Catching Up with the Parlotones

“There is no better feeling than arriving at a show in a foreign country and there is a queue waiting outside.”

 

What can we expect from the new album?

Awesomeness, they say humorously, it has a lot of good hits on it, it’s quite diversity, a bit of everything, featuring Khuli Chana…

What are some of the things you enjoy doing outside of your music career?

To play Golf and tennis,

How has your music changed since leaving SA?

I don’t think we’ll ever consciously know how it has changed or evolved but ultimately you are a product of your experiences, of your environment and we are constantly exposed to old and new music, styles, and that washes over you and goes into your subconscious, and when it comes to the creative process you naturally bring that new vibe to the mix. It happen as an organic and more natural process. Since the inception of the band our core of our sound is melody, and it is still the same, sonically it may change around the core but, every thing we like creating revolves around melody.

How do you compare yourselves to the rest of the market in your genre?

At this stage Rock, or guitar music has a bit of the back burner, especially in the domain of pop culture, especially that which is distributed by radio stations and television channels, so you see a lot of guitar bands evolve their sound to accommodate that. But everything is cyclical, it swings around and for us, we try and ensure that we stay a guitar band and try to listen to what is current and fresh and organically we have never been purests, e=we like all kinds of music, and if it’s a good song it’s a good song no matter what its dressed in. sometimes we sound poppy, sometimes rocky, but that is just the vibe of what we listen to.

How is the response to your music different compared to that which You had here in SA?

America has thir own type of sound, and hhan has a unique voice which is a refreshing sound, and we defenately stand out vocally. The fans as well, they are a lot more proactive, they hear the music from a tv show for example and they go out and and see who wrote the song, get the album, and go to a show with their friends, as they are very enthusiastic about how they consume music. They are loyal also, they will follow you as you do your shows, sometimes travelling ten to 12 hours between shows, and they sometimes arrive before you do and they stand and wait outside the entrance. We alrady have fans with tattoos of our lyrics.

what are some of the challenges that you gave faced as a group?

Basically family and friends, being away from home. Is the biggest challenge. And trying to get on with each other isn’t that big of a challenge as we are fortunate that we get on so well. Not having routines, just focusing most of your energy on the next city, and the next show. But we have the normal things like broken down busses and vans and things that come with the territory.

 How was the Jo'burg day experience?

Amazing, crazy crowed, it was cool. It is always was great to play to a home crowed.

have the dynamics in the group changed or developed in anyway?

Over the years we have become more experienced and better musicians, starting off as being self-taught, we just develop and performance, energy and everything is much easyer, doing songs without even thinking about it, becoming more professional and becoming a tight knit.

What do you miss the most about the country, besides family?

The vibe, the feeling around you is not alien. The familiarity of being home.

What are some of the key highlights of your career thus far?

Performing at the opening ceremony of the world cup, with the whole adrenalin and the rush that was surrounding the whole country, and it was the largest televised performance, a special moment and a historic event. And as a new band you start dreaming small, like playing at Roxys in Melville and once that’s done you set your sights on something else which all become individual highlights.

What are some of your goals for the future?

Our main goal is to have a life long career in music as the Parlotones. To be a Big band, whatever that means, to tour and play on radio around the world. Short term goal is the new album, and getting that on radio.

What can fans be expecting from you in the near future?

Just the new album and to perform in small towns who are normally starved for live entertainment, and at the end of the year we will have a big tour nationwide.

Do you still get performance jitters before going on stage?

Always, but mostly it is when playing in America for offices of people who are responsible for promoting your music, especially when there is no equipment except a guitar and a shaker.

How many of you are single? There are so many ladies who are dying to know!

Glen is, but he has girlfriends, so there is still a chance.

During shows they often play longer than the set time, this is because they say they will always give more if the crowed it asking for it.

“It’s satisfying doing exactly what we want to do.”