Former Misfits vocalist Michale Graves has opened up about his transition from a punk rock icon to a Christian-based rock artist, revealing that he feels entirely ostracized by the heavy music community following political controversies.
During an appearance on the “Nothing Shocking Podcast“, the singer detailed his shift toward faith-based music and how the harsh industry backlash forced him into a new career trajectory.
“Yeah, some people are, like, ‘What the hell, man?’ Yes, in 2016, I really signaled to the world that I was kind of pivoting, or I wanted to pivot, to more faith-based sort of music. And if you listen to the album that I released, Wanderer, you really hear it and you definitely see it in the material,” Michale Graves stated (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Addressing his current standing within the punk scene, he was blunt about the hostility he has faced from former peers and fans.
“I’m sure that you know, in the punk rock world, I’m not well liked and I am certainly not well received anymore. It’s just been an awful, awful time for me in that world. And the hatred and the loathing that has come out of that scene had been just unbearable. And the collapse and the calamity of the European tour really forced me into making a hard pivot, because there’s certainly no punk label, there’s no hard rock label that is interested in me. And even if they were, they couldn’t sign me, they couldn’t work with me because the punk rock world hates me and has rejected me wholeheartedly,” he explained.
Despite the fallout, Graves found a new home for his music through an emerging Christian imprint label.
“Aside of the fact that I am a Christian, born again, my faith has always, always been a part of what I do, all the way back to the Misfits,” he continued. “But I had to make this hard pivot, and with the relationships that I’ve made along the way, I had this opportunity. Denny [Dennis] Sanders from The Label Group [TLG] under Virgin Music was starting this Christian… He wanted to start this Christian imprint label [Epochal Artists Records] under the bigger bigger imprint, which is The Label Group. And it just so happened that I had mentioned, along with my partner, that we were doing this, and he said, ‘ Wow, this is perfect timing.’ So, I took the opportunity. And since I’ve been doing that, the relationships that I’ve made and the people that I’ve played with and spoken to, it’s just been amazing. Contemporary Christian Music [CCM] Magazine just spotlighted me and I played a bunch of stuff on their program down in Nashville, where I just came from. Yeah, it’s a whole new season for me.”
Regarding the sonic direction of his new material, he clarified that listeners can still expect his signature vocal style.
“People are, like, ‘Well, what’s the music gonna sound like?’ And it’s not gonna sound like Famous Monsters, but the music’s not gonna change much except for the production quality. I’ve written some really great songs and I’m really excited about this next chapter in my life,” he revealed.
When the podcast hosts brought up the heartbreaking reality of fans turning on artists over their political stances, the vocalist strongly concurred, citing threats to his family.
“I don’t like it either. I don’t like it either,” he responded. “I’m gonna say it’s heartbreaking, it’s soul-crushing. It’s been awful, because I’m not like that. I wasn’t raised that way. I didn’t come up that way in the scene, with the Misfits. The scene that I was in, the community that I was in was very diverse, it was very accepting. Nobody [got] canceled or attacked. I’ve gotten physical threats. My family’s been threatened. It’s just been an awful thing. And I’m not like that.”
He continued, pushing back against his media portrayal: “There’s this Michale Graves that’s been built in the media that is so opposite of who I am. I’m [supposedly] affiliated with this person and I… It’s crazy. It’s crazy. I’m a lover, not a fighter . And I love the music. The music should bring us together. I’ve come up in a community and have always been part of a musical community that brings people together. So it’s unfortunate. And that’s the thing — I don’t wanna fight. I don’t wanna get into political debates or anything like that withh people. I just wanna make music that does whatever it does for people. It inspires them, it makes them feel happy. I just wanna continue to make great music and make people feel good and inspire them and strengthen them and lift them up through that music.”
Earlier in March, Michale Graves officially signed a new contract with Epochal Artists Records, a label operating under the TLG umbrella and distributed by Virgin Music Group.
Earlier in February this year, Michale Graves‘ several UK shows were called off following backlash over his past far-right comments and activities.
In 2020, Graves aligned himself with the Proud Boys and was present in Washington, D.C. on January 6th, 2021, where he was scheduled to perform at a private event for the group. He also later appeared as a character witness in defense of some individuals involved in the Capitol riot.
Amid the controversy, a city councillor in the UK labeled the punk singer a “fascist” and called on The Marrs Bar in Worcester, England, to cancel his performance which was scheduled for February 20th.
Councillor Neil Laurenson said at the time: “It’s incredibly disappointing that the Marrs Bar has made the decision not to cancel the gig. Michale Graves has been cancelled across the UK, and I find it embarrassing that Worcester is still on the gig list. I think The Marrs Bar should cancel the Michale Graves gig, as other venues have done in Bradford, Glasgow, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Swansea, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Camden, Reading and Oxford.”
Laurenson further intensified his criticism, pointing to Graves’ past support of the Proud Boys as well as a 2024 performance in Israel as additional reasons for concern.
“Michale Graves is a fascist. He supports the Proud Boys and performed in Israel, a genocidal state, in July 2024. I think it would send a powerful message that fas*ists are not welcome in Worcester if the gig was cancelled.”
In response, Graves shared an extensive statement on Instagram, defending his remaining European tour dates and addressing the recent cancellations.
“Over the past days, I’ve become aware of an aggressive online campaign of organizations and individuals focused on my upcoming shows in Europe.”
“I respect that people may hold different opinions or choose not to attend these shows. I am very concerned that venues, staff members, and people simply doing their jobs are now being placed under significant pressure and distress and in some instances being threatened to simply show up at there [sic] job.”
“I want to be very clear: my shows are about music, community, and shared passion. I do not promote violence, hatred, or harm, and those who have attended my performances know that my focus has always been bringing people together through music. All are welcome. The live music scene should remain a safe and inclusive space for everyone — artists, fans, venue staff, and local communities alike. No one should feel unsafe or intimidated for participating in or supporting live music events.”
“If my music is not for you, I fully respect your choice not to attend. However, I respectfully ask that disagreements remain peaceful and that the hardworking people behind these venues are treated with respect. I look forward to performing for those who wish to be there and sharing music in a positive, safe and respectful environment.”
During an interview on the “Rock Talks” podcast, the singer was asked if he plans to reschedule his previously canceled United Kingdom tour dates.
“No, there’s no plans to do that. It’s too much of a hostile environment, which is one of the reasons that I have pivoted the way that I am. I’ve signed with this label and I’m doing these things that I’m doing — not because I don’t love that world, but I no longer exist in the punk world, in the rock world, in that heavy world. I’m hated. I can’t exist there,” he said at the time.
He continued: “I’m gonna do something. I’ll get back there to Europe. I’m not saying that I’m not gonna go back there and play, but I’m gonna do it a different way. I can’t have my physical — anybody’s — physical safety in jeopardy. I can’t have these businesses and the people that are working in them and running them subjected to what the people have been subjected to, these businesses. It has just been awful. And I don’t want any part of it. I’m trying to build things and bring people together, and there’s nothing but destruction and chaos and violence and awful, awful things that I won’t be a part of.”
He further elaborated on his current life path, emphasizing his Christian faith and his dedication to directly connecting with his audience.
“I love people. And I’ve devoted my life and my talent and my energies in the service and duty of other people, spreading God’s kingdom, certainly helping to bring God’s kingdom to this world. Well, how do you do that? By doing exactly what I’m doing. Talk to anybody that’s come to a meet-and-greet or a Michale Graves show. I love talking to people. I love ministering to them, whether that’s just playing them a song or talking to them. Some people wanna pray, some people just wanna ask me questions. But in that three minutes of time sometimes that I spend with people, it’s life changing, and they hold those moments forever.”
When the interviewer brought up the intense online criticism he receives from former fans regarding his public alignment with the Proud Boys and his vocal Christian beliefs, Michale Graves dismissed the online malice and defended his character.
“My reply to them is encapsulated in the way that I live my life and the things that I do in the real world. Most of these people, they just kind of live online, in that matrix. But I go out into the real world. And when I go out into the real world, I do real things and I reach people and I touch people.”
“My integrity has been questioned, but I live my life with integrity,” he stated. “The reason that I have so much confidence is because I’m unreproachable, and that means that I haven’t done anything that I need to hide. And so I’m very open, I’m very truthful. And what’s happening is this evidence that they’ve gathered against me, it’s interpretive in nature. There’s no fact to it. There’s no foundation to it. It’s not based in truth. So in many ways it doesn’t matter what I say because it’s never gonna change those people’s minds because they’ve already made up their mind, they’ve already prosecuted me. They already judged me, when they hear Michale Graves. It’s not Michale Graves, the human being who I am. They don’t understand. They don’t know the way that I’ve lived. They know what’s in the news. They know what they’ve heard. They know what these organizations are telling them. They know what maybe other artists have said or are just conditioned to respond a certain way. And so, again, it becomes hateful and it becomes destructive in a way that it has affected my life in profound ways. And that’s the point. Those people, it’s a punitive thing. So they believe that I’ve done something so horrendous that I’m in that insurrection ecosystem — Proud Boys, January 6th, Alex Jones, Christians, Infowars, Trump, all these things. And when they hear, they just freak out. ‘Ah, you’re a N*zi. You’re a racist.’ And everybody just kind of short circuits. And so no amount of words, no amount of statements, nothing is gonna change these people’s mind. I don’t wanna debate with them and I don’t wanna fight them. I would rather them just come and listen to some music and rock out.”
Michale Graves originally joined the Misfits before his 20th birthday, stepping in to replace original frontman Glenn Danzig. During his successful tenure, he served as the lead singer and primary songwriter for two major studio albums: 1997’s American Psycho and 1999’s Famous Monsters.
