Formula Indie Sessions_interview Random Parade
Introduction to the Project
Random Parade is the musical project of Southern California–based songwriter and vocalist Gregory Christopher, born out of late nights, low budgets, and an ongoing fascination with isolation, connection, and the emotional static of modern life. What began as a solitary bedroom experiment slowly evolved into a fully realized band and a sustained creative outlet, resulting in multiple EPs and two full-length albums that found airplay on college radio and an audience far beyond its suburban origins.
Sonically, Random Parade lives somewhere between post-punk unease and modern indie rock melody — a space where Joy Division’s introspection brushes up against the romantic melancholy of The Cure, filtered through muscular guitars, atmospheric synths, and Christopher’s distinctive baritone vocal. The project doesn’t shy away from mood, but it refuses to stay still: the songs are often dark, occasionally danceable, and always emotionally direct.
Lyrically, Random Parade explores love, loss, self-examination, and the persistent feeling of being slightly out of step with the world. The most recent album, Never Meant To Last, leans fully into those themes, with tracks like “Battleground State” and “Therapy” reflecting on internal conflict, personal unraveling, and the uneasy humor that comes with trying to make sense of it all. It’s music that acknowledges the weight of things — without pretending it has neat answers.
Over the years, Random Parade has shared stages with influential 1980s acts such as Missing Persons, Berlin, and The Fixx, a fitting full-circle moment for a project rooted in post-punk and new wave DNA. At its core, Random Parade remains what it always was: an honest attempt to turn restlessness, doubt, and reflection into something loud enough to share — and human enough to recognize yourself in.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
That would probably be driving in the car as a kid listening to the car radio. My parents liked a lot of oldies 50 and early 60s music, and we would play some cassette tapes in the car all the time. Paul Simon’s self-titled album, Johnny Cash live at Folsom Prison, Beatles Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Linda Rondstadt’s Greatest Hits were some of the ones I remember, and still know the words to all those songs.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I’ve played music since I was young. I played violin in elementary school, and I played the trumpet in high school. I took some piano lessons as a kid. I started playing guitar when I was in college. All of that was playing music, not really creating. It wasn’t until I got into a band with a guy I was working with at record shop that I started creating. The band would jam for hours and just wander around different grooves and sounds. It was the first time I think I felt connected to the other musicians I was playing with. We would take some of the interesting and melodic parts from the jams and work them into songs. It was an amazing experience to create that way and it sparked my desire to create music going forward.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Random Parade is really my evolving journey through music. When the first band I was in broke up, the drummer and I found a bass player and we formed Random Parade. Different players have come and go over the years, each bringing their own unique aspect to the band and my songs. Our current line up is Steve Greco on drums, Brett Scott on bass and Dave Christensen on percussion. They were the only ones who would venture out and meet up consistently during the covid lock downs. We recorded a number of songs during that time, which made up many of the tracks on our last album, “Never Meant To Last”. And that version of the band has become the latest incarnation of Random Parade.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Our sound is something of a mix of early 80s post-punk/new wave and 80s and 90s alternative/college radio sound. Maybe you can say sound a bit like the early 2000s post-punk revival as well. It wavers a bit, depending on the song. Sometimes it’s a bit gothy, sometimes it’s bit more angular and new-wave sounding, sometimes it leans a bit into the 90s alternative space. We try to serve the songs and keep them interesting.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
A few years ago, I did the February Album Writing Month (fawm.org). It is an online songwriting challenge where you try to write 14 songs in 28 days. I’d never written like that before. I only made it to 10 songs, but the experience was eye opening for me. I realized how much I really enjoyed the creative process of songwriting, and creating demos in just a matter of hours. Not all the songs were great, but it really unlocked something in me that has been driving me ever since. I now have a home setup where I can write and create demos relatively quickly so I can share them with the band. We always have something new to work on now and it’s always fun to see what the finished song ends up sounding like after that band gets their hands on it.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
We work in primarily two locations. In the shared studio we have an old Roland VS280 machine. It’s got a great sound for an older digital system. Roland was way ahead of their time with this thing. I also work in at home using Cubase. As I said earlier, I like to keep the home studio simple and straightforward so I can write and demo songs relatively quickly.
We like the sound of real instruments, so we record mostly live drums and guitars, and whenever we can, we get synth sound from an actual synth, and not just a software instrument. Our mics and preamps are really what help level up the sound. I usually use a Shure SM-7 vocals, but we have a lot of other studio standards for everything else. We also have several guitar amps we can use, which is fun for me, since I like lots of different guitar tones.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I’m discovering Geese, like everyone else, I think. Really amazing interesting stuff. But I also find myself going deep on older bands all the time. It’s been Talking Head and David Byrne lately. I was a Talking Heads fan when I was younger, but I think I just didn’t go that deep, and it’s so fun to go back and rediscover some of what I missed.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Absolutely. I think, like many songwriters, the creative process of writing a song can be very cathartic. Even when the songs aren’t literal retellings of personal experiences, the emotions in them can carry a lot of weight. I can write songs about a completely made-up scenario, but the feelings I put into is are real emotions from my personal experiences, and that shapes how the song ultimately comes out.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I like to explore emotions that we are sometimes taught to hide or feel ashamed of. I’m happy if someone connects with one of our songs. I hope that listener see that, as humans, we all carry these emotions. A lot of our songs deal with loneliness, but ironically, we can all feel lonely at times, so we aren’t alone in that. And sometimes leaning into the hard emotions and feeling can be cathartic. It’s all part of being human.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Connectedness – Music has been a way that I can connect with others in a deeper way. There is something magical about being able to be in sync with other musicians all at the same time, and being present and in that moment. There aren’t a lot of places where I find that.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
We are from Southern California, so Coachella is one for sure. Even on the tiniest side stage, I think that experience would be amazing. But if we think bigger, any of the big European festivals would also be great.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Today, I’d have to say Rick Ruben. I’ve read his book, and I’ve seen what he can do with artists. As a producer, he has this, almost mystical way of helping an artist really free themselves and tap into their creativity. I think working with him would be an amazing experience.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
www.randomparade.com
www.randomparade.bandcamp.com
www.instagram.com/Random_Parade
www.facebook.com/randomparade
www.youtube.com/randomparade
Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Ipthd9bvkL0OB1CAgscxq
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
We just signed on with Deko Entertainment to distribute our next albums. We are releasing “Never Meant To Last” to streaming platforms on 30 January. (It is currently only available for download).
We have a new album titled, “Think Happy Thoughts” coming out later this year.
The dream for the next chapter is to keep recording music this year, play some shows, and hopefully find more listeners to connect with.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope listeners get that, while our songs are genuine and emotional, we don’t always take ourselves that seriously. We have sense of humor and like to have fun with it all.
If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂
