Art & Life with Dana McNelis and Sean Miller

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana McNelis and Sean Miller.

Dana and Sean, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
We met through our mutual friend, Carlos. He’s a hip-hop connoisseur like ourselves. We both dabbled in making beats and decided to collab. There was an itch to produce beats sampled from live instruments. The idea ended up transforming into a band instead. That soon led to writing songs and blowing paychecks on recording equipment. That led to a demo, which led to shows. Those led to more shows. Then more shows. Shows. Bigger shows. Out of state shows, tours, festivals, a 7-track EP and now this sweet interview!

We play what we like. We like what we play. We like a little bit of everything. So our music is a little bit of everything. Mostly rap and punk though. A little bit of grunge, blues, folk, metal, alt-rock, rock-a-billy, Americana, country, soul, and etc. as well.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
We are just a two-piece band, so we’ve had to adapt to make it work. Its forced creativity into composing. There really wasn’t an overall goal when we began. I think it’s more about growth and having a healthy outlet. Artistically though, I believe the music is really an attempt to cathartically release the emotions kept silenced that scream incessantly inside us throughout our daily lives. The content typically revolves around the habitual, ritualistic, and mundane cycles continually repeated while living in a 1st world society, mirrored with the horrific, painful, and terrifying truths and mysteries of existence itself. We aim to keep it interesting and hope to leave a lasting and positive message for our listeners.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Be prepared to sacrifice. Your time with family, friends, and yourself. Your income. Your health. Your sanity. All of these will be affected to different degrees depending on your personal situation. Don’t let your expectations get the best of you and take away the joy from what you are doing. Enjoy the time you are investing and realize that at that moment YOU ARE LIVING YOUR DREAM. So don’t forget to enjoy it.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Flyers for our live performances are always being updated on our social media platforms. Facebook and Instagram mostly. A lot of our local shows will be in write-ups or can be found in the Phoenix New Times. Our best support comes from people who share our music with their friends. If you like it, follow us. Talk to us. Reach out to us. We can’t appreciate the support we’ve received this far enough! Support is everything. The more we get, the more we invest ourselves into this art we create. It’s what keeps us going.

Contact Info:

• Email: hollowpointvigils@gmail.com
• Instagram: @hollowpointvigils
• Facebook: @hollowpointvigils

Image Credit:
everyshow_joe
Van_Ainsa

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