Southwest Michigan has its share of musical talent, and Watershed Voice had an opportunity to discuss one nationally distributed band’s work with one of its guitarists, Christopher M. Jones, and other band members.
Called A Dark Halo, Jones describes the group as “a band of traditional songwriters and performers, as well as an extended visual arts team who help create our music videos, promo shots and merchandise designs.” The band’s work is largely in the industrial metal genre, with electronic influence.
This past June 23, Dark Halo released a new single, called “Vector Unknown,” which features Anna Hel on guest vocals. Based in Moscow, Russia, Hel is identifiable by her distinctive, bright red hair, and is the vocalist for another act, called Conflict.
In addition to Jones, Dark Halo’s regular crew currently includes Dave Lowmiller as lead vocalist, bass guitarist, and producer, Abe Robertson on guitar and additional production, and Kaye Papale on Drums.
The band also places heavy emphasis on visual arts. Its online music videos feature syncopated, colorful visual tracks that complement the music. The visual arts team includes Brad Bussell as video director and editor and Dave Lowmiller as co-director, as well as Rebecca Wallace as art director, Corey Cudney on motion graphics and effects, Melissa DeVarney as production manager, and Abe Roberston as 3-D artist.
Jones fielded questions between Watershed Voice and his fellow artists.
WSV: I see that the band is based in Austin, TX but that you are in Three Rivers, MI? How does that work? Where is everyone else, individually, based from?
CMJ: I am the only member based in Three Rivers (I love TR!), while the rest of the team lives and works in Austin. We meet together, create and share content using cloud-based software like Slack, Google Drive, and Cubase sessions. We all have our own home studio spaces where we create the content for each song, video and related materials.
WSV: How long has the band been around, and what is its backstory? How did it come together?
CMJ: A Dark Halo was founded by Dave Lowmiller and I in 2004 while we lived/worked in Phoenix, AZ. The project was created to be a way for us to create beautiful hook-driven heavy music with an accessible sound, with no boundaries as far as what and how we create, produce and promote the music. We created and released the album “Catalyst” in 2006 which was very well-received by the industrial metal scene; two songs were also featured in the video game “WWE: Day of Reckoning 2.” After a long hiatus, an exciting new phase began in 2018 for the project. Abe Robertson joined as an additional composer and guitarist, and we found the most amazing drummer, Kaye Papale. We’ve released three singles since then and the whole team is excited for what will come next!
WSV: Are the members involved in other activities or bands as well?
CMJ: Much of the team are working professionals in the video game industry in Austin, TX. I work for a national environmental consulting firm based in Phoenix, AZ. As far as other creative projects, Dave has released game soundtracks under his name, and I am creating an album of heavy covers of children’s classics. I’ve previously issued a demo song (as “Daddy Death Metal”) on YouTube for The Wheels On The Bus. Everyone else is working on exciting stuff which should be announced soon!
WSV: Where have you played? What else have you recorded? How big is your following?
CMJ: To date, A Dark Halo has released the “Catalyst” album, and three singles: “Starfall,” “I, Revenant,” and our most recent release “Vector Unknown,” with much more to come on the way. All of our music can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms. Each of our singles have accompanying lyric and/or fully produced videos accessible on YouTube. Our focus has always been music production, but the original band line-up (including Justin Corey on Guitar and Jim McAllister on Drums) performed live a handful of times in Arizona and California in the mid-2000s.
WSV: Can you talk about the intended message for the new single “Vector Unknown,” and how it seeks to communicate that message?
CMJ: We always strive to create lyrics and music in A Dark Halo that leaves the interpretation of each song up to the listener. I can only speak for myself, but my intention of “Vector Unknown” is for it to be a piece that comments on our collective shared stressors, and what it takes for us to overcome and live through it together. This is a dark time, but there is hope; we just have to look for it and focus on it.
WSV: What else serves as inspiration or influence on the band’s work?
CMJ: We are influenced by visual arts; we try to write music that lives in certain colors and textures. We like to tell a story with each song that we create. Musically, the band gets fired up listening to powerful classical film scores, bands that push the limits musically, and a variety of other musical genres.
WSV: What are some of your other notable works, and can you provide some background on those as well?
CMJ: Of the titles mentioned earlier, our single I, Revenant was released in December 2019 with our first fully produced music video. This song, as well as the newest single Vector Unknown have seen a very positive reaction so far from both fans old and new and we couldn’t be more pleased.
WSV: How has the band adjusted to getting together and doing things during the pandemic?
CMJ: We’ve adjusted to the changes very well. A Dark Halo has always been a project where its members self-produce the content together across city, state and country lines, so it has felt very much “business as usual.” Having this project as a place of positive focus during these times has not only been a blessing for us, but thankfully has brought joy to our fans.
WSV: What locations do you expect your tour to visit after things open up again? Who else will you be touring with?
CMJ: While we have no concrete plans, we’d like to try to play in as many places as we can. As to who we will tour with, whoever will take us, ha! For now, A Dark Halo will continue as an artistic project where we will release a new song and visual piece as each is completed.
Jones thanked Watershed Voice for the opportunity to interview. He expressed hope to its staff and readers that “our works will inspire you and others to be creative during these times.” For the latest information on the band, A Dark Halo has is on Facebook and other social media platforms. “Vector Unknown,” along with many of Dark Halo’s other works, is available on most popular online music platforms.
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.