interview med Rykarda Parasol
What is the name of your band? RP: Rykarda Parasol. I am a solo artist. Sometimes I perform solo and sometimes with a band depending when/where.
What made you start playing music? RP: I had a need to create and express myself.
What made you start a band? RP: (see #4)
What was the plan when you started the band? RP: I’d written a lot of songs and it was a natural step to start performing them.
When did you start off band?
RP: I started performing seriously in 2003.
Where have you played from 2009 to 2013? RP: In these years, I’ve played numerous places in the USA and in Europe: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Athens, Warsaw, Krakow, Amsterdam to name a few.
Where were off last gig? RP: Where was my last gig, you mean? My most recent concert was in Wroclaw, Poland.
How many people usually come to your gig? RP: No club is the same size, right? As many people come to the gig as can fit. A club can be small and a festival huge. One can play to 300 or 15,000.
Where do you plan to play the rest of the year? RP: There will be concerts in and near San Francisco and probably Los Angeles. Later in the year I will be back in Poland and possibly Germany. Nothing is settled just yet. I just got finished summer tour and am currently on holiday.
What you drive for music style? RP: What is my musical direction, you mean? I strive to create something true that sounds like me and not someone other jerk.
What are your songs about? RP: Real life seen from my twisted angle. There is always a story before I write music. Sometimes, the songs are reflection and conclusions to a certain conflict.
Do you own songs or covers?
RP: Do I write my own songs? Yes, I write my own songs. I go to Karaoke if I want to sing someone else's song. I don't do Karaoke very often.
Who writes the songs? / Who does the music? RP: I think we covered who I am, ja? I write my songs and perform them. I work with various musicians who play their own parts in live concerts. I did all my own vocals and much of the instrumentation on this last album. Danny Luehring is one of the best drummers I've ever worked with and he's throughout this last album.
Who has the best humor? RP: I have to say “me” even when I am working with others. Me, me, me.
Good and bad sides of the band? RP: I work with a lot of different people depending on where and when I am performing. It's not always possible for people to travel so far and to travel for months so I must try to find a way. In the early years I tried having a regular band, but there was always someone who was unreliable and it was very disruptive to myself and the others. I developed a solo career with the understanding that no one has to be with me 24-hours a day. I like people too much to make them have to do that.
What are your web pages?
Web site: www.RykardaParasol.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RykardaMusic
Videos: https://vimeo.com/rykardaparasol
Where are you from? RP: San Francisco, California. I've been in Paris most of the last two years, but going home soon.
What are your role models before? RP: Growing up my main role models were my babysitter and a Swedish aunt: Both were artists. I liked how they lived their lives. I didn’t really aspire to have a husband, children, or that life. I wanted to be an artist and make things with my hands and fill my life with art and friends. They were smart and cool and they are still my role models.
What inspires you? RP: Experiences, adventure, personal conflict, travel. Things like that. I think discouragement has been an inspiration.
What are your plans for the future? RP: I am always writing songs. Right now I just finished tour and taking holiday. I am still in Europe. I've been living in Paris, but I will go back to San Francisco next week, start working with some great musicians there, play some shows hopefully. Then I will probably come back to Europe in November. We'll see!
