Paul Van Valkenburgh of TubeFreeks shares music business survival lessons

<p><strong>Episode 016 – Paul Thomas Van Valkenburgh | MAKE // BREAK</strong></p><p><strong>Paul Van Valkenburgh</strong> is the vocalist and frontman of hard rock and groove-metal outfit <strong>TubeFreeks</strong>. On <strong>MAKE // BREAK </strong>with host <strong>Lance Marwood</strong>, he breaks down the music business realities of keeping a long-running band alive: the early “make” spark, the “break” moments of lineup shifts and stalled momentum, and the habits that rebuild trust. Paul shares how writing during recovery from major surgery reshaped his confidence, why vocal coaching levelled up his delivery, and how delegation protects both the work and the people. He also previews the next chapter, including the upcoming single “<strong>Flower</strong>” and the album <em><strong>Canvas</strong></em>, co-written with <strong>Clint Lowery</strong> (<strong>Sevendust</strong>).</p><p>🎯 ONE MORE THING // free, weekly, zero fillerV13 runs three newsletters: one for artists building a career on their own terms (Industry Insider), one for writers who refuse to be ignored (Verse &amp; Vision), and one weekly roundup of music, entertainment, culture &amp; literature (V1LLAG3 Voice). Pick your lane, or take all three.→ <a href="https://v13.net/newsletter">https://v13.net/newsletter</a></p><p>👀 What you’ll hear</p><ul><li>Trace the moment TubeFreeks stopped being a project and became a real band</li><li>Break down how a lineup collapse killed momentum, and what rebuilt it</li><li>Learn why coaches and co-writers raised standards without flattening Paul’s voice completely</li><li>Hear an in-house vocal recording process that avoids clock pressure and fixes phrasing fast</li><li>Steal the anti-Franken-song veto rule that keeps great ideas from getting overworked</li><li>Get the scoop on Flower and Canvas, and what a big 2026 slot means</li></ul><p>🕰️ Chapters</p><p>00:00 TubeFreeks origin and the MAKE // BREAK frame</p><p>00:33 Make moment and the first riffs that made it feel real</p><p>05:19 Switching from drums to frontman mindset</p><p>08:06 Band chemistry, no-drama lineups, and why personnel is everything</p><p>15:32 Momentum collapse, touring stops, and rebuilding after a lineup split</p><p>24:34 Health crisis, recovery writing, and confidence after The Dry Tide</p><p>31:38 Delegation, coaches, and co-writing with Clint Lowery</p><p>39:15 In-house studio workflow and vocal takes without clock pressure</p><p>43:50 Vocal writing: cadence, phonics, and chasing cool</p><p>51:37 Lyric risk, emotion, and the God hear me out chorus decision</p><p>56:01 Franken-effing a song and the veto rule that protects great ideas</p><p>1:03:16 New single Flower, album Canvas, and opening for Black Stone Cherry</p><p>🔗 Guest Links</p><p><a href="https://tubefreeks.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://tubefreeks.com/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tubefreeksrocks/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/tubefreeksrocks/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Tubefreeks" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/user/Tubefreeks</a></p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gCE3tYHEDORDZLDQdimlp" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gCE3tYHEDORDZLDQdimlp</a></p><p>🔗 MAKE // BREAK &amp; Host Links</p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5GDOUd909p7ir2W74M9teg?si=cbc7e01e13ba4a20" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://open.spotify.com/show/5GDOUd909p7ir2W74M9teg?si=cbc7e01e13ba4a20</a></p><p><a href="https://instagram.com/lowkeyhellish" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://instagram.com/lowkeyhellish</a></p><p><a href="https://tiktok.com/@lowkeyhellish" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://tiktok.com/@lowkeyhellish</a></p><p>🔗 V13 Media Links</p><p><a href="https://v13.net" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://v13.net</a></