Parachute
Will has been playing with drummer Johnny Stubblefield, bassist Alex Hargrave and saxophone/keyboardist Kit French since they were high school classmates in Charlottesville almost five years ago. Will met Nate while attending University of Virginia together, and the guitarist joined the band two years ago.
“I remember seeing them at Starr Hill, which is the big venue in town, and they came on to the ‘Mortal Kombat’ theme,” he remembers. “I never would’ve imagined myself playing with them, let alone becoming a member of the band.”
“It’s really gone downhill since then,” teases Will.
With a diverse selection of influences ranging from old-school legends like Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul Simon and Journey to newer acts like U2, Coldplay, Weezer, Ben Folds, Maroon 5, John Mayer, Jay-Z, Kanye West, The Fray and the Arcade Fire, the group began to attract a rabid local following under the name Sparky’s Flaw.
“It’s a cool music scene,” says Will about Charlottesville. “There are so many different types of bands. There’s just such an incredibly eclectic group of people there.”
“While we were still in high school, we used to see a lot of different groups at local venues that inspired us to want to play,” adds Johnny.
That range is reflected in the songs on the band’s debut album, largely produced by Grammy winner John Shanks (Bon Jovi, Liz Phair, Sheryl Crow, Jane’s Addiction, Stevie Nicks). With songs like “Back Again,” one of several tracks fueled by Anderson’s chill-inducing falsetto, and the revved-up “The New Year,” interspersed with more introspective numbers like the single “She Is Love”.
With an eye towards creating music for the radio, Parachute is unapologetic about aiming for popular appeal.
“If no one’s going to listen, why even play?” asks Will. “For us, melody is king.”
“We want to create music people like” nods guitarist Nate, who counts U2’s The Edge and Coldplay’s Jonny Buckland among his own influences. “I’m a very compositional guitarist. I try to make every note count in the service of the song, with a bunch of suspendeds and seventh notes to give it a little edge. We call it Tele-rock because I play the Telecaster a lot.”
As part of the campaign, the band played before more than one million people New Year’s Eve at Times Square in bone-chilling sub-zero temperatures at the Nivea Countdown Stage on 46th Street.
“I could barely hold on to my drumsticks,” laughs Johnny. “The guys were struggling with their fingertips, but it was so worth it.”
“By the end, I looked down and had three strings left on my guitar,” says Will. “My fingers were bloody, but I was happy as happy can be. That night, we realized exactly why we do this in the first place.”
In fact, the only down note has been their old friend Sparky’s disappointment, when the band decided it needed a more mature name to reflect their own growth as musicians.
“Unfortunately, he used to pick up girls by telling them he had a band named after him,” reveals Will. “I had to break the news to him when we decided to change it to Parachute.”
Make no mistake about it. Parachute is headed for a happy landing.