Paradigm
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Interview With Shannon Curtis from Paradigm By Chris
Paradigm are a great alternative rock band.
Their music is well written,solid honest good rock.
They are one great band.
This band will be around for a long time.
Paradigm
Website
1. How did the band form?
i heard that my friend steve wanted to start a band, so
after asking him if i could sing backup in his new band he
suggested we start writing some songs together. we made a
demo, with me singing and him playing all the guitar parts,
on a little 8 track digital recorder. we used that to lure
tony, our drummer, to a rehearsal with us even though he
had no interest in being in our band since he was already
in two other bands. (and where are those other bands
today?? dead. so tony’s thanking us now…..) after we
booked our first show, we needed another guitarist, so
keith agreed to do one show with us…… and never left.
and there you have the four core members that formed the
band called paradigm. we’ve had a revolving door of bass
players…. 4 different players on this record, even.
2. What were your influences growing up?
you’d get a much different answer from the rest of the band
if you asked them this question, and probably a much more
interesting answer that would include bands like led
zeppelin, U2, guitar players like stevie ray vaughn, etc.
however, since i lived quite a sheltered life in my
formative years, i have to (with a significant amount of
shame) admit to you that i listened to a lot of, well, amy
grant. you could add to that tiffany and debbie gibson, but
that doesn’t really do anything for my cool factor.
fortunately for me, i was introduced later on to bands that
i really really liked and have become influences in my
music: radiohead, U2, remy zero, sarah mclachlan as a
songwriter and female role model, and more recently
coldplay, muse.
3. What was the recording process for the new
album?
the process started in spring of 2004 when we started
looking for a producer for the record. that took a while.
then we found joe zook, who ended up producing one complete
song on the record (“Heaven”) and did additional production
on several others. we had our first session with him in
august of 2004. it went great, and we couldn’t wait to get
into the studio again as soon as possible……. but that
didn’t happen until december because of both our tour
schedule and the availability of our producer. we ended up
recording at 6 different studio locations, with 2 different
producers, and mixing at 3 different studios over a nine
month period of time. we did a bunch of overdubs at our own
studio in sacramento, where we also mixed the last couple
of songs that got added to the record. all that to say,
we’re really glad it’s finally done!
4. Was it different to the first album?
i think the biggest differences are that there are better
songs, better performances by the band, and definitely
better quality production. we recorded in some amazing
places with top of the line equipment and really talented
people who know what they’re doing……. and it all adds
up to make a big difference in what you hear in the final
product. also different about this album is that there was
a little more song writing involvement from other band
members besides me and steve. and the themes in this album
branch out a little beyond what the last album was all
about. we still have songs about life and relationships,
but there are also numbers that represent our reflections
on the world, politics, and getting involved in
things.
5. Has the internet help you get your music out
there?
yes, the internet has been helpful, although we have not
yet tapped that resource as much as we ought to. we plan
to. currently, we have a decent amount of activity on our
myspace.com site.
6. Have you had much responce from labels?
we are starting the label campaign next week actually. so,
stay tuned for exciting answers to that question. we had
some mild interest by some big labels after our last
record, but we just weren’t ready for it yet. this time
around, we are a much more seasoned band, with a great
record in our hands, touring experience under our belt, a
much-expanded fan base….. we’re ready this time around.
labels, come and get it!
7. Any chance of coming down under to play?
wouldn’t i love to! nothing scheduled. but when we do,
you’ll be the first to know, chris.
8. What is your view on file sharing and the mp3
format?
at the risk of sounding hypocritical, i want to say that
for a band like us that is trying to gain as much exposure
as possible right now, share away! however, i am actaully
living the life of the struggling musician and so i know
first hand how hard it is to make ends meet and still make
music and take it on the road. it’s really really hard. and
so i totally appreciate fans who refuse to burn and share
and will buy the album to support the band. we certainly
can use all the ‘support’ we can get (read ‘support’ as
$$$!)
9. Any one you would really like to tour with?
i would really like to tour with U2. or coldplay. i just
really like both of those bands and think that their
audience would dig us, too. plus, we’d be playing for
thousands of people, and how could that be bad?
10. Have you had much responce overseas?
not a lot, but we haven’t tried at all. we really have
focused our energy on places where we have felt it’s
realistic to expect we could tour in right now. so, that
means our energy has mostly been stateside.
11. What would we find on your stereo at the
moment?
right this second i am listening to one of those internet
radio stations that plays new music. i like to keep up with
what’s new when i can. there’s a lot of crap out there, i
have to say! but lately, i can’t seem to get enough of the
killers, been listening a lot to the new coldplay, and i’ve
recently discovered a jazz singer i like named madeleine
peyroux.
12. Realty TV? Good Or Bad?
i don’t own a tv. i decided a while back that it sucks all
the good energy from my brain and replaces it with
negativity, and so i’m much happier without it! i guess i’d
say the best thing is my own actual reality and not reality
tv.
13. What movies have you enjoyed recently?
i just saw ‘mr. and mrs. smith’ last night. it was really
fun. i laughed out loud multiple times. before that, i
can’t remember the last movie i saw in the theater. but i
have watched ‘napolean dynamite’ on dvd so many times over
the last 6 months that i have been able to commit most of
it to memory. (my bandmates LOVE the fact that i can quote
lines like, “i caught you a delicious bass” all day long in
the tour van!)
14. What are your favourite movies?
my favorite movies — i got really into the ‘lord of the
rings’ movies, ‘shakespeare in love,’ ‘dumb and dumber,’
‘say anything’ or pretty much anything with jon
cusack.
15. If Paradign were on The Simpsons or Spongebob
Squarepants where would you be?
i wish i could answer your question, but that ‘no tv thing’
is hurtin’ me right about now!
Last Words:
i hope you like the record. and i hope you tell all your
friends about it. and i hope it makes you want to do
something amazing for another person or for the world.
let’s get together when we come to australia. take care of
yourself.
