Greetings, dear reader, and a Happy Devils Night to all! I recently had the opportunity to ask the master mind behind the Industrial Pop explosion, the incomparable Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection, some questions. He was so kind to take some time in between stops on his American Psycho North American Tour to chat with me about the new album, MMXXI, his influences behind the mash up genre that is Industrial Pop, and some of the controversies that he's been involved in. Let's dig in, dear reader, and remember: Fire it up!
NotTheAmp: First of all, I want to thank you for taking some time to talk with me! Let’s talk about the new album. MMXXI features some collaborations with Jinxx (Black Veil Brides) and Sebastian Svalland (In Mourning). What was the creative process like working with musicians who are mostly known for being in rock/metal bands? The end results seem like it was a pretty fluid translation into your particular brand of Industrial pop.
Daniel Graves: My pleasure! Industrial pop, to me, is more of a fluid artistic concept rather than a rigid genre with strict rules. The only requirements, really, are that it have a pop sensibility with an alternative edge. I think Sebastian and Jinxx perfectly added that necessary edge to bring my very synth pop songs into a heavier realm.
NTA: On the subject of Industrial Pop, which artists do you draw the most inspiration from both the industrial and pop genres? Which bands currently fuel your creative fire?
DG: I highly recommend checking out my This is Industrial Pop playlist on Spotify. There you can find all the music that resonates with me and my vision for the genre. Songs from both the past and the present. However, I’d say that the idea is to create something of a mish mash between Michael Jackson and Nine Inch Nails.
NTA: Your live lineup is absolutely killer, with both Constance Antoinette and Joe Letz joining you on guitars/keys and percussion respectively. What was your selection process when you were tasked with choosing your live support?
DG: So glad you like this incarnation of the band! Joe and I have been close friends for over a decade, so when he exited his last band and my previous drummer stepped away, we saw a perfect opportunity to work together (something we’d been trying to do for a while). Constance was someone that Joe found on Instagram, and, I must admit, I was very skeptical at first. I wasn’t sure an instagram guitarist had the experience necessary to handle such a stressful job, but Constance has demonstrated herself to be more professional, more prepared and more skilled than either Joe or I combined. We feel incredibly lucky to have her.
NTA: Is the chemistry different from other lineups you have had in the past?
DG:Most definitely. Not only has Joe fully inhabited his Blowup Betty persona, the dynamic Constance brings to the table makes the show wildly different from anything we’ve done before. Again, I was skeptical at first, because I’ve spent so many years tightly holding on to this weird vision of what I thought Aesthetic Perfection *had* to be, but am now discovering that the ideas other people bring to the table can make it greater than the sum of its parts.
NTA: This is your first tour in 3 years. How are you feeling about things currently? How has the state of the world, especially the ongoing pandemic, affected your feelings on going on this tour? What is the number one thing that would cause any sort of apprehension?
DG: We’re all human, you know? After a long time away from doing something, one begins to wonder if they’re even still capable. I’m not getting any younger, so questions like “Can I still perform like I used to?”, “Can my voice handle the rigors of the road?”, “Do people even still care about my band?”, “Am I still relevant?” rattle around in your brain. At the end of the day, though, you just need to close your eyes and take that leap of faith.
NTA: There are so many talented acts that will be opening for you on this tour, it is unreal! Artists like Josie Pace, Eva X, 2 Libras, and DK Zero, to name only a few. The battle of the bands idea unfortunately caught you a lot of flack. You posted a reply to someone who shared their concerns on Facebook, and I felt it was very eloquently put. Did any artists share this same concern? Did your response differ when it came to responding to a peer in an artist to artist perspective?
DG: I feel like the world has the right to question the motives and intentions of public figures. So if someone has concerns about things that I’m doing, I will take them seriously and respond to them. Now, that doesn’t mean I will agree with those concerns or alter my trajectory because of them. I would hope that because *I* am willing to engage with and consider alternate perspectives, that my audience would offer me that same courtesy in return. So far, that’s been the case.
NTA: You are known to have some pretty controversial opinions. Your most recent being that you feel independent artists won’t be able to tour outside of one-off festivals and other events. I’m sure some folks out there are, or have already, started reacting negatively to this opinion being stated as you are preparing to go on tour. What is your response to them?
DG: Just wait and see. Only time will tell. However, I feel the writing is on the wall. Many of the other touring artists I speak to feel the same as well. We shall see!
NTA: Thank you so much again for taking the time to talk with me!
DG: My pleasure!
Aesthetic Perfection is on tour now! Go catch them in a city near you!
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