We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Daniel Gray. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Daniel below.
Daniel , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I’d say I really started to fall in love with music in middle school. That was when I started to learn guitar. At the school I went to, we had to choose whether we would try band, choir, or orchestra, and I chose to play viola in the orchestra program. I really resonated with playing viola and stuck with it from 6th through 12th grade. The more I played music the more I realized how much I’d desire to make a living from it
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Daniel Gray. I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan but currently am based in Lansing. I have a solo music project named Gray Rapidian.
I knew that I wanted to start a music project of some type going back to my high school days, and throughout my time in college I started to really begin writing original songs. I also started to help my friend’s local hardcore metal band as basic roadie, which helped me get a taste of the local music scene and gave me some helpful contacts. I began finally recording original songs with the help of one of my church friends, Tony Rodebaugh, in summer 2021. I recorded five songs where I played guitar, bass, and sang vocals while Tony played drums and did all the engineering and mixing stuff. I released those songs as the Grown Up EP under the name Gray Rapidian that fall. At that same time, I played my first pair of live sets with the original music. I recruited my college friend, Drew, to play drums, as well as my longtime church friend, Mariah, to play bass. Since then I’ve been diligent in trying to find as many gigs as possible to play at as I can. I have the mindset of being willing to play with anyone at any place. We mainly play local venues in Grand Rapids and Lansing, but we’ve also played venues in Flint and Detroit as well. After doing a handful of gigs and writing in 2022, Drew, Mariah, and I worked to record the project’s second EP, Light at the End from January to March, and released it May 19th. This time we worked with Liv Dejonghe of the Lansing band LVRS.
Overall I’d say I’m most proud of the two EPs because I feel like I achieved the vision of the songs to the best of my ability. With Gray Rapidian, I’m most inspired by indie genres including grunge, shoegaze, and dream pop. Some of my favorite bands and influences include DIIV, Cloakroom, Nirvana, and Ovlov. My writing philosophy is simply “write what I know.” That means I’ve had a few songs about struggling with anxiety, songs about feeling like I don’t fit in, as well as songs about my relationship with God.
I hope that my music can be seen as a companion for others in any situation. Something people have on in relaxation and stress alike
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I’ve not found a more satisfying feeling than listening to a finished EP of mine and knowing that I fulfilled the vision I had for weeks/months/years of how I wanted each song to sound
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I think there needs to be more promotion of DIY creators. There’s so much creativity and talent that the general public is unaware of. If people do know of DIY creators, I hope they spread the word and encourage them, as well as give them time to see what they can do
Contact Info:
- Website: https://grayrapidian.bandcamp.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grayrapidianmusic/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/grayrapidianmusic
Image Credits
Cardinal One Photography Jordyn Boitos