We Are Parasols are an atmospheric shoegaze band out of Portland, OR. This last October they released a fantastically dark, surreal music video for their new song “Hold Me Fire”. I had the opportunity to interview the band about the video, their origin and influences, and more!
First of all, how did you guys meet and how long ago? Did you start the band right away?
Jย – Well, this is gonna be quite a long oneโฆAlec and I met in Atlanta in 1997.ย Weย were both in local bands – he was in a shoegaze band and I was in an electronic/trip-hop band called underwater. My band had just kicked out our previous drummer andย weย were pretty set on not ever getting another. But, Alec basically hung at out our house for a couple weeks non-stop until he convinced us that he would be the perfect drummer for us.ย Weย played in underwater together for five years, thenย weย had a few other projects together until I moved to LA in 2003.
D and I met in 2010, shortly after I moved to Portland. A mutual friend brought her to see a band I was playing guitar and singing in called International Grey. That band played exactly one live show and it was howย weย met! D and I hung out as friends for a year and then started dating. At the time thatย weย started dating I had just released a mostly instrumental electronic EP asย Parasols. D started writing and recording with me andย weย did two EPs together beforeย weย broke up (musically and romantically) and I finished the finalย Parasolsย record myself.
D and I were broken up for about six months but obviouslyย weย got back together. Sometime in 2014ย weย decided to start writing music together again. Around that same time Alec and I reestablished our friendship after a few years of silence. He came out to visit and really liked the musicย weย were working on and decided to join. He still lives in Atlanta and travels back and forth a couple times a year. In September 2015 D and I got married andย weย released the firstย Weย Areย Parasolsย single, โre:unionโ.ย Weโve been writing, recording, making videos, and playing shows pretty consistently since then.
Dย –ย Weย met Emma and Aaron from Vibrissae about a year ago and shortly afterwards asked Emma to be in our video for โss.tabโ. Then, about six months ago, because I write and play most of the bass parts on our recordings, but prefer to focus on singing live,ย weย asked her if sheโd be interested in playing bass and keyboards with us. She played her first show with us in September for the release ofย No Center Lineย andย weย love her! So,ย weโre a four piece now.
What made you decide on the nameย Weย Areย Parasols?
Jย – Well, as I mentioned D and I used to be calledย Parasols, which was inspired by a very stark image in the Joan Didion memoir,ย The Year of Magical Thinking. Afterย weย broke up and got back togetherย weย made our first music video together for a song called โThe Healing Properties of Pollutionโ from the finalย Parasolsย record.ย Weย decided to credit the video as โDirected byย Weย Areย Parasolsโ It was my way of saying that even though D had been gone for a bit, that once she was back it was both of us again, as partners. After making the video,ย weย decided to dig through theย Parasolsย back catalog, which was fairly diverse, and chose a select group of songs thatย weย thought would be good to re-record as the basis for a new, more defined band sounding record that would become the firstย Weย Areย Parasolsย album,ย Infrastructure.ย Weย also wrote a few new songs and did a cover of an old underwater song. By the time the record was done Alec was in the band and the nameย Weย Areย Parasolsย seemed like a way to acknowledge that whileย weย were still tied to our oldย Parasolsย identity,ย weย had developed into something new that all three of us had equal roles and ownership in.
Also, there is a very vague idea about how each of us, as human beings, needs to step up and protect each other.ย Weโre each aย parasolย or a shield, protecting someone else when they need it.ย Weโre all in this together even though it doesnโt seem that way recently.
Who are your main music/artistic influences?
Jย – Whenย weย startedย Weย Areย Parasolsย weย were really focused on being a modern shoegaze band.ย Weย had just discovered SPC ECO and it reignited our mutual love of Curve. I guessย weย were going for that very specific electronic based shoegaze, more so than the rock based shoegaze. Curve, Seefeel, Pygmalion by Slowdive, etc.ย Weย all love the Cocteau Twins. But eventually our more industrial and electronic influences started to take over on our second record,ย Inertia. Gazelle Twin is a major influence, as well as Nine Inch Nails and Skinny Puppy.
Iโm also very inspired by film.ย Weย sample a lot of movies. David Cronenberg, Wong Kar Wai, David Lynch, Noah Baumbach, and Hal Hartley are all film directors who have had a massive influence on my music, sometimes in really obvious ways. Also, Battlestar Galactica. Everything about Battlestar Galactica. But, Cronenberg in particular will be playing a big role in our next incarnation. But thatโs something to talk about in the future.
Dย – I am not quite sure who or what my overall main music/artisitic influences would be. Since I began making music inย Weย Areย Parasols, my music and artistic influences come and go depending on whatย weโre working on. I can say that, overall, I do have wildly varied influences and tastes. Lately, though, I have noticed myself revisiting many of my past influences, from my childhood and adolescence. How about I just give you a list of what I have been listening to lately in preparation for the new projectย weโll be working on next year. โ Madonna, Curve, Goldfrapp, Roisin Murphy, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Gazelle Twin, Arca, Meredith Monk, Enya, Lustmord, Brian Eno, Hildegard von Bingen, Julianna Barwick, Puce Mary.
Aย – Cocteau Twins, metal, and dark ambient.
What inspired No Center Line?
Jย – Last year D, Alec, and I took a trip to the Oregon Coast because Alec had never been.ย Weย were really inspired by the strange, almost alien landscape, and the intense darkness. Itโs was already Fall so it was already pretty cold and dark. There wasnโt a ton of daylight soย weย spent quite a bit of time in our hotel room. At one pointย weย recorded some samples of the ocean waves. I used Reason, on my laptop, to turn the ocean samples into a synth sound that I could actually play. Alec made a snare sample from it too.ย Weย used those samples to write and record the core of the first track fromย No Center Line,ย โAt The Edge of the Endโ,ย in our hotel room. In between writingย weย went to a bar across the street and discussed the concept of a new witch-like character, traveling back and forth between life and death on the coast.ย Weย were talking a lot about the grey areas and blurry lines between life and death and dreams.ย Weย even wrote the lines that D speaks in โAt the Edge of the Endโ in the bar. Thatโs how it started. Also, there is a road sign somewhere along Highway 20, on the way to the coast that says, โNo Center Lineโ. I thought it would be a fitting title for the EP.
Dย – On my end, I recorded a demo around two years ago. At the time I was playing around with a simple vocal melody. I eventually started to sing random wordsโthose words were โhold me fireโ. I kept singing the words and melody; molding it and shaping it. I eventually began to develop those three words into a story about a woman burned alive because she was accused of being a witch. When I presented it to Jeremy and Alec, the three words soon expanded to include โhabeo flammas, tene me, hold me fire, kiss me flamesโ. This became the womanโs way to embrace her fate. So, for me, the ideas and musicย weย made during our trip to the coast that Jeremy mentioned intertwined with that witch narrative Iโd been developing as well as topicsย weย loosely explored like existential depression and death. For me,ย No Center Lineย is about embracing the flames, embracing the darkness, embracing the unknown. If I am honest with myself, the witch character I created is really my shadow selfโreally all of the characters I have and will continue to embody are aspects of my shadow selfโand I think Iโm slowly getting closer to embracing her, or them.
The music video for “Hold Me Fire” is visually and emotionally striking. Can you share what the writing process for it was like? Did you know beforehand the sort of picture you wanted to paint? What is it all about?
Dย – Of course, for me, I very much wanted to explore the witch character; I wanted to tell a story with her. But mostly, I wanted a full-circle effect for the music video; I wanted to honor the overall inspiration for the songโreally the entire EP. Since the inspiration was a weekend getaway at the coast with Jeremy and Alec, I wanted the video to take place where it all started. Place mattered from the start. And the Oregon coast is a beautiful place to shoot and the ocean provides so much rich symbolism, how couldย weย not shoot a witch themed music video about embracing the unknown there?
Jย –ย Weย knewย weย wanted it to be filmed at the coast, in black and white, and involving the witch character. The rest of the story was the product of Charlie Moses and I brainstorming back and forth, trying to think of the most simple way to tell a compelling story. I hate to spell it out too much but since you asked,ย weย eventually landed on the idea that the โmodernโ D character was depressed and unhappy, but that sheโd started dreaming of the witch character and a cryptic symbol. She wakes up trying to remember the symbol, frantically drawing. Meanwhile, the witch is in an entirely different world performing a sort of ritual to free the โmodernโ D character from the benign existence sheโs trapped in. Eventually the two different worlds get blurred and they almost interact with each other. Some of the scenes where theyโre together, one inside and the other outside of the house are my favorite scenes andย weย basically improvised those while shooting, partially because that house looked so cool from the outside.
Where was the video filmed and who all was involved?
Dย – The video was filmed in Yachats, Oregon. Jeremy and our friend Charlie Moses co-wrote, co-directed, and co-produced it together. Moriah made the costume, did make-up and helped me get around on the beach. She also lent me some body heat to not freeze out there. I played both the characters. Our good friend Jason Roark let us borrow a bunch of equipment and recommended the app, Filmic Pro, thatย weย used to film the entire video on two iPhone SEs.
Jย – The end of the shoot was actually shut down by a very nice fireman from the Yachats Fire Department.ย Weย did a ton of research on how to properly and legally build a bonfire on the coast, butย weย didnโt know that the Feds had shut down all fires on the beach that weekend due to the drought. Luckily he let us make sureย weย had our final shot before helping us put out the bonfire – which he saidย weโd done perfectly according to regulations!
Who created the head piece and costume?
Dย – Moriah West (of Mo West Creations and Xibling) designed the entire costume, including the amazing headdress. I really wanted the witch to stand out visually and I intuitively knew I wasnโt going to be able to create that character alone, so I reached out to Moriah. All I can say is that Moriah came up with the entire look, very much on the fly, including that beautifully crafted headdress. She made the witch look fantastic. Working with Moriah was absolutely wonderful. She got what I was trying to do and delivered. When I saw the early raw footage of me on the beach in the witch costume, I was so thrilled. It was perfect! But, I will say that it was a tricky costume to move around in on the beach.
What have been some of your favorite bands to play with?
Dย – Bloody Knives, Charlatan, Xibling, Sex Park, Vibrissae, Darkswoon.
Jย – Bloody Knives. I love those guys.
Eย – Darkswoon.
Aย – All of the above.
What are each of your top 5 favorite albums?
Dย – These kinds of questions can be so tricky to answer. I donโt think I am the only one when I say that my top 5 or top 10 favorite artist or album lists tend to change. Itโs hardly ever the exact same listโthe way it should be, right? So, I am going to type the ones that come to my mind right here, right now.
Portishead –ย Dummyย
Nine Inch Nails –ย Downward Spiral
Bjork –ย Homogenic
Garbage –ย Version 2.0
Goldfrapp –ย Black Cherry
Jย – If I were to list my all-time favorites itโd just be the very predictable Cure and Depeche Mode record I grew up on. So, instead Iโm gonna list my Top 5 albums from this year. I hope thatโs ok.
Low –ย Double Negative
Matthew Dear –ย Bunny
Bloody Knives –ย White Light Black Moon
Nine Inch Nails –ย Bad Witch
Gazelle Twin –ย Pastoral
Eย –
Jefferson Airplane –ย Surrealistic Pillow
All of Broadcast, but especiallyย The Future Crayonย andย Work And Non Work
All of Blonde Redhead, but especiallyย Penny Sparkleย andย Misery Is a Butterfly
Goldfrapp –ย Felt Mountain
Billie Holiday –ย Last Recording
Aย – My current top three are:
Ariadne –ย Stabat Mater
Hide –ย Castration Anxiety
Imperial Triumphant –ย Vile Luxury
What’s in store forย Weย Areย Parasolsย in 2019?
Jย –ย Weโre currently planning a short NW tour in late March with Mercuryโs Antennae and Tangients (from LA). While Alec is in town for thatย weโre talking about going into a bigger recording studio than mine to experiment with some new techniques. Well, new for us, but nothing everyone else hasnโt been doing for the past 50 years!ย Weย want to record something with live drums. Even though Alec plays live, and is a great drummer, none of our recordings so far have had acoustic drums. He programs everything in the studio. And the main reasonย weย want to experiment with it is becauseย weโd like to record our entire next record that way, but I need to learn how to record and mix real drums while maintaining the same level of production as our electronics. Also, I’m currently mixing a collaboration recordย weย did with Bloody Knives that will hopefully find its way into the world in 2019. Itโs called Last Ice and so far Iโm super excited by how the mixes are coming together!
Dย – First thing for next year is thatย weโre finally releasing a six song EP of remixes ofย Infrastructure.ย Weโve been sitting on some of those remixes for way too long. The single will be a new version of โNo Movementโ thatย weโre doing ourselves. I just realized recently that itโs the fourth versionย weโve done of that song. After that Iโll be really focused on writing for our next record,ย Body Horror.ย Weย have a concept, of course,ย weย always start with a concept, butย weย havenโt written a single note.
