Last Parade – Carolina Concrete (She’s Stuck Inside The Beltline)

Check out the new song from Last Parade – Carolina Concrete (She’s Stuck Inside The Beltline)

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Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.

“My name is Patrick, and this is my Last Parade…”

My story starts off as a six year old boy in Germany who announced to his parents one day that he was going to learn the piano. His parents asked him if he was sure that he’d be committed, that he’d have to practice and work hard, but his mind was made up. The love affair with making music started then. Fast forward three years, the family’s moved to New Jersey and the boy, inspired by the Bosnian wars that erupted, decides to write a song championing peace entitled “Peace, Lovable Peace” (his song titling abilities have since greatly improved). Leaning on the influence of both his mother and his love of the piano, he then decided he should write Billy Joel, and the response he received from Joel’s publicist encouraging him on was just what the budding songwriter needed to fuel his fire. In high school he picked up guitar, and everything changed. The guitar’s mobility allowed him to play for his friends, to play when he could, and offered him the privacy to write in his room. Songs soon flowed quickly, and tapes recorded on an old 4-track were handed out to those who wanted. The first band came in his early years of college, a pop-punk outfit that left him yearning for a stage, a corner, a chair, any place to perform for people and open himself up to them in ways he never could without a song.

In college he discovered the loop station, a pedal he used to record his voice and guitar in continuous loops, and was soon playing around the city as a next-level one-man band, building complete songs from the ground up leaving people saying “how did he do that live?” But the city he was in left him unsatisfied, and while he could have been content to live there, he would always have questioned his motives – was he just settling down? Could he have done more? It was his father who gave him his answer, saying “Son, sometimes you just have to jump into the cold water” (the inspiration for the song “Words of Advice” off of Last Parade’s new EP Lead Me Home).

So he went to New York, not knowing what to expect. He found inspiration. He found life, and energy and all the things he was missing. So he took all that he found and condensed his journey into 6 songs, going back home to North Carolina to record in revered Echo Mountain studios, where some of his idols including The Avett Brothers and Band of Horses recorded albums pivotal in his growth as an artist. He put all he had in the album, and the end product is an album that perfectly describes who he is and how he came to be where he is.

And that’s my story. Throughout I’ve tried to maintain only two things: To be true to myself and to be true to my fans. I write what’s in my heart and I leave blood on the stage and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What are you currently working on and what can we expect to see?
I’m currently working on making the pivotal album of a generation. I think that should be the goal of every artist when they’re in the process of making an album. One specific thing I’ve been looking more towards is concepts, creating a storyline for an album. I’ve been way into The Dear Hunter as of late, and I’m blown away by the narrative – across albums – that Casey’s been able to write, and still have songs that sound so good you almost have to hate them. The concept I’m working on is a protagonist who leaves his wife and home behind to take his ship the Maria out to sea and face down some demons of his past, revolving around the childhood death of his son. He faces some rough waters (both literally and metaphorically), and the narrative is his quest for redemption, which I think echoes with most of us at some point in our lives.

Outside of that I’ve been working on getting a permanent lineup in the band and plotting world domination through shows.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry.
One of the hardest things I’ve had to face in the industry is essentially the test of faith. There are a lot of amazing bands out there that no one’s heard of, and there are also a fair amount of crap bands that everyone knows, so it’s a real test of faith to be caught up in that and stay not only motivated and focused. “We’re so much better than they are, but they’re packing the house.” That sort of thing. It’s a sad truth but if you’re a good business person and can market and promote, you may not have as good of a product but you’ll get further. Also, a lot of this industry so far has been a ‘if you build it, they will come’ kind of thing, where you have to keep your nose to the grindstone and once you’ve done enough work, doors start opening and people start calling, and it’s important not to lose sight of that as you continue on your path.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
One of the biggest setbacks early on in my career was trying to find musicians who matched my enthusiasm and drive when it comes to music. Most of us who are even slightly musically inclined have had that “Let’s start a band” conversation, but for me when it came down to it – meaning let’s practice at least once a week, let’s do shows, let’s get merch – the conversation seemed to peter out more than it continued. I bounced back by discovering the loop station, through a friend of mine who posted a video of KT Tunstall performing on Live with Jools Holland. I’d seen loop stations before (they’re cool little pedals where you can record a sample on the guitar or through a mic and continuously loop it) but the way that she used it – to perform a structured song and not an extended jam, and using her voice as a trumpet and her guitar as a drum – it blew my mind. It gave me a way of playing shows and making it engaging for the audience and completely opened up a new avenue of creativity.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
I feel like artists need to be careful of the product they sell. By that I mean that we’re living in a day and age where it’s super easy to record and release a song. But something I learned early on is that if you devote some time and effort at the very beginning to quality, it pays off exponentially. It’s that whole “You can polish a turd but it’s still a turd” adage. DYI is cool and it’s who I am and what I do, but take pride in your work. It’s a lot easier to turn someone into a fan when they don’t say “I like this song but it sounds like crap.”

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
I think Joe Dirt said it best, and yes I’m quoting Joe Dirt, and yes that probably makes me a loser – and that’s OK by me. Anyways, you just gotta keep on keepin’ on. I really do believe that as long as you do right by yourself and be as decent of a human being as you can, good things will happen.

What are the best ways to sell your products as an artist?
I think the best way to sell your products as an artist is your way. I realize that’s a total cop-out response, but what I mean by that is that I feel like there’s no one “best way” that works regardless. But for me I think it comes down to shows. There’s nothing like selling someone on your CD or your merch by playing an awesome show. Plus it gives you a leg up in the sales pitch department when you’re standing in front of someone just off the stage and all sweaty and you know they enjoyed themselves.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
I like promoting myself and my music through good old-fashioned conversation. I’m not a huge social networker – I refuse to join Twitter – and while I’m actually pretty introverted and private, I love talking music. One of the most amazing things about being and artist and writing music is that you can write a song that’s the most personal thing to you, and then you play it, or you talk to someone about it, and you see that they feel that they feel the same way. Or maybe not the same way, but to the same degree. The song touches them and you connect. I can’t really think of a more meaningful way of promoting your music. The trick of course is that you have to talk to a lot of people to get that connection.

Any last comments or statements?
The only thing I’d add is that I hope you, the Reader, give this album of mine a listen. I’m not asking you to buy it (not yet!) and I’m not telling you to love it. But I am asking you to listen. There have been innumerable times I’ve discovered bands that I love without looking for a band. One of my biggest loves in music right now is The Avett Brothers, and I found out about them because I randomly got a friend request on Myspace. We all get all these friend requests from bands on Myspace, but I try to give each one at least a little listen before I decide to add them or not, and that’s true for anything really. If you’re talking to someone and they mention they have a band and give you a card, rather than throwing it out right away, take it home and give a listen. If it sounds like crap or you don’t like it, then throw it away. But you never know what sort of things you might discover if you just give it a listen…