EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Electric Parlor

This is the most exciting post that I have done for my blog so far. I came across the band Electric Parlor whilst browsing for new music on YouTube and fell instantly in love with them. Their bluesy rock sounds combined with the lead singer’s raspy voice gives their music a really addictive quality. I could (and have) listened to them for hours. I have downloaded as many of their songs as I could and am eager to hear more of their music. Everyone that I have played this band to says that they sound like they’ve been going for years. Don’t be too surprised if they show up on the festival circuit sometime very soon!

Electric Parlor are formed of Monique Alvarez on vocals, Josh Fell on the bass, Kris Farr on guitar and Zachary Huling on drums. The band members derive from all across the US; with Josh from New Jersey, Kris from Texas, Zachary from the Midwest and Monique from LA. Though the band was formed in LA. Here’s the interview:

For the readers who haven't heard of you guys yet, who is Electric Parlor?

We’re a very bluesy, groove-based rock ‘n’ roll band.  There is some angst in our music, the emotion of a song, it’s very raw but 100% real.  In Sweden we are labelled as stoner rock, which was new to us, but hey as long as they dig it they can call it whatever they like.

Who are your inspirations and where do they fit into your music?

The great thing about us is that each member of the band kinda has their own personal influences, there is some common themes sure, but we all also have our own thing too.  The music we all pull to are bands like old Creedence Clearwater Revival, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Zeppelin, etc.  We take all of that and try to create our own interpretation of rock ‘n’ roll.  Which is what it’s all about.  We create our own thing, riff driven, heavy hittin’ and groove driven we would say is the style of what we write. 

The impression I get from reading more into you guys from what you’ve said on your site is that you really have a sense of where you have come from and staying true to your roots, how did you guys form?

When we say that we mean that we know we all come from the bottom, with humble beginnings and no real “in” to the music industry.  We’ve earned everything we have and so far have done everything on our own.  Kris, Monique, and Zach all met on Craigslist, and then Josh found them when they were looking for a bass player on Bandcamp.  We just clicked on so many different levels, we knew we were on to something good.

So where did the name Electric Parlor come from?

Well, picking a band name is over-rated, it’s hard, and it may just be the worst part of the whole thing.  Each word, or each combination of words can sound and mean so different to each member.  So getting everyone to agree on something can be difficult.  Monique, Kris, and Zach were standing outside a rehearsal studio a while back tossing out words, and we had “parlor” out there, Kris put “electric” in front of it.  We looked at each other and thought, well it doesn’t suck and that was that.

On your website you talk about the evolution of rock 'n' roll, where do you see this evolution heading?

We think really it’s more about just getting back to the basics, with heavy hitting, groove-based rock ‘n’ roll.  No real tricks or gimmicks, and translating it to the live setting.  Would love to see it get to the point where bands like Rival Sons are headlining some of the biggest festivals in the states.  And if you haven’t heard of those guys you are really missing out!

Recently one of your songs has been licensed by ESPN to be used in the promo video for the Barclays Premier League, how did that come about and what has it meant to the band's popularity?

It’s a hard thing to gauge the return on.  We just found it online and posted on our social media platforms so now anyone in the States can check it out.  It was a promo that only ran in international markets, so who knows maybe one day we play a gig in Brazil and a fan puts two and two together when they hear “Reckless.”  Hopefully since we’re in their system we can get a spot on Sports Centre ha!

I've noticed that within the last few months big movements have been made by the band such as the making of brand merchandise, and apparel range and the promo video with ESPN, how important are these to your future?

Huge, anything you can do, when you are a DIY band, makes a difference and we’re very happy to say that we have even more in store these next few months.  Our video for “Last Battle” will be edited and debuted soon. We are also in talks with some PR people to help push the video and album this summer.  Vinyl pressing is also on the horizon if we really bust our butts and push ELECTRIC PARLOR out there and grind.  So it’s exciting, just have to keep on pushin’ on.

What song means the most to yourselves and why?

It’s like picking a favourite child-yes we can do that! Haha.  “Reckless” obviously is a favourite since it was in the Barclays Premier League promo on ESPN. Also “Last Battle,” not just cause it will be the first music video we do for one of our songs but also because we just think that the sound, the aggression in the song, really speaks to who Electric Parlor is and where we’re gonna go as far as making raw, loud, rock ‘n’ roll.

What's the proudest moment of your career so far?

It would probably be getting the album done. Yeah some gigs were pretty memorable and great and we are very proud of accomplishing that but the album represents all the time, money, work, sweat and tears we’ve put into this project.  From the moment we all met to right now, it’s all there.  We did it with our personal drive, our family and friends, our vision of creating something unique and it’s all ours. 

If anyone wants to see you guys live, how would they go about it?

Follow us onTwitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, all our news on shows, videos, etc. we have on there.  It’s the best way to stay up-to-date.

What does the future hold for you?

It’s exciting right now because, we feel like we are really starting to hit our stride.  We are really developing a sense of who we are as a band, an identity and knowing what our sound really is.  Future looks fucking amazing because we have the best yet to come.

Electric Parlor really are a band that will take off, I’m sure of it! They have such an incredible sound that appeals to a really broad spectrum of listeners. I massively recommend giving them a listen now!