April 2009 Update and News

PERKINS 14
Last I wrote to you all a few months back I was working the theatrical release of Perkins’ 14 and Horrorfest III. It did very well on the big screens thanks to all of you. I have to especially thank all of the volunteers and streetteamers across the country who hit up all the conventions and really did a great job promoting for me. The entire cast and crew of “Perkins” thanks you!
On March 31rst the film was released on DVD and is now available at many retail outlets and online through amazon.com

Check out some Perkins 14 interviews:

• the 213
• Dread Central
• We Are Movie Geeks
• Dread Central
• Hagi’s Movie A Day
• On Youtube
• Quiet Earth

I hope to return to the big screen in 2010 under Craig Singers direction in another film he has written called “Paradiddle” that we both have an incredible amount of passion for and a burning desire to make. I had the opportunity to perform it live on stage in NYC a few months ago under the direction of Thomas G Waites.

BLITZKRIEG
I began working with Marky in November of last year. We went to Europe and played a handful of shows together consisting of RAMONES classics just a few days after I had returned from my US tour.

I met him and the rest of the band in Italy.

We rehearsed in Markys room where he played drums on the bed and Alex and Clare strummed there unplugged instruments for about 15 minutes before being shut-down by hotel management for making too much noise. The next night I walked out onto the stage to continue a remarkable American musical legacy started in the early 70′s by a bunch of kids from New York who decided to call themselves THE RAMONES.

The European tour was very successful. I was able to go back to Romania and see some new friends I made while working on Perkins 14 in Bucharest. The true spirit of Rock N Roll is alive and well indeed in Eastern Europe.

On March 4, 2009 we celebrated Marky’s new line of clothes he inspired and designed with his old friend Tommy Hilfiger. The band kicked off the release in NYC in SOHO at the Tommy Hilfiger store by blasting through a 35 minute set that blew everyones mind that attended.

Photos and slideshows:

• At Wire Image
• At Getty Images
• By Patrick McMullan
• At Papermag

The next day I got on a plane with the band and we flew to Mexico to play where a city under siege and marred in violence embraced us and for a short time was able to escape the reality of the outside world to rock out with us. After the second show as we were trying to leave, hundreds of our fans became so rabid that they litteraly attacked us and our vehicle. The scene escalated into a near riot situation before we were able to escape.

I want to thank a good friend of mine, Vampiro, who calls Mexico home and continues to work tirelessly to help transform his country and protect, inspire and motivate the people, especially the youth of that country and ours through his actions and work with The Guardian Angels. To find out more about this organization or to get involved click here.

Our first American show was next on the list and took place on March 17th, 2009 in Tupelo, MS the birthplace of Elvis Presley. As many of you know I am no stranger to the south and with the hard work of all my good friends down that way including my buddy Rick Dunsford who brought us to Tupelo and put on the show through his company we broke the attendance record at “Benjamins On Main”.

A week later we sold out “Maxwells” in Hoboken, NJ.

Check out some photos by Timothy Griffin

Suffice to say we are off to a pretty good start.

So here I am with the band in Japan where we are to play in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo at PUNKSPRING 09. Then we are onto Australia for a weeks worth of dates down under.

MICHALE GRAVES
Early this year brought the European release of ILLUSIONS LIVE/VIRETTA PARK.

The album continues to do very well and I am so pleased to be able to share my work with the rest of the world. There were very few that would have bet a few years back that I would be able to do so well when I decided to launch my acoustic effort.

I have written my follow up album to ILLUSIONS LIVE/VIRETTA PARK and in the coming months will begin the process of recording it. The album will contain a couple of older tunes that have been floating around for some time but will mostly consist of brand new songs that I have written.

The follow up to my first film that I made called, “The Blackness and The Forest” is in the works as well.

“The Blackness and The Forest II/Viretta Park” will tell the story of mine and JV’s trip across the US and how and why Viretta Park influenced and played such a huge part in the past effort. It will also contain live footage and audio shot in Pittsburg, PA towards the conclusion of the 2nd US Tour.

I have found some time to begin writing again. I recently wrote an article for a German Publication called “Deadline Magazine” called “Becoming Caligari”.

I am also working on some other literary projects that I hope to complete and have ready for release sometime in 2010.

I will return to the road starting in early July with my acoustic set. Dates will be announced in the next few weeks. If you are interested in information about bookings please contact Roz by email.

Believe it or not there is much more going on and a bunch of other things that I am working on that I have not touched on in this update. Stay tuned for much, much more in the coming months.

~Michale