"Parhelia" Interview

Parhelia is a 4-piece instrumental post-rock band from Dublin, Ireland. I have recently had the privelege of speaking with them via email. Their music is a huge inspiration to me and never fails to speak volumes to the soul. They were kind enough to let me ask them a few questions for a little more information about Parhelia's story and any news on the band. Here is what they had to say to a few questions i threw their way:

Tell us a little about yourselves and how Parhelia formed and when?

We formed in 2005. Myself Cathal and Andy had been in a band called Revile, who were influenced by Pearl Jam, Katatonia, Anathema amongst others. When we parted ways with our then vocalist, we fully intended upon continuing with that style of music. Over the course of the year and many auditions later we agreed that the auditions didn't feel good, and the type of music we were starting to make maybe did not warrant a vocalist. So we just started playing anywhere we could as an instrumental band, as we got more confident with it we decided to change the name and release an EP.

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How did the name "Parhelia" come about and does it have a special significance to the band?

The name came about as we were preparing to enter the studio to record "First Light". For me, the breaking of a new day was a recurring theme on that EP. I was cycling to work back then and some of the mornings were especially cold, so you would see various light phenomena in the sky, I read up on a few of them and came accross Parhelia which I thought not only tied in nicely with the music, but the artwork we had selected too.

Who are some of your influences?

Everyone probably says this, but there are so many. Between us we listen to anything from Death metal, to Post-Rock and everything in between and beyond.
My favourites in regards to instrumental music would be Jakob, Pelican, Russian Circles.

What has the response been so far to the first 2 EPs "The First Light" and "Oceans Apart" and also your latest and debut album "Shifting Sands"?

The response has been great for each of our releases so far. Of course there are some bad and lukewarm reviews out there, but on the whole most have been fairly positive. In terms of sales First Light has done best for us.

Who are you signed with?

We are not signed, we never have been! It works out best for us at the level we are operating at for the minute. In one respect we would like the promotional aspect that a label could potentially provide, but having control over who we sell our music to and how that's done is more important to us.

Will we be hearing any new tunes from Parhelia in the new year 2012?

Hopefully! I don't want to tempt fate but we could be experiencing our own mini "Chinese Democracy" type scenario at the moment with various factors hindering progress, it's also nearly 3 years now since we put out a record. That's a long time for us, we're usually fairly prolific and efficient at getting things done! We have 7 songs written for the album though and if we get it together hopefully you'll hear something this year.

Where are some of your favorite places to play shows?

I don't think I have a favourite place per se. I think each show is a unique experience and generally enjoy all to the same level. It's probably easier to tell you about my least favourite places... but that's another story/rant.

Is there any chance of a tour to the U.S?

Yeah, there's always a chance. Touring outside our home country is definitely something we would like to have done more of.

Is there anything else you would like to add that you think your fans should know that I didnt touch on?

Just to look us up on facebook to see what we're up to, hopefully some new music is on the way, but for the moment all our releases are still available through there.

Here is a link to their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Parhelia/114610949797
and here is a link to their band website where you can buy copies of their cd's and digital downloads of their albums: http://www.parheliaband.com/

Check them out.... I promise that you will not regret it!