Playing in the limelight

Charlottesville-based band Parachute talks music, success and touring

Since 2006, Parachute has been performing across the world at various venues to sold-out crowds. Their song “She is Love” reached No. 14 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart, and they have toured with Kelly Clarkson, The Script, All-American Rejects and others throughout the years.

Most recently, the band toured with NEEDTOBREATHE and Mat Kearney on the “Tour de Compadres” lineup.

With four studio albums out — all having charted on the Billboard 200 — Parachute has reached international success. The band has toured across North America, the United Kingdom and Europe — far cries from Charlottesville, Virginia, where the band was formed.

The lead singer of Parachute, Will Anderson, has been a part of the band since its beginning. Originally known as “Sparky’s Flaw,” the band was signed in 2007 to its first record label while the band members were still in college.

While the band’s genre has changed over the years, Anderson describes the band’s current sound as “acoustic-driven soulful pop-rock.” Although the band has achieved a great deal of success, it began with the same humble beginnings as most other bands.

Anderson had advice for those beginning their musical careers. He said that building a local fan base is a key component to a band’s success.

“Go play a great show with some good songs, and make sure that people come out to your shows,” Anderson said. “That’s way easier … than trying to break through all the noise on the internet.”

Anderson recommends that bands start locally and sell out shows in their hometowns when they are establishing themselves. According to Anderson, songwriting is also an important part of being in a band, and he believes that aspiring musicians should write music every day.

In his own music, Anderson includes both an empathetic and a personal side so that he can have a conversation with the listener.

“My goal is always to be as authentic as possible,” Anderson said. “Authenticity is such a hard thing to find, (and) real life is nothing to shy away from.”

For Anderson, his inspiration for songwriting comes from everyday life. Anderson said that “there’s always a kernel of truth” in his songs, and that for him, songwriting is a way to write about what is happening to him while also telling a story.

In March 2016, Parachute released a new album entitled “Wide Awake,” and have been on their Wide Awake tour since the release. The tour concluded in November, but another tour is being planned with fan-created set lists and more intimate venues, with a stop in the band’s hometown planned for April.

In all of the band’s success, Anderson said that it all stems back to God.

“It’s just truly an unbelievable ride that can only be described as providential,” Anderson said. “(We were) so naively optimistic growing up, being in high school and being in a band. Every time that something goes wrong, it’s amazing how much he shows that we’re not in charge and we don’t have control of everything — especially when it comes to our careers. It’s been a wild ride, … and there’s no way that we could be doing this on our own and get to this point.”

Parachute’s music is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and Google Play. Tour information and updates on the band can be found at weareparachute.com.

Moyeris the feature editor.