhain released a double-album on the Hydraulic Entertainment label. The first disc contains the entire album with English vocals, translated and sung by Graves. The second disc contains the original album by Night of Samhain, sung in Russian by the band's lead singer Michael Shaforostov. The concept for the two-CD album was created by Hydraulic Entertainment CEO Mark Allen Stuart and the project was nominated for an Independent Music Award – Album of the Year. In 2015, the second double-albumRevenge of the Zombieswas released, featuring acoustic renditions of songs fromZombies Unite.The first eight tracks are English versions performed by Graves, while the second eight are Russian versions performed by Night of Samhain.

On August 28, 2015, Graves started another Kickstarter campaign forNightmares,featuring a collection of classic horror stories read by himself. The project was successfully funded and released in late 2015.

On August 27, 2016, Swedish punk band Zombiesuckers released their albumFrom Ashes,including the single "Endless Sleep" featuring lead vocals by Graves.

Political views

Graves became a contributor to theConservative Punkwebsite in the early 2000s. In 2004, he was interviewed on his conservative positions on a piece forThe Daily ShowwithJon Stewart.He identified as alibertarianin 2013.In 2020, Graves endorsed theProud Boysin anInstagrampost. The post was later deleted.

In 2021, Graves posted on his website a page titled "See You In Washington DC on January 5th and 6th" and an image of a poster advertising "InfoWarsAlex JonesRally to Save America "(Jan. 5), with the statement" I will be in Washington DC on January 5th and 6th taking part in several different missions alongside hundreds of thousands of fellow American patriots rally in the capital. "Similar poster art was posted on his Instagram page, including one apparently by "Latinos for Trump"with a photo of Graves and the words" FREEDOM RALLY SPECIAL APPEARANCE "with the date January 6.In mid-December 2020, Graves posted on hisParleraccount "Seems like the choice is war" - no context was given. On January 5, 2021, he posted "The next two days changes everything. We are ready. We are awake. We are fuckin' pissed!" On January 6, he posted a picture apparently of members of Congress lying on the floor between rows of seats, apparently taken that day, along with these words: "When the people fear the government, there is tyranny... When the government fears the people... There is liberty." He later posted "R. I. P. America 1776-2021."

Graves reportedly agreed to play a private show for the Proud Boys in Washington, D.C., on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, but “ghosted” (as in didn’t show up) the show. In March, he was listed as a possible witness for the defense by lawyers representingEthan "Rufio" Nordeanwho was charged with conspiracy in connection with the2021 United States Capitol attack.

Discography

The Misfits

Studio albums

• American Psycho(1997)
• Famous Monsters(1999)

Live albums

• Evillive II(1998)

Compilation albums

• Cuts from the Crypt(2001)

Singles

• "Dig Up Her Bones"(1997)
• "Scream!"(1999)
• "Monster Mash"(1999)

Graves

• Web of Dharma(2002)

Gotham Road

• Seasons of the Witch(2003)
• Gotham Rd. Live in Portland(2004)

Solo

Studio albums

• Punk Rock Is Dead(2005)
• Return to Earth(2006)
• Illusions(with Damien Echols) (2007)

Studio albumswith Hydraulic Entertainment LLC AV

• Vagabond(2013)
• The Lost Skeleton Returns(2013)
• Vagabond Acoustic(2013)
• Supernatural(2014)
• Wanderer(2014)
• Wanderer Acoustic(2015)
• Nightmares(2015)
• When Worlds Collide(2016)
• Bedlam(2016)
• Backroads(2017)
• The World Turned Upside Down(2017)
• Keys(2018)

Compilation albums

• Demos and Live Cuts Vol. I(2007)
• Demos and Live Cuts Vol. II(2007)
• Demos and Live Cuts Vol. III(2008)
• Demos and Live Cuts Vol. IV: The 1998 Sessions(2008)
• The Scarecrow Selections (Box Set)(2009)

Compilation albums with Hydraulic Entertainment LLC AV

• Supernatural Instrumental(2014)
• Drifter(2015)
• The Hydraulic Entertainment Demo's Volume 1(2015)
• When Worlds Collide Instrumental(2016)
• The Legacy Collection (Box Set)(2016)
• When Worlds Collide Demo Disc(2016)
• The World Turned Upside Down (Demos)(2017)

Live albums

• Illusions Live(2008)
• Halifax: Live at the Musicroom(2009)

Extended plays

• Viretta Park(2008)
• Arkansas Sessions(2008)
• Burn Baby Burn(2011)
• Trilogy(2017)

Singles

• "No Rain"(Blind Meloncover) (2012)

Collaborations

Studio albums

• Zombies Unite(with Night of Samhain) (2014)
• Revenge of the Zombies(with Night of Samhain) (2015)

Singles

• "I Don't Wanna Be (A Superhero)" (with Roadrunner United) (2005)
• "When We Are Angels" (with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg) (2010)
• "If And When" (with Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg) (2011)
• "Touch Me" (with Sardonica) (2012)
• "Endless Sleep" (with Zombie Suckers) (2016)
• "East Versus West" (with No Buffer) (2016)

Filmography

• Animal Room(1995) credited as The Misfits
• Big Money Hustlas(2000), credited as The Misfits
• Bruiser(2000), credited as the Misfits
• Campfire Stories(2001), credited as The Misfits
• Perkins' 14(2009), credited as Michale Graves
• The Pier(2011), credited as Michale Graves
• Zombie(2012), credited as Michale Graves
• Half Human(2014), credited as Michale Graves
• Wanderer(2014), credited as Michale Graves
• Zombies(2014), credited as Michale Graves
• Ripper(2015), credited as Michale Graves

External links

• Official website
• Michale GravesatAllMusic
• Hydraulic Entertainment website
• Interview with Michale Graves
• Billboard article about Graves/Damien Echols collaboration