Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
My name is Dante DuVall, and I am the lead vocalist of Tel. We are a Metal band from Richmond, Virginia.
How would you describe your style and genre?
There is quite a mix of genres in our style; both within the realm of Metal and outside. You could say we play a mix of Doom, Sludge, Post-Rock, and Progressive Metal. The guitars and bass have a deep, heavy tone, which alternates between chugging and droning Doom riffs, to gentle clean sections, to create a dreary atmosphere. My singing mostly consists of emotional clean tenor singing, but occasionally I go into more intense growls and screams to add intensity. The drums are considerably technical, as they will through in plenty of fills and progressions that keep the songs going in different directions at all times.
Who are your biggest influences and idols … and why? Do you have any idols? Are you a super fan of anyone? (Dead or alive, musician or non-musician)
As for myself (Dante), my biggest influences would include Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, and Dead Can Dance. As for my bandmates, there is a healthy collections of Post-Metal such as Neurosis, Isis (the band), Cult of Luna, Inter Arma, Pelican, more Doomy stuff like Windhand, Cough, Electric Wizard, Pallbearer, and some Prog Rock/Metal such as Rush, Pink Floyd, and of course, Opeth. These bands all create moods and atmospheres that we incorporate into our songs, with each nuance of those different styles finding its way into the mix to keep our sound ambiguous and difficult to describe.
What´s new right now? What should our readers know about that is coming up from you?
A few months ago, we released a three-track demo via Bandcamp, and have recently recorded a track known as "Daybreak" for a music compilation in town. We have played several shows, and quite a few more lined up over the next few months. Stickers, shirts, and potentially physical copies of our demo are all on the agenda, all whilst writing and completing new tracks.
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Being able to compromise different visions in how a song should be written. One of us may think one riff may sound better than another, and another one of us may feel the opposite. In the end, we collaborate between the four us to either figure out which passage fits the most, if not try to integrate both ideas into the piece.
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How do you promote yourself? Do you have any specific promotion tips for other musicians?
Facebook, Facebook, Facebook. Get your friends interested, get their friends interested, tell everyone who may potentially be interested. Post flyers of upcoming shows everywhere that people will allow you to. Post your music on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook, anywhere. Share it with other musicians, and someone who may know someone may be able to get you connections to a person who organizes gigs or record your material.
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
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https://www.facebook.com/TelRVA/
https://www.facebook.com/TelRVA/