Exposed Vocals Interviews ParaDel

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

ParaDel: I grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, commonly referred to as the wild west due to crime and such, so I had my fair share of fat lips and black eyes, but it wasn’t until much later, after leaving school that I first seriously picked up the guitar and started writing. I’d always loved singing and music, but never took it seriously.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

ParaDel: My music is mostly focused on society; the degradation of social values and the value of life in general and how the media has a hand in the perpetuation of this degradation and is allowed to do so by the political system. The name ParaDel actually means Paradigm Delusion; the perception of society and reality inside our little bubbles of our day to day lives, but how easily these are disrupted, and are, in many cases based on falsehoods, thus the Delusion.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

ParaDel: I feel that online music sharing is both good and bad; it’s good in that the artist can freely share their music with millions of people and can become famous from this, such as the case of Justin Bieber, but bad in that it has become so hard to find unique musicians and not just people that want to get famous. I have had my music available for free streaming and download for over 5 years. I believe that music is a universal language that should be freely available to anyone who wants to listen, regardless of who or where they are in the world.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

ParaDel: I feel that if music is your passion, performing and creating music is it’s own reward. If you view music as a job, you will never be satisfied. Having a dream is excellent, but expecting to fulfill your dream straight away is naive. Never be too proud to do a smaller gig. I have performed my music at a school fete to 4 or 5 people and have have performed in pubs (bars) to dozens. If music is the important thing to you, then everything else is a bonus.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

ParaDel: Oh yes, but I believe that’s what makes a live performance unique, the nuances of each show and it displays to your audience that you are human, which is important. When I make mistakes you just have to keep going, maybe a little smile or chuckle, but it shouldn’t break your stride; no live show will be perfect, so it’s just something that you learn to roll with.

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?

ParaDel: No, I don’t tour; I work full time and I have a family to support and family has to be above everything else. Music is my passion, and it will always be there, but time with your family is precious.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

ParaDel: I draw inspiration from my experiences growing up, society and Bible verses. My process varies, but usually I have a theme in mind and I may write the music to match or match the theme to music I already have and spin the lyrics from there. I usually try to write descriptively to form an image or situation to express the theme I have in mind.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

ParaDel: My main site is paradel.bandcamp.com and from there are links to facebook, YouTube & iTunes etc. I mainly use facebook & twitter to share updates and links to my music.

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

ParaDel: I’ve got quite a mix on my mp3 player; Meshuggah, Lamb of God, Slipknot, Erra & The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza to Stevie Wonder, Supertramp, Daniel Bedingfield, The Carpenters and Lionel Ritchie to name a few, none of which am I really embarrassed by.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

ParaDel: I think I’d just take care of the necessities like paying off the mortgage and fixing up the house a bit and maybe update my studio and, if there was enough left over, take my wife on a holiday.

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?

ParaDel: Until I receive that half mill, no, not really. I’m pretty happy with my set up. I use Acoustica Mixcraft as my recording software with a few plug-ins. Hard ware I use Shure SM57 & 58 mics, an old, old Korg ToneWorks AX1500G multi fx deck/pedal and to get it into my computer I use an M-Audio Fast Track usb interface. I’ve got a few instruments, too; guitars: ESP AX400, Ibanez Xiphos, Cort EVL-Z4, Ibanez EW 12 string acoustic. Basses: Ibanez GSR-200 & a Cort b5. I also have a cheapo electric drum kit, my wife’s electric piano and a harmonica.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

ParaDel: Well, I’m still trying to work that one out. Word of mouth is good, but unless you are telling everyone you meet every single day, that doesn’t work too well. I use Twitter and Facebook quite a lot and that has gotten me over a thousand new fans in the past year or so. I do the occasional paid as on fb, bit with a family etc I can’t afford to do that too often, but I would recommend that for people with few or no family commitments.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?

ParaDel: I’m not too picky with where, but I’d love to do a show with Dimebag Darrell; to me, he was an amazing innovator and changed the way I view music and being a guitarist.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

ParaDel: I am currently working on my 6th album entitled “Animalification” due for release late 2016. I’m also in an Alt Rock band called SUBDERMAL and we are working on new material. Search either ParaDel or Subdermal in soundcloud, iTunes or spirit and you’ll find us.

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

ParaDel: I really don’t know. Music and songwriting is an emotional as well as a creative outlet for me. I think I’d either be writing novels or short stories or painting or something along those lines.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?

ParaDel: I believe my first album was Break the Cycle by Staind, an album I still love to this day. I had heard It’s Been A While on the radio and just loved the light and dark of the composition, the passion in Aaron Lewis’ vocals and the lyrics were intelligent and deep, something that is getting rarer and rarer especially in mainstream music.

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

ParaDel: I have a very patient wife and my work hours allow me a couple of hours a day free, so when inspiration strikes, if I’m not holding my guitar I try to write it down or even hum it onto my phone. I feel that there is no “staying ahead” in your musical life. There are not enough hours in the day, even if I had no responsibilities; music is like the wind: it is beautiful and can move you and people around you but, especially with the creative process, it can blow you away with how much you can do or it can leave you longing for just a breath when inspiration is running dry. When and where either one takes place is like trying to predict a lightning strike.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?

ParaDel: The album I’m working on is about humans acting like animals; the selfishness and the heroism, the pride and the deceptiveness, the honour and the cowardice, so lots of heavy electric guitars and loud vocals mixed with soft acoustics and softly enunciated lyrics