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Interview with Paradise
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Frank: That would have been an easy answer 30 something years ago. Today most of us have jobs and wished music would be our only occupation š
RL Black: When we were young, all we did was listen to music and fantasize about being in bands, so one thing led to another, bought some gear and started jamming with our mates ātil things got more serious
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
Frank: Iām a motorcycle builder so still create stuff and make noise.
RL Black: Iām a graphic artist and photographer, so I'm always in a designing / creating mode
How long has your band been around?
Frank: 25 years
Where are you based and how did that influence your music?
Frank: Weāre out of Montreal Canada, same as me. Born and raised. Growing up downtown close to the cultural scene probably influenced a lot of it.
RL Black: I guess being from a place where winter kicks you in the nuts 5-6 months a year can drive you towards the harder kind of music...
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
Frank: When we first had the idea of the band the imagery and inspiration came from the Polynesian and the Kon-Tiki kitsch culture. Songs were named after tiki drinks and lot of the things weād find like they would just add āParadiseā to it. Paradise island, Songs in paradise, Love in Paradise and so on... so we just called the band āParadiseā. Seemed obvious. HA!
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
Frank: Might be our first gig, at the Montreal Olympic Stadium for 50 000 people. It was for a motocross event and we had to play separated from each other on different stages across the stadium. There was so much carbon monoxide in the air that I fainted right a the end while the stage was on fire. But all ended well.
RL Black: Not to mention that we got pulled over by the cops that same night, and were lucky to drive away from that one...
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
Frank: We just love to play, any venue is good for me, bring āem on.
RL Black: I personally have never been to the UK, so maybe download festival would be nice! hehe!
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Loads of them. Just to name a couple Fu Manchu, Kyuss
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
Have fun. But be professional about it, respect your band mates and especially your fans. Thereās a shit load of advice Iād give my younger self but again the stories wouldnāt be the same š
RL Black: Yeah, just be passionate about what everything you do, never say die!
If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?
RL Black: Learn when to shut up, buy a dot-com, and some apple stock in the 80āS
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Frank: Probably āBlue Hurricaneā from our first record. Itās the one who started it all.
RL Black: āHitting on all sixesā cause Itās literally what we do
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
Frank: āWho do you want to beā from our latest record. I like the vibe and just feel really comfortable playing it.
RL Black: āRiversideā because itās the show opener and you can still feel the adrenaline running
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
Frank: I mostly come up with the riffs and structures and then Blacky writes most of the words. The first two records had a general theme to them and kind of gave us a good guideline to the creative process. Would like to go back to that.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
Frank: Used to write about girls and cars HA! But we got a little more profound on our latest. But whatever comes to mind or is relevant at the time is what goes into the song. It just needs to feel right and try not to go to the dark side of things, Paradise is a feel good and party type of band.
RL Black, Exactly, even though I would love to scream what pisses me off as loud as i can into the mic, Paradise is all about having fun
Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?
Frank: We have lawyers to take care of these things ;) Nah Paradise is a close family. Weāve known each other forever so no drama here.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
Frank: Working on a new record this winter and affiliated to new management so we hope it brings us new opportunities. We really just want to play š
RL Black: yeah, here are our main links! Be sure to check us out on your preferred platform
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