Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Currently on tour with “Yngwie Malmsteen”, We interviewed the Paralandra lead vocalist Casandra Carson
1. How did you come up with your band name, What does it mean?’
Perelandra is the name of the CS Lewis book that my dad was reading around the time we started the band. It’s part of a space trilogy about the Garden of Eden on another planet, and kind of plays off the idea of “what if Adam and Eve never took the bite”. I really loved the concept of the book and thought it was just a really cool name, so we changed the spelling up a little bit (to Paralandra) and made it our own! Also, our first self-made album was based on the Garden of Eden, so it went together really well.
2. Describe your sound.
We like to call our sound melodic rock. People compare us to Halestorm, Alter Bridge, and the Foo Fighters a lot.
3. Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CDs?
I have so many favorites, it’s hard to choose! I guess the top ones would be The Beatles, Alter Bridge, Lady Gaga, Van Halen, and Ghost.
4. What are you most excited for on your upcoming tour with Yngwie Malmsteen?
I think I’m most excited to be on tour with someone I’ve literally been listening to my entire life. Being able to hear the songs that I grew up with is going to be such a trip!
5. What’s your songwriting process?
Our songwriting process generally starts with myself or my dad bringing a fairly completed song idea to rehearsal, then having everyone jam on it. From there, we all help structure and “trim the fat”. I definitely wouldn’t say that one person is the music and one person is the lyrics. My dad and I do both pretty equally. To go a little deeper, my personal songwriting process usually begins with me singing into my phone’s voice recorder. Typically, I’ll start with a melody in my head, and won’t take it to a guitar until I have an entire chorus or verse with lyrics already planned out. Then, I figure out what I can play on guitar to compliment what I’ve already written. A lot of the time, after playing it with the guitar I’ll be inspired to write the rest and come up with new parts.
6. What has been your biggest challenge as a band?
I think the biggest challenge (for me anyway) has been learning to keep a level head through thick and thin. You’re always going to get yes’s and no’s, no matter who you are. So being able to stay focused and motivated while taking praises and criticisms, while enjoying the journey of course, is a tough feat!
7. What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
The best advice I could ever give someone that wants to be in a successful band is to be a good person above all. Be easy to work with, appreciate your fans, support other bands, network, and leave the ego at the door. Your ceiling is infinitely lower without these things. Bands get blacklisted all the time (no matter how good or big they are) for being a nightmare to work with. So two pieces of advice really, become a master at your craft and to be excellent to each other.
8. Any last words?
Thanks again for taking the time to reach out. We’re looking forward to our show at the House of Blues, in Anaheim, CA. on May 5th, 2019
Paralandra
