Parachute Reveal Love for Dave Matthews Band, Crave 'Jersey Shore' Slot + More

With their first album, 'Losing Sleep,' debuting on the top of the digital album charts and sharing the stage with Kelly Clarkson, the Script and 3 Doors Down, Parachute aren't doing too shabby. Now, the Charlottesville, Va., natives are back with their sophomore record, 'The Way It Was,' out on May 17. Working with producer John Fields (the Goo Goo Dolls, P!nk) and collaborating on a song with Grammy winners Lady Antebellum, 'The Way It Was' could be the record that will make the pop-rock quintet household names. The band is currently on the road with Plain White T's and will be joining the Goo Goo Dolls and Michelle Branch on tour later this summer.

AOL Music recently spoke with Parachute's lead singer and guitarist Will Anderson about writing songs with Lady Antebellum, how the Dave Matthews Band inspired them to start a band and which show they would love to get their music on.

'Kiss Me Slowly' is a song you co-wrote with Lady Antebellum. How did that come about?

I went on a tour with them for a few days just to write. We weren't looking for any Parachute songs in it at the time. But we had a chance to write and ended up writing a song for somebody else that [Parachute] loved so much that I called [Lady Antebellum] and said, "Don't give this to anybody." And I claimed it for our band. So when the band came back in December to finish up the record, we realized that song really filled what we needed. So we decided to record, and I revamped the lyrics to fit our band. It was great, and we're excited about it. And obviously, that's going to be a big song for the band, I think.

What's your favorite Lady Antebellum song?

'Hello World' off their second album ['Need You Now'] is my favorite. It's such a great song.

Who else you would love to collaborate on a song with?

I think Ryan Adams would be my favorite. He would be someone I would love to have a chance to write with, meet and just get a chance to see how he works.

'Something to Believe In' -- how did that song come about, especially with the gospel choir in the background?

It was a song I wrote when I was writing 'Losing Sleep,' but I kind of put away and didn't think about. [Bassist] Alex [Hargrave] was nice enough and smart enough to bring it up from the dead and said, "We got to play this song." He was demanding it so we did it. And the moment we started working in the studio, it was apparent very quickly that it was going to be a special song. I always had it in my head on how it was going to be from the get-go. Like the gospel choir, I told our producer, John, about it, and he was totally down. We got some great singers in Los Angeles, some friends of ours. It's one of those songs that as it was produced and came together, it worked itself up. We knew it was a song that was special and that it was going to be our first single.

How is 'The Way It Was' different from for your first record, 'Losing Sleep?'

'Losing Sleep' captured the essence of where we were when we recorded that, but I think 'The Way It Was' is a lot more. We've played a lot of shows. The time between 'Losing Sleep' and now, I think the live show evolved into the sound we were looking for. I think we have a much better idea of what we wanted to sound like, and we want it to be big. We want it to be organic and like a band where our sound is huge. And I think we've accomplished that and are very excited about it.

What was it like working with John Fields?

It was amazing. He was such a great producer and exactly what we wanted in a producer. He understood our vision but didn't stomp on it but made it better. He was exactly what we needed at the time, which was someone who could take what we wanted to do and make it reality for us. In the back of our minds, we love John, and we loved working with him on the first album. And just to come back and work with him again, it was an easygoing friendship between us. But we also like to go in and work hard. He's always been someone we respected as a producer and loved the bands he's worked with. So the chance to do a whole album with him was a dream come true.

What bands or artists were you listening to that you think influenced the record?

Peter Gabriel and Dave Matthews Band. I listen to a lot of Sam Cooke, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Those are the big, big artists we got into before the record started.

Speaking of Dave Matthews Band, they're a group that you guys all love. And considering the band was born out of Charlottesville, Va., like Parachute, how did the band influenced Parachute?

Honestly, I think Dave Matthews Band is pretty much the reason we all wanted to be in a band. They were huge at the time we were coming together. And just to see what they did and the fact that they were also five guys playing instruments, it was very inspiring to us. So to now be kind of in their camp and have the chance to do what they did -- obviously on a smaller level at this -- is awesome. And we've clearly always looked up to them as a band.

You guys have been playing together for a while and used to call yourselves Sparky's Flaw. And now with Parachute, how have you seen yourselves progress as a band?

I think since [Sparky's Flaw] we've seen our fan base grow, and we have a good number of people follow us and come out to the shows all over the country, which is awesome. And again, I think our sound has evolved into something that is unique and defines us for sure. I think people have discovered us more, and we've been able to get out and play for them as much as we can. So the growth has been awesome.

How is the tour with Plain White T's going?

It's been awesome. They've been gracious enough to bring us out on tour with them. I think both bands are different enough where fans are getting enough variety but still similar musically. And fans like both bands so we've had a ton of fun with those guys, and obviously we like their music. So it's cool to listen to a band you like every night.

Parachute's music has been featured in a number of places like Nivea ads, 'One Tree Hill,' '90210' and the video for 'Something to Believe In' was even featured during last year's Big 12 Championship football game. How do you feel about all the opportunities the band has gotten for placement in commercials and TV shows?

I think every band now is looking for a way to get their music out. For us certain placements, when they make sense and mesh with the image we're trying to project, I think it's great. TV is the biggest medium out there, and getting to hear your song on a show means a lot of other people are hearing it, too.

So what show would you love to get a Parachute song on?

I'm going to put it out there --'Jersey Shore.' Any song [from 'The Way It Was'] on 'Jersey Shore' would be good with me.


Watch Parachute's 'Kiss Me Slowly' video.