Sunday, July 3, 2011

Parachute

Parachute is a pop rock band from Charlottesville, Va., which formed during high school.

“We all just really like playing music and it was something that we enjoyed,” Will Anderson, the lead singer said.

The band had another name originally, but changed it to Parachute.

“We really wanted to change our name,” Anderson said. “We sat around for a while thinking of band names we could change it to. Finally, got around to where we had a chance to change our name and we thought of Parachute and we always thought that was a great name.”

The band released its single, “Something to Believe In,” which has been a great success.

“That song was one of the first ones I wrote after our first album,” Anderson said. “I kind of put it away for a while until Alex, our bass player, called. He remembered I sent it to him. He said, ‘we got to play this, we got to play this’, once we started talking about the new record. We played it, recorded it and it became our first single, which is out. But the lyrics just have a rallying cry.”

Soon after, Parachute went from opening for headliners to being a headliner themselves.

“When you are opening, you are trying to get everyone’s attention and hold that attention and prove to them you are worth something,” Anderson said. “When you are headlining, people are there to see you and you can have a little more lee-way and freedom to play with. We love opening. We love being hungry and being the underdog and going for it. Headlining is such a great thing to be able to just slow down and do what you want to do and play for awhile. It feels like two different shows. You’re doing the same thing, but you have two different goals in mind.”

As well as becoming a headliner, the band has gained a national audience.

“When you do TV shows and late night shows, it’s fun. You don’t really get to see the audience at all. You kind of play for the cameras. It’s kind of a weird, strange sensation in that you are trying to kill it and usually get immediate feedback in that we either killed it or we didn’t. With that, you don’t have any idea. We kind of call everyone you know and ‘How was that? How was that?’ A show like Leno, an iconic show, is very cool to be a part of and very cool to actually play on it and get to meet Jay. It gives us all something to believe in that we’re really proud of and really excited about. It’s a really good feeling.”

Their inspiration continues to keep their music going.

“I think for us, writing songs and singing and making a record we’re proud of is a big thing,” Anderson said. “I think there are a lot of bands out there who are cutting songs and making records they’re not proud of and don’t care about. All they want to do is be famous and sing a little pop ditty, be flavor of the month. I think for us, it keeps us going knowing that we’re making something we’re really proud of. I don’t know how the public reacts to that? Or critics react to that. But it’s something we are excited about and willing to play every night for two years to get people to listen to it. I think that alone is reason to keep going. I was talking with someone the other day and he has been in the music business for a while and he played in bands and he was like ‘Dude, if you believe in your music, keep going because it’s worth it.’ I think for us as long as we can keep doing something we’re proud of, and happy with and playing what people want to hear, we’ll keep going and doing it all.”

For the band’s future, it hopes to tour its new album.

“We really want to make music we’re happy about, and that is unique and something that we are proud of and that we can put our stamp on,” Anderson said. “Right now the plan is to tour for awhile and promote this album.”






How did you get your start?

“I got my start playing music when I was younger. At a very young age I took piano lessons and then I got my first guitar at age 11. And it was over from there. I have been a band member since we were in high school, we started the band. We all just really like playing music and it was something that we enjoyed. We made our guitars over in college at the University of Virginia.

Being a pop rock band, did you ever consider playing other music genres?

“No. We all very much enjoy that kind of music - Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Elton John, various artists like that. We kind of fit in that vein, just from what we were listening to.

How did you come up with your name, Parachute? Did you have other names previous to that?

“We did. We were called a previous name. Then we came up with Parachute. We really wanted to change our name. We sat around for a while thinking of band names we could change it to. Finally, got around to where we had a chance to change our name and we had thought of Parachute and we always thought that was a great name. We ran with it. Luckily, there weren’t any other bands with that name Parachute nor were there any issues with other band members. Everybody seemed to enjoy it a lot.”

Who are some of your influences?

“Influence-wise. The biggest influence on our band, probably was the Dave Matthews Band, Brian Adams, U2. I love singer-song writers like Elton John, Paul Simon. We have a lot of different ones. It seems like we listen to something new everyday. Those are the main core.”

How did you find your agent?

“We got to a point in our career where we were in college where it was very much a fast tipping point where people started noticing us. When we were traveling up to cities like New York to play a show, labels started hearing about it and coming out and just seeing what our band was about. Same with agents, managers, lawyers, all the above. We actually got a lawyer first. From there, we started picking up various members of our team. We were lucky enough to find a great booking agent from New York and an incredible label from New York and a great manager based out of L.A. (Los Angeles). It was a very fast process but one I think they starting taking notice of us because we were playing these shows and people were talking about us.”

How do you come up with the songs that you write?

“Songs just kind of come. Sometimes you just sit down and write them and they come. Some just come to me when I’m not trying to write. I don’t really come up with them, sometimes they choose me and I’m lucky enough to snag them out of mid-air. Just depends upon the song, but for the most part it generally takes a little while. But every now and then you get lucky and get a good song.”

What was the story behind the song “Something to Believe In?

“That song was one of the first ones I wrote after our first album. I kind of put it away for a while until Alex, our bass player, called. He remembered I sent it to him. He said, ‘we got to play this, we got to play this’, once we started talking about the new record. We played it, recorded it and it became our first single, which is out. But the lyrics just have a rallying cry. Again, we would have had nothing to do with that song if it weren’t for Alex.”

You opened up for other bands before. What was it like going from opening for headliners to being a headliner?

“The difference from opening and headlining is a different game. When you are opening, you are trying to get everyone’s attention and hold that attention and prove to them you are worth something. When you are headlining, people are there to see you and you can have a little more lee-way and freedom to play with that a little bit. We love opening. We love being hungry and being the underdog and going for it. Headlining is such a great thing to be able to just slow down and do what you want to do and play for awhile. It feels like two different shows. You’re doing the same thing, but you have two different goals in mind.”

What does it feel like to perform in front of a national audience?

“When you do TV shows and late night shows, it’s fun. You don’t really get to see the audience at all. You kind of play for the cameras. It’s kind of a weird, strange sensation in that you are trying to kill it and usually get immediate feedback in that we either killed it or we didn’t. With that, you don’t have any idea. We kind of call everyone you know and ‘How was that? How was that?’ A show like Leno, an iconic show, is very cool to be a part of and very cool to actually play on it and get to meet Jay. It gives us all something to believe in that we’re really proud of and really excited about. It’s a really good feeling.”

How do you deal with the stress of being on the road all the time?

“You kind of get used to it. Traveling is a very interesting lifestyle to lead. I don’t think there is anyone in our profession that’s really liked this, specifically. I think lowering expectations and understand it’s not just a giant vacation. Pretty much I think what you’re going to get to do is go to the radio station, go to the venue and eat dinner somewhere. As long as you understand that, your expectations are managed pretty well. But when you start getting bummed out you’re not going to be able to see a city, your not going to be able to see friends or family or something like that when you are in a certain city, it just kind of like work every day in a different city. But we have a blast and it’s fun to see the country. It’s just one of those things you get used to once you start getting in it. Once you get home for a while, you kind of get bored and want to go out again. It’s very interesting. Nothing is ever the same, ever, other than the shows and the stage setup every night. As long as you manage those expectations, it’s generally a fun thing to do.”

What inspires you to keep your music going?

“I think for us, writing songs and singing and making a record we’re proud of is a big thing. I think there are a lot of bands out there who are cutting songs and making records they’re not proud of and don’t care about. All they want to do is be famous and sing a little pop ditty, be flavor of the month. I think for us, it keeps us going knowing that we’re making something we’re really proud of. I don’t know how the public reacts to that? Or critics react to that. But it’s something we are excited about and willing to play every night for two years to get people to listen to it. I think that alone is reason to keep going. I was talking with someone the other day and he has been in the music business for a while and he played in bands and he was like ‘Dude, if you believe in your music, keep going because it’s worth it.’ I think for us as long as we can keep doing something we’re proud of, and happy with and playing what people want to hear, we’ll keep going and doing it all.”

What are your future plans?

“The future? Tour, tour, tour for this album. Make another album. Tour, tour, tour. We really want to make music we’re happy about, and that is unique and something that we are proud of and that we can put our stamp on. Right now the plan is to tour for awhile and promote this album.

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