Interview with Kello G of Parazit (Mexico)

November 12, 2020

Interview with Kello G of Parazit (Mexico)

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Kello G! Welcome to The CosmickView. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.

CV: Do you feel artists are often more aware and in touch with their inner emotions and thoughts than non-artists due to the nature of their creative personalities? And if so, could this be considered a benefit when it comes to composing and songwriting?
Kello: I think everyone can tap into their emotions via different means. For us as artists, our music and creativity are clearly connected to our emotions and serves as a direct path to channel these and leverage them. It’s human nature. Now, these are only a portion of what’s needed when working on new music but tapping into it helps set the stage and tone.

CV: For an artist to be successful, do you think having an in-depth knowledge of worldly topics can provide a stronger pallet of songwriting tools as opposed to the artist who just writes based on personal experiences? Do you see any limitations in your opinion?
Kello: That should not be a limitation as all of those areas have many topics to explore. It’s also important to understand that not all bands need to cover all available themes. For instance, some don’t like to delve into politics, or some don’t go into love themes. It depends on what each artist wants to use as base for their work.

I see more if a limitation musically speaking on not leveraging all resources at hand due to pop music structures most tend to try to keep themselves on.

CV: The new norm has turned the music industry on its heels and back again due to the COVID pandemic. What do you see as a way bands will move forward to promote themselves without having the availability to tour and perform live as restrictions continue to be in effect worldwide?
Kello: We all need to use all resources at hand to continue being visible and present to our fan base and find new and creative ways to share our music. It can be changing the way one distributes new music…full album vs. singles, doing live streaming shows/live sessions, working with media outlets to give further visibility to new markets, etc.

I don’t mean to minimize it; we are in very complicated times for anyone involved in the music industry. Everyone is impacted. So, staying productive and creative is very important to not lose one’s mind, and to keep the band in as many people’s radar as possible. Technology is our best friend now.

CV: Can the music world survive without live performances in your opinion? Could such a scenario jeopardize fan loyalty and interest?
Kello: This is affecting everyone, so we’re all in this equally. Everyone is also not making any money in most cases. At least in Mexico it’s expected for big Festivals not to return until at least October 2021. There will be a toll on some bands, venues, promoters, festivals and other industry related entities…some will not make it through the pandemic. The ones that do will have a challenge to keep moving forward. I do think the ones with strong foundations and honest motivations will be the ones to continue. A world without music is unfathomable, so it will prevail.

CV: For you, what has been the greatest life lesson learned from the events of 2020?
Kello: We’ve been lucky to mostly having made good choices and decisions so far. The greatest lesson learned is to always think ahead, be prepared for the worst and to leverage your resources. We always have plans and things going on, some had to be re-adapted and others postponed, but we kept moving forward.

CV: If you could go back in time and start 2020 all over again, what would you do differently, especially knowing what you know now?
Kello: The only thing I’d do is possibly pull our 10^thanniversary gig a couple weeks early so it would have happened! But I wouldn’t really change anything else. We’ve grown and learned so much that I’d do it again as is.

CV: What do you believe separates your music from other similar sounding bands? How does the music make a distinction and what are you hoping fans come away with after listening to your music?
Kello: I think we us Parazit have one way or another found our own voice and identity through our four albums and fifth in progress. Even as each of us has their own influences, the way all comes together and continued to evolve still sounds like Parazit. We’re not really trying to copy what is currently hip or trending…we follow our own beat and look towards internal challenges to continue to move forward. We hope listeners and fans see that and can relate and make each song their own related to their feelings and experiences.

CV: From your experience, can specific songwriting styles or formulas pigeon hole a band over time, possibly creating limitations, or does having a particular style create a level of freedom and uniqueness for both a songwriter and a band? Would having such a specific songwriting style be more appealing to fans as opposed to a diverse approach in your opinion?

Kello: Songwriting styles may in time limit how much you can explore. We try to continue and push the bar every time so that growth and challenge makes us move forward and think ahead instead of staying in an endless creative circle. The three of us are always challenging ourselves and the band so this is something we have included as part of our process. There are bands that have made a living out of sounding the same album after album… that’s not what we want to do. Creatively we don’t want to become bored, and we think our fans expect the same from us.

CV: Do you feel music still holds a place in our current culture of social media distancing and instant gratification? Does music still have the same meaning as it once did in our world?

Kello: Music it’s still important and vital. I bet that most of us have been able to make it through this pandemic thanks to art, be it music, movies, books, etc. Everything evolves, so attention and how people listen to music have evolved as well. I wouldn’t be able to say if it’s better or not and there are pros and cons to each. We need to understand the evolution and resources and find a way to move along and ride the wave…or you are left behind. This is greater than all of us so we might as well embrace it.

CV: What's next? What can fans expect to see coming from the band post 2020?
Kello: We’ll continue to work on new music and will release it in 2021. We’ll be prepared so that once the show can indeed go on, we are ready to go. We might continue to release new singles in the meantime so follow us on our social media for the latest and greatest. We appreciate everyone’s support and don’t take for granted everyone who is along for the ride with us.

CV: Thank you again Kello for spending some time talking and sharing with
our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.

Kello: Everyone please stay safe!

Check out Parazit at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parazitmx
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5LaWGNlE5SvG9EX1UO7Qtn?si=5wmSwyPYQbSm5tpV7vFZZg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parazitmx
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP37nNBg54DoTzgIVQ67kDw

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.