J-14 is scouting out the hottest bands around... and this week's pick is Parachute!
Here are five things you need to know about Parachute, whose latest album, The Way It Was, comes out May 17!
1. From Charlottesville, VA, the pop-rock band, consisting of lead vocalist Will Anderson, drummer Johnny Stubblefield, bassist Alex Hargrave, sax and keyboardist Kit French, and guitarist Nate McFarland, have come a long way since their debut album Losing Sleep. "We've just really gotten to be a better band as a whole," Will tells J-14. "Touring nonstop for two years can do that for you just from getting to play so much, and we're better than we've ever been as a collective unit."
2. Parachute is use to working with pros. They opened for Kelly Clarkson, co-wrote the song "Kiss Me Slowly" with Lady Antebellum, and just finished touring with The Plain White T's. Who they would love to work with next? "I would love to write with Paul Simon, Ben Folds or Elton John," Will said. "Those three guys were my heroes and got me into songwriting."
3. The most personal track off the album for Will is a song called "American Secrets," which took him six months to write. "I don't know if I've ever written a song so personal to me, and that one was really the song that tied the whole album together," Will tells J-14. "When I finished it, it was 'Ah, finally. The album is done.' I knew I needed to really bare my soul in that song to make it complete."
4. The first single off The Way It Was, "Something to Believe In," was written shortly after their debut album came out. "Our bass player Alex called me all the time while I was writing The Way It Was and said, 'We need to record this one!'" Will says. "Finally, we gave in and gave it a shot, and lo and behold he was right. We knew we had something special, and each time we played it, it became more and more apparent to us that it was going to be the first single."
5. Bound to have a crazy ride ahead of them this year with a new album, Parachute is currently getting ready for their US headlining summer tour that kicks off June 4 in their hometown before hitting the road with the Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch in July. "We just want to keep writing good music and touring," Will tells J-14. "We're so excited for the new album and the next year."
Check out Parachute's new music video for '"Something To Believe In" and tell us what you think!
Photo: Courtesy of Brantley Gutierrez
