Interview with Paramus

 

Interview with Alonso Andrea de Ledesma from Táchira in Venezuela. He is a man behind the interesting acoustic neofolk project Paramus. Paramus has released three albums: "Last Evenings on Earth", "Twilight of the Beauty" and "Journey into the Momoy's World" with very original and oneiric guitar music.

You can listen Paramus on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/paramusvzla

What exactly is Paramus? Is it a band or one-man-project? Why did you choose such name?

Paramus is an idea that came from an accidental test, are jam sessions that became a musical project, Paramus is the latin word for Páramo that’s "desolate territory", It is located in the high elevations, between the upper forest line (about 3000 m altitude) and the permanent snow line (about 5000 m). This ecosystem is typical of the Andes in Venezuela, are beautiful mountains. And yeah, Is it a one-man-project, but I have collaboration with other comrades.

I’ve got an information about Paramus (and your Myspace profile address) from Nuevo Ideal Nacional (martial industrial band from Venezuela). Do you know them? What do you think about their music (which is quite different from yours)?

Clearly, we have ideas and tastes in common, musically and we are also nature lovers, we practiced climbing together, live in the same mountain range. Musically, they are pioneers in our country, but of course we are comrades, so me opinion is not objective hahaha..

You have a lot of “neofolk / martial” friends on Myspace, also Heraclito from N.I.N. described your music as “neofolk / instrumental / acoustic”. But I think that your music is very specific and it is not typical neofolk (like Forseti, Changes, Sol Invictus, Darkwood etc.). It reminds me some albums of Current 93 (like “Of Ruine and Some Blazzing Starre” or “Thunder Perfect Mind”) and also a contemporary classical music…

Thank you very much for the excellent comment, but we are lovers of classical music, black metal and neofolk, I think me influences come from there and I express it in music. Just play musically with melodies and compose or decompose ideas that are recorded. Maybe if you're right in that our sound is very particular, but this very much based on our influences, among which the Venezuelan folk guitar and one of the greatest masters Alirio Diaz, a master of Venezuelan guitar.

Do you think that there is anything like specific “South-American neofolk / ambient / industrial scene”?

The scene has a particular character, in South America, yes, I think, but not sufficiently differentiated from the scene in other parts of the world, anyway there is much variety, especially at many underground groups with very particular sounds in South America.

Are you inspired by South-American folklore, pre-columbian mythology and history of your country?

Not really, much of our inspiration transcends historical dates, because it comes from facts and eternal truths such as the beauty of nature, when you run out of breath at the edge of an abyss, over the imposing mountain. And moreover there is no a pre-Columbian Venezuela, Venezuela is founded on the basis of the discovery of America, before that, there was only wilderness and isolated tribes each.

Paramus...

Ciąg dalszy...

It seems that a great inspiration for you is nature – mountains, forests, lakes etc. Could you tell us more about this aspect? Who made those beautiful photos from “Last Evenings on Earth”? Where they have been taken?

All photos are the result of excursions own, taken by me and my travel companions and all are of the Venezuelan páramos, in my city and other cities of the Andes, especificamentes of the album you mention belong to "La Teta de Niquitao” a beautiful place whose summit is at 4000 m. in the state of Trujillo Venezuela

What do you think about Spain, Spanish culture and the idea of “Hispanidad”? Is there any cultural connection between Spain and Venezuela in these times?

Venezuela has a complicated historical process, which largely destroyed the national identity, victim of the struggle between empires, English, French and Spanish, has been reduced to a republic aerial, a kind of failed social experiment, Venezuela is a creation of the ideas of the Spanish Empire, hence its identity is the “Hispanidad” but with the independence process we became French to now be a bad copy of the Anglo-Saxon world, we are a society without national identity, only puppets of "america Ways of Life", healthy regions of the country are those that retain ties with the world “criollo” (Creole) and the Hispandad, as the Andes.

Now your music is strictly instrumental. Do you plan to use any vocals?

Maybe, I've been tempted, but we'll decide the time

Were there any concerts of Paramus? If not, will there be any?

No, but if it would be quite interesting, because in fact each Paramus song comes from a live jam session, but doing it in a concert would be quite hard.

You’ve recorded “A Journey Into The Momoy’s World”. Could you tell us something more about Momoy’s?

The momoys are what might be called an "oral tradition" of my people. My grandfather told me as a child, and being about as interesting, I decided dedicate a musical work to this oral tradition, peoples of the Andes, are surrounded by lots of nature, so it has a rich variety of legends. The Momoys, are beings who live in Paramus and basically are protective spirits of the nature. Share many characteristics with the European gnomes.

Are you inspired by literature? Maybe by poetry…?

Yeah, the poetry of Knut Hamsun, and novels full of devotion for life in the woods, nature and also in the poetry of Miguel Serrano

Did your music met with any feedback in Venezuela or in other countries?

To my surprise, yes, we've had excellent feedback, People have been very interested in our musical vision and we appreciate this, also we appreciate this interview and thank you very much.

What are your main musical plans for the nearest future?

I have many musically ideas for the future, although not very clear yet, hehehe, but basically continue to develop and experienced, looking for a lot of lost identity. I will try to develop ideas and translate them into music.

Thank you!
Alonso Andrea de Ledesma