SOURCE – Firstly, congratulations on The Body Electric, it’s and incredible album! Tell us a little bit about the album and how the production and recording went for this?
Paul Carson (Guitars) – Thank you so much! This album is a combination of songs we’ve written over the course of our years as a band. Some of these songs are almost 10yrs old, and some were written just before entering the studio, while some were even being completed while in the studio! The impetus of this was to create the best album we possibly could, paying no attention to how new/old the songs were. The quality of material was put first and foremost!
SOURCE – What’s it like working with Elvis Baskette on the recording and mixing side of things? Are there specific areas where his knowledge and understanding aid the band in getting better takes or specific sonic aspects that work best for what you want to hear?
Paul Carson (Guitars) – Elvis is a master of being exactly what he needs to be for each band he records. He’s told us tales of having written nearly all a band’s material for them, and some where he is more of an advisor. For us, he works well helping us with song structure, and dialing in the sounds we are going for on the album. He definitely has a way of pulling the very best out of the performer! And unlike a lot of producers, he doesn’t impress “his sound” on a band. He very much wanted us to sound like us. On some songs, he left them as/is, and others he suggested all kinds of changes, but always keeping our natural vibe as the ultimate goal. And his mixes are so good, we rarely have anything to add or suggest. We truly feel blessed to work with him, and honestly, have as much fun just hanging out as doing anything “musical”! He truly feels like family.
SOURCE – You’ve premiered two singles from the record to date – how did you decide amongst the band which songs to put forward first, and how do you feel the response has been to date from the followers and critics?
Paul Carson (Guitars) – It wasn’t easy to decide, as we feel strongly about so many of them, but we decided ultimately to release an up-tempo track first, then our (one & only) ballad. We figured with the 2nd release being right before V-Day, that might be smart… haha! And then follow those up with a straight out banger, “Look at Me Now”! So far, the response has blown us away… just overwhelmingly positive. We’re very excited for what 2024 holds!
SOURCE – What can you tell us regarding the video shoot for Dirty Love – done with Exceleration Media (https://www.exceleration.media)? How did the treatment develop, and were there any special/memorable or funny moments to reflect on?
Paul Carson (Guitars) – Every time we do a video, we think it was the most fun ever. Dirty Love was no exception! We did a couple of conference calls with Exceleration Media on the treatment, and worked on the storyboarding, and how we were going to pull it off. We had to get it done in one day! We put out a casting call for the crowd, and got more than we needed (we have the BEST fans!), and got started early in the AM, and knocked it out before sundown. The costume changes were tough, as we had to be quick, but the crowd was so much fun, so energetic, that we had no problem staying charged up! The funniest moment might have been the final scene when Casandra gets pulled into the mud, face plants, and gets up so angry! We had to do that one last, and she had to be in a clean shirt, so it was a single-take situation, and she nailed it! I wish you could hear the actual sound of the “SPLAT” when she hit the mud… we all held our breath till she got up… but she was fine. Definitely could not have done this without everyone being so incredibly fun and professional!
SOURCE – With making a living at music seemingly becoming more and more difficult, what steps do you believe should be taken to make things better financially for musicians?
Paul Carson (Guitars) – First off, if musicians truly want to be financially stable, they need to understand that you need to reach a wide audience if at all possible. This is just business 101. You might be super creative to, say, sell hamburgers with chocolate & caramel instead of mustard and ketchup, but if you can’t get many people to buy in, or patronize your “Sweet Burgers” franchise, it’s just the market deciding. You’re left with your dignity and your empty pockets. You can, however, be creative in your culinary arts and create new flavors and sensations that you are proud of, and that people come running to buy. So there’s the challenge. We work really hard to create music that fires us up, we’d love to listen to, and at the same time, write honestly about our personal experiences and hope that most people can relate. Every Paralandra song has a personal story behind it. So it truly is a tough mission… to be true to yourself and create something that appeals to a huge demographic. Some people do it naturally and become huge (Elton John, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Eddie Van Halen etc), but I’d say that’s an anomaly. Most people either have to write absolute pablum, sample/remix/cover proven hits, making loads of money, or write interesting, and/or unique material, and risk staying broke. We’re fortunate that we’ve had the success we’ve had without having to create music based on mimicry or selling out by using (the now very popular) background tracks. We’re sticking tightly with our beliefs and creating the best representation of our abilities as possible!
The second side of this is WORK. We literally are working 7 days a week, 365 day a year on Paralandra. That’s no joke. We are constantly trying to communicate with our fans, work on new material (music/videos/BTS/etc), design new merch, connect with venues, reach out to potential new contacts, and on and on… It has come to the point that we literally CANNOT hold down a full time job and be in Paralandra. There are literally not enough hours in the day!
SOURCE – Where do you see the state of heavy metal as a genre in the current landscape? What do you enjoy most about the movement, and what changes (if any) would you like to make for the greater good of all parties involved?
Paul Carson (Guitars) – We feel great about the momentum of rock music in general! I saw a study recently that saw a huge incline in mass popularity for both rock and country. And while were not fans of country (haha), we’re glad to at least see rock music once again taking a lead in creating new fans across the world! Now that record labels are not deciding what everyone hears, you have very young audiences interested in more than just pop, so I feel like this trend will continue. On the heels of this, to answer your other question, I hope that rock bands will take this moment to respect their audiences enough to perfect their craft, and employ the necessary musicians to not be glorified karaoke bands. New budding musicians will be inspired by truly live, improvisational performances more than a cut/paste show could ever do. And being so inspired, will aspire to be creators on such a level, themselvers. This is what we need to continue the evolution of rock.
SOURCE – How does the band balance out the workload of the music side of things along with handling the business aspects? Do you believe it’s important to have a strong support system with booking agents, promoters, venues, management, and record label to achieve all that Paralandra wishes to achieve for a career?
Paul Carson (Guitars) – Sharing is the key word. We have delegated responsibilities much in the same way any other business would, handing out non-musical “duties” that each of us are particularly well-suited for. And yes, we’re very reliant on so many more than just the four of us. Our “Momager” (Allison Carson) is one… we could NOT do this without her! Plus so many others that we’re in constant communication and collaboration with.
Learning how to partner with venues is another skill set all of it’s own. Yes, venues need to understand the value of a great band, and pay them accordingly, but bands should understand the value of a cool venue. Some venues need to be taught how to promote, and some bands need that, as well. Bands need to understand that if they’re not pulling a crowd, no matter who/where they are, they can’t demand a big pay day. Likewise, if a band kills it, they need to be paid accordingly. We’ve run into some that understand this symbiosis, and some that don’t, and we patronize the ones that do. It’s all about creating partnership where everybody wins.
SOURCE – What are your plans for 2024 with the release of the album?
In a nutshell?… More videos! More touring! New merch! Those are the biggies, anyway. We’ll be doing some big shows this year, maybe bigger than we’ve ever done. And we’ve got some more surprises that are yet to be unveiled for Paralandra fans that will blow them away. I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for us, as we have so many things going on behind the scenes. Very excited, myself, to see how it all plays out!
Contacts: