Hello there, it's Carissa.

The world, to put it bluntly, is battling despair. In every part of our lives, something is trying to push us to the brink of apathy and hopelessness. Why try if things will never get better? Why hope if everything is so evil?

Is it really too late to do anything? Is dreaming dead?

This is the part where I'm supposed to put some kind of inspirational message… However, I find many cliche sayings, while true, ring hollow in these times. So let's try something else.

Yes, everything is hard right now. You're dealing with difficult things. Those things are heavy, the weight you're feeling is real, and it's going to be a battle to keep moving.

The despair, however, is a complete and utter lie.

See, our brains like problems we can fix. We like the illusion of control. In reality, there's very little of life that you have total control over. Things keep happening with or without your input - but things ARE impacted by your influence. You, as an individual, are so much more important and influential on the world than you'll ever know. Countless people over the course of your life will be changed just by meeting you, or seeing your art, or experiencing some small part of your life.

These daily problems cause immediate desperation, but the long-term outlook is much brighter. See, if enough people care and want to keep living, the wave of hope that will sweep across the universe is remarkable. We are stronger when we take care of each other, bear each others' burdens, and remember that life is more than the last horrible highlight of humanity.

It's not too late. You haven't screwed up too much. Spring is here, and things can be renewed. 

Vampires know better than anybody that death isn't the end~

See you soon.

-Carissa “Switchblade” Silver

Carissa Silver here.

Finding your identity is an extended journey. It is not the destination. Self-discovery cannot be forced - a unique identity cannot be bought. 

"But Carissa,” I hear you protest, “didn't you choose the identity you wear today?”

Yes, and no. You see, gentle reader, every effective disguise, costume, persona, or act is based on some kind of truth. You take pieces of yourself, twist them around, and discover all the ways it can be interpreted. It's not exactly “method acting,” but rather an exploration of character archetypes. You are all of the characters as well as the author who is choosing to spin the narrative.

“What's your point?” 

There may be many things that you admire; more still that you feel forced to like or accept; even more that you instinctually conform to because it's always been that way. Identity is somewhere in that mix. Your influences, decisions, surroundings, and choices form the unique character that is You.

The question is, then: How will your character arc go? Will you have a hand in shaping it?

Identity ultimately cannot be bought or imitated. It can only be discovered and refined.

Anyway, I've got some lurking to do. See you later. I remain…

Carissa Silver~

Hello there, this is Professor Van Helsing…

…and the “Grave Rock” album has been so long in the making, it feels like forever ago that we started it. I am PSYCHED to see it become a reality.  

The studio sessions were such a giant ball of frenzied energy, like six hyperactive raccoons juiced up on energy drinks and given a trampoline in a bounce house.  The mix is so massive! I am really proud of Neil down at Orange Whale Studios for doing such an INCREDIBLE job mixing our live recordings.  

And then to look at the track list - it's banger after banger, so you know this is going to be an AMAZING album.  Carissa's artwork frames the album perfectly.  

GRAVE ROCK is putting the DETH BACK IN RAWK!!!!!!!

Until our stakes meet again,

Professor Van Helsing

Dearest Fang Gang,

I invite you all to come partake of the festivities! On June 21st, beginning at 5pm, DracMina will rock y'all's socks off at Mami Fina's in Waynesville, bringing sick sea shanties and awe-inspiring choral synchronies. We will hearken back to our days at sea, when vampirates were in charge of the briny waters >:F

Meanwhile at the nearby Stonehouse tavern at exactly 2pm, there will be a special treat: tabletop games for all you nerds to roll dice and play nice. Myself and the talented Van Helsing will be game mastering such adventures. Van Helsing is utilizing the beloved and familiar Pathfinder 1e, while I am exploring a new system known as Wilderfeast. Join me and Go Wild in this cooking-centric swashbuckling adventure! Captain Stabbinz is looking for a hearty crew.

If you choose Van Helsing's wonderful adventure over mine, I won't seek vengeance…much ;p

Warm Regards,

Carmilla of Styria

Ahoy thar, mateys!  

Van Helsing's at the helm! Thar'll be buckets o' blood aplenty, and our coffers be filled with gold, ere we be seen back at port! Thar's be plenty afoot in tha DracMina-sphere, as we be hoistin' tha mizzenmast an' setting our sights on the horizon, chartering a course to buried treasure!  

The Demeter's heading to the Hidden Gem on May 29th, performing alongside The Almas and Reign of Z!  

A fortnight after that, on FRIDAY THE 13TH, the Drac-Mobile will pull up to the Hearse Drive-In at Fairborn's Secret Chamber Cabinet of Curiosities Oddity Shop!  

After a night o' raucus revelery, we'll be turnin' the vessel hard to the east for a performance LIVE on 91.3 WYSO on the 18th! 

After such an epic sea voyage, we'll be landing in Waynesville on the 21st for the Treasure Island Pirate Event! Carmilla and I will be running roleplaying games during the day at Stone House Tavern (click on the EventBrite links below for more details), and that 'eve at 5:00PM we'll come after your booty in an extra-special DRACMINA concert at Mami Fina's just a few blocks north of Stone House!    

This be your message in a bottle from thee Professor Van Helsing.

Anchor's away!

PVH

"Dead men tell no tales, huh?"

“Everybody tells tales[.] It's just the dead talk more quietly than other people.” (Neil Gaiman, “Death: The High Cost Of Living,” 1993)

It should come as no surprise to you, dear reader, that vampires seek adventure as readily as any other creature. Longer lifespans don't mean we must resign ourselves to boredom. Far from it, in fact - a longer life is simply a greater opportunity for investing in things beyond the mundane.

Not that the mundane should be disparaged, believe me. Nature never gets any less breathtaking.

Among these mighty exploits are many, many days spent at sea. The gentle rocking of the waves at night and the fresh air in the morning… and blood. So much blood. Pirates aren't known for their civility, but trust that we brought some class to the profession.

Trust also, ye inquiring minds, that we lacked none of the required brutality.

Don't believe me? Consider this: Why else would we have been invited as the featured entertainers for the Treasure Island event in Waynesville this summer? What, you think they just bring anybody in? After all, a certain level of experience is required to deliver the authenticity that the Literary Adventures crowd deserves.

Ah, well… come find out for yourself. June 21st at Mami Fina's in Waynesville. 1700 hours (or 5:00pm, for you landlubbers). Be there, or be terribly, terribly sorry.

We'll be waiting.

Respectfully yours,

Carissa Silver~

Dearest Readers,

I've been getting requests to spill about my origins. Apparently, as the oldest vampire in the group (yes, even older than Drac) I gotta have the most to tell, right? How did I end up even joining the band in the first place?

To be honest, it's all at the edge of my mind and hard to grasp. When you've had so much unlife, it's hard to keep things straight (especially when you're not ;P). I definitely knew Dracula before the band was established: my sister Lizzie is his sire, and I met him pretty early on after his transformation. I remember sailing with my sisters on the open seas, but I also hung with Redbeard for a while and got cursed by a sea witch while I was at it… can't remember which came first. I think Van Helsing was trying to kill us like, 100 years ago? It feels like that much time can't have passed, but anyway, bro's chill now. 

I've had adventures both with my dear compatriots and without. Wandering at your whims and living in the moment is how you stay sane in a world like this. Though, I must say, I'm fortunate that I happened to wander back in at the right time. 

I remember a feeling much more than any faces, places, or times… the way the music flowed when I stepped into the area where my friends were performing. It lifted my soul in such a way that I feared the devil had come to collect early. 

While the vampires' playing was masterful, it wasn't just their skill that struck me: it was their connections. They had this vibe about them, synching up without realizing and putting it all out there (rizzing up the audience in the process). It was beautiful. 

Oh wait… It IS beautiful!!! I just performed with them - or should I say, WE performed at Gothippie!!!

I am so glad to be a part of this magic. But honestly, what would these losers do without me…<3

Cheerio, Underworld!

Carmilla, the wise (only when I remember my wisdom)

Well met!

This is Professor Van Helsing with a journal entry from the nest of DracMina during the mists of Spring this balmy April night.  It has been a long and wild ride since I first began making music with Dracula and Mina a few years ago.  It seems like only yesterday we were performing open mics at the Hidden Gem as a trio.  I look back in amazement at how much living we have packed into the past three anums.  Now, as I cast my gaze to the horizon, I can see DracMina spreading its wings like confetti from one of Dracula's cannons, forging our art in ways unforeseen, at the whims of the muses that guide us.  It is truly wonderful that all of our paths have become entangled like some kind of ka tet.

That's all I have for now.  May you always have the company of good friends, good food, good drink, good music, good love, and good fun!  And we will be bringing lots of good music and good fun to Gothippie Fashion Boutique in Cincinnati tomorrow night! See you all there! Seriously. You should show up. I've seen Dracula first hand when he's displeased. I keep stakes around for a reason. Oh no. He heard that. I hope I'll see you tomorr…

~VH

Hello there - It's Mina Murray from DracMina,

Now that you obviously know who I am, you might as well know how I committed FULLY into this group of beautiful and talented beings! I started the band with my beloved, Dracula about 3 years ago and we stirred up some beautiful songs to bestow upon the mortal world. We started to present these songs in local open mics around Dayton. 

It was when we played at Dublin Pub for the first time when I decided that this was want I wanted to do for the rest of my eternal life! I will always be making bloody magical music with my FANGTASTIC bandmates: Dr. Frankenstein, Professor Van Helsing, Carmilla of Styria, Carissa Silver, and my beloved Dracula! 

THE BLOOD IS THE LIFE EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!

XOXO, 

Mina Murray <3

Hello~

Carissa Silver here. I've been informed that people want to know what's swirling around inside my mind. Doubtful, but I shall indulge that desire. When I feel like it, anyway.

Do you know how DracMina songs come into being? It's a mysterious process hardly understood by us vampires, but it often manifests through fits of creativity that strike without regard for timing or convenience. Your DracMina vamps have journals for these moments - diaries filled with artistic snippets, doodles, and hastily scribbled riffs. 

Well… perhaps “journals” is a strong word for it. Yes, there are technically notebooks involved, but there are also sticky notes, scraps of paper, notes in smartphones, voice memos, and staring into one another's eyes as we solemnly state, “DON'T LET ME FORGET THIS!”

I digress. Anyway, that's why we found a notebook in the bathroom recently.

Until next time,

Switchblade~