According to a recent press release: "Phoenix, Arizona Progressive Rock band Paranova, who met 100% of their goal on Pledge Music will independently release their debut record titled Hyperhollow on July 7th. Their single "Headline" has already caught the attention of local radio station ALT AZ 93-3 who spun the song on the Homegrown with Mo Show. Paranova will be hitting the road this month on a headlining run in support of the new release." We get bassist Erin Sperduti to answer our 10 Quick Ones about new music, her influences, and more...

To start, this release was the result of about a year and a half of writing music together. It took many nights of writing and re-writing all the parts and details, but we feel that we have finally put together a product that we can be proud of. We really wanted to craft a sort of concept album, and that is exactly what we did. The majority of the album is a thematic analysis of how humans disregard their best interests in favor of shallow, fleeting feelings and actions. This subject is where the album title and main track, “Hyperhollow,” draws its inspiration from. That part may be a bit less obvious to the listener at first.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

We were all raised in really supportive homes, and we tried so many different hobbies as kids. Between football, dance, acting, and countless other activities, we really tried to find our niche early on in life. But none of these hobbies enriched our lives nearly as much as picking up an instrument. Music opened up a whole other world for all of us, and it proved to be pretty addictive. You get to challenge yourself to get better at your instrument all while creating soundscapes together, all the while channeling the emotions that are most relevant to you at the time.

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

This differs greatly between all of us, and I think that’s what keeps writing interesting. But if we had to group together some names, I would list the following:

• The Mars Volta. Omar (guitarist/composer) is a personal hero to our guitarist Dylan, and this particular band inspires us to take risks when songwriting and recording.
•  Karnivool. Their album Sound Awake was introduced to us about 2 years ago, and ever since, we have been entirely in love with this band. There is no such thing as wasted time in this album. This band is a huge influence to the instrument tones and song structures of our own music.
• Nothing More. One of the best live bands we have ever seen together (…and we have each seen them about 7 times now!) Not only is their live show absolutely electric, but they are able to incorporate political themes into their music flawlessly.
• Bruce Springsteen. This one is a bit of a wild card, but he has influenced me more than anyone else. The way he is able to tell stories and express feeling through his music inspires me to write the best lyrical content I possibly can.
• Tool. Um, duh! They’re just incredible. Every instrument is highlighted in a complimentary way. They are masters of composition.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?

Omar Rodriguez Lopez (At the Drive In, The Mars Volta.) Music seems to come as naturally as breathing does to him, and practically all The Mars Volta records leave us in awe every time we listen to them. I think that he has just about mastered music. We are all inspired by Omar, but especially Dylan (guitarist). He is actually planning to get a tattoo sleeve depicting the full plot of Deloused in the Comatorium (an album by The Mars Volta.)

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

We just say that we are an Alternative Rock band, to keep it broad. We explore a lot of different genres as well, like metal and jazz, but keeping it general has always been our approach. We want people to get curious enough to listen to the music instead of putting our sound into a box.

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

Getting to create something. I’m a firm believer that everyone needs some kind of creative outlet, and music satisfies that urge for all of us.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Good one! Well, Owen and Logan (drummer/singer) are either at the gym, at work, or drinking Coors Light. Dylan (guitarist) falls asleep with a guitar in his hands before the party even begins. As for myself, I eat the food and pet the dogs.

8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

Being a musician! As a musician, being successful and making an income making music is still my dream job.  Very few hard-working and deserving musicians are lucky enough to get to a place where they can make money doing what they love, so it is the dream and the goal for all of us.

9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?

Fortunately, nothing too significant comes to mind. The only thing I can think of is that we really wish we recorded live drums on the record instead of programmed drums. We just couldn’t afford it, as is the case with many fund-it-all-yourself endeavors. We’re still proud of the final product, though.

10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

In the Court of the Crimson King (King Crimson). This album defied all recording norms of the late 1960’s. With purely raw instrumentation and relatively elementary recording technology, King Crimson was able to achieve an incredibly huge sound compared to the popular music that preceded them. To go back in time and see how they came up with the song structures and soundscapes that they did would likely inspire us endlessly.

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