You can live a lie or you can live YOUR life. Dan Graul’s new single Miles And Miles follows the emotional journey of questioning the status quo and making the choice to forge your own path. For Dan, love was the only possible starting point of that journey. Now he’s bringing positive vibes and radical ideas to your ears; and asking you to choose love and human connection. The psychedelic Americana track blends a folky retro rock aesthetic with a modern attitude and bite.
Dan Graul Mountain Song (Ay-Yo Ay-Yo) (feat. Rebecca Graul) out 11/11/21
Celebrate the unknowable questions! Our existential dread is not good or bad, the Mountain tells us that it simply IS. And it is something we can all share together. Dan and Rebecca Graul spread the gospel of the Mountain through a folky stomp groove on their new single. Mountain Song (Ay-Yo Ay-Yo) wraps heavy subject matter in a joyful, raucous arrangement that includes notes of rock, country/folk, psychedelia and pop.
Once upon a psychedelic day in the Morongo Valley near Joshua Tree CA, Dan and Rebecca found themselves face to face with a mountain on fire. They looked out over the smoky landscape and wondered if this mountain, which they called Captain Larry, could fear something like fire. To their surprise, the mountain answered back with the dry wisdom only an ancient perspective could bring. “The fires come, the fires go. That song is old.” Captain Larry shared thoughts on question after question with a sing-song tag of “Ay-Yo Ay-Yo,” as if it were, and always had been, all so simple. By the time sunset arrived, the smoke had cleared away to reveal the mountain in full majesty. The real life picture in front of Dan and Rebecca’s eyes, as well as the murky illusions inside their own minds, had gained much clarity and focus.
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Everything Has Changed Music Video Premiere 2/21/12
Dan Graul has some personal thoughts on his latest single Everything Has Changed. “This song was written in the wake of losing my Mother very suddenly leukemia. My entire world was upside down, everything changed when she went into the hospital, everything changed every time I received an update. When I arrived to be with her, everything changed from day to day until she passed within a week. I wrote this song about a month after she died, as an attempt to deal with what I was feeling and try to find some acceptance in the situation. I had no idea how appropriate this song would be going into the year 2020.”
Dan’s wife, Rebecca, came up with the concept for the duo’s new music video for Everything Has Changed – out 2/12/21. The pair are big fans of Halloween, so much so that they held their wedding on October 31, 2015 and officially dubbed the day as “Grauloween.” After indulging in a glut of spooky monster movies during the quarantine version of Grauloween season of 2020, Rebecca had the thought to turn Everything Has Changed into a story about newly changed vampires for the music video. Follow along as two fresh vampires wake up and find that everything has changed, and maybe it’s not such a bad thing.
Click below to set a reminder for the video premiere on 2/12/21 at Noon (PST)
Make America Love Again
Stream Make America Love Again at Bandcamp
Ever seeking artistic collaboration, Dan Graul plays many roles in his life in Los Angeles, CA – musician, writer, theatre artist, filmmaker, storyteller, husband, witch… He preaches the importance of telling/listening to stories; and works to help others find their own artistic outlet, to let their voices be heard. Dan is a believer in the concept of Tribe and seeks to empower those around him through his music, projects and through working with others collaboratively.
With the crushing societal circumstances we currently find ourselves in, Dan thought this the perfect time to release his debut solo album Make America Love Again, out on all digital platforms on 11/27/20. The record dropped on Bandcamp on 10/30/20 as a fundraiser for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The album is comprised of songs Dan hopes will inspire and remind us that we are powerful and beautiful humans, meant to do more than play a selfish version of the game of life.
Dan Graul “Beautiful Animal” Official Video
I wrote Beautiful Animal as a wedding surprise for my wife Rebecca. We agreed to make each other wedding gifts instead of buying something and I had never written a song about her, so I decided that’s what I would do. After a few iterations, the song came to be Beautiful Animal. I sent the song out to a bunch of my musician friends, who I knew would be attending the wedding and asked them to learn it. As the one big surprise part of the day, that Rebecca hadn’t planned or been aware of, I assembled my merry band and we played the song for Rebecca. I hope others will find encouragement in this tune, as we are all beautiful animals perched and ready to unfurl our wings, we all have the power to be anything and do anything with our lives. We are resilient, amazing animals.
Dan Graul – “Pioneers” Music Video Out Now!
Dan Graul is set to release his solo debut album, “Make America Love Again” for Halloween 2020. The second single “Pioneers” is out 10/16/20, along with a music video for the track. “Pioneers” brings to mind the challenges that early immigrants faced as they navigated the Oregon Trail to find a better life for their families. This willingness of immigrants to sacrifice and make a life is mirrored even today. As we move into the future and advance technologically, we should always remember the perseverance and determination of our ancestors; and heed their mistakes and lessons. We must be pioneers in our own rite and create a world that makes space for others who struggle and strive for more.
Dan Graul releases “The Serpent’ and announces “Make America Love Again” out 10/30/20
Dan Graul is set to release his solo debut 7 track album, “Make America Love Again” for Halloween 2020. The first single “The Serpent” is out 10/2/20, along with a music video for the track. The socio-politically charged track speaks to the worship of money and selfishness that plague our society. The track sums up that our future can be anything we want it to be, but we must choose to actively participate in the creation of that future and “fight for what’s right.”
Pre-order the alubm now and instantly download “The Serpent” at http://dangraul.bandcamp.com
Northern Strangers LIVE! (from our Home)
Funky New Single “Dreams/Love and Light” is out now!
New Single “Dreams/Love and Light” Coming April 2018!
Northern Strangers are proud to announce our funky, psychedelic new single “Dreams/Love and Light.” The track began as a slow country/gospel type of tune, evocative of the Grateful Dead’s Brokedown Palace. Then, in a moment of inspiration, guitarist/lyricist Dan Graul started crafting an arrangement that calls on punky folk attitude, a la The Avett Brothers, Motown era soul and funk, with a touch of the 90’s alongside the usual suspects of influence (like Pink Floyd/David Bowie/Talking Heads).
The song is a personal testimony from Graul about the power of overcoming your most base fears and personal paranoia through the idea that, sometimes, the best answer is simply to abandon fear and seek out the love and positivity in the universe; the chorus touts “all things must change, we’ll never be prepared” and concludes with “the past is gone, when we move on and find the love and light.” The lyrics that speak to dreams of being chased and waking with a fright refer to actual recurring dreams Dan experienced as a child. and a tangible fear that only love could overcome.
“Dreams/Love and Light” will be available for download and streaming on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Amazon, Google Play, etc. on Friday, April 27th. The track is the second release from Northern Strangers upcoming EP “Make America Love Again.”