Artist description south florida dynamic "rock" band; peculiar & sweet female vocals and melodic intricate guitar melodies

Music Style para style

Musical Influences every single thing ever

Similar Artists none

Artist History Para has been around since February 2001 and was originally created by Omar Elesgaray, guitar, and Jaquelinne Biver, vocals. It began with a handful of acoustic songs on a four- track recorder and eventually became a five piece band when friends got involved. Omar was playing guitar with a heavy melodic rock band called Mendacity and was holding practices for both projects in his home, usually one after the other. During Para practice, often the Mendacity guys would stay around to hang out; Naturally, the guys started playing along with Omar and Jaquelinne's unnamed acoustic act. So it was that Rafael Rodriguez, guitar, Charlie Ekandahl, bass, and Jose Flores, drums, made Para a working five piece band. The blend of layered guitars, distinctive vocal melodies, and rhythmic lyrics helped to create songs with depth and energy. In time the duo grew musically and technically along with the group... Para has performed acoustically and as a five piece band giving each show a different feel. They have shared the stage with many talented South Florida bands such as The Remedy Session, Swivel Stick, The Stopmotion, and Faller, just to name a few, at well- known venues such as Tobacco Road, Churchill's Pub, The Hard Rock Café (Ft. Lauderdale), Mercury Theatre and at smaller venues such as Gables Pub (Coral Gables), Club 5922 (South Miami), Mr. Moes (Coconut Grove), Starbar (Ft. Lauderdale) and more (a full list of shows and bandmates can be found at the para web site). In 2002 Omar and Jaquelinne recorded a five- song demo with the help of Jose, Charlie and Ralph and self- distributed a compact disk. The songs were also converted to Mp3 format and posted on the Para website, maintained by Jaquelinne since 2001. Through live performances, word of mouth and a succesful website, Para has gained some recognition in the South Florida scene. Early 2003 was a time of transition for Para; original drummer, Jose Flores, left for Spain to study. His signature style would not be easy to replace. At first, Omar and Jaquelinne decided to go back to the original idea of being an acoustic duo, but after a few shows (which had excellent sound for what they lacked in band members) they decided the energy of a full band truly added to the music and shows in many important ways. Para songs are all originally written acoustically, (usually with more than one guitar line) the songs hold their own as complete even in their barest form. But with electric guitars, bass guitar and drums, the songs come to life, reaching higher levels of intensity and a more energetic and full sound. The songs become Para. With the line-up in place, Para began, in early 2003, to practice and fine tune new songs which had not yet been played as a full band. As expected, hearing the songs as more than just simply acoustic melodies was uplifting and reassuring. The older songs were dumped for the most part simply because so many new songs had been written which had never seen the light of day. Para was like a brand- new band all over again, but with gained experience and knowledge; learning and writing songs together, practicing and preparing for their debut (again). During the summer of 2003, Omar and Jaquelinne took part in the National Song in the Cities Search held by Delta Airlines and sponsored by Coca- Cola. The duo had 45 seconds to perform acoustically. Even though they were not the grand prize winners, they recieved excellent scores and praise for their "extraordinary talent" and creativity from celebrity judges such as Tyson Beckford (supermodel, actor), Jamie Lynn Sigler (HBO's Meadow Soprano), Belkys Nerey (of Miami's Deco Drive), and Michael Yeo (music director of Y100), as well as from fellow artists. Future plans for Para include recording and releasing a live e.p. at Churchill's Pub in July 2003 with release date set for August. Para also plans to record and release a full- length album within the next year and to continue performing live in and beyond South Florida. As college students, the members of Para study and work in their daily lives and at times are involved in musical projects besides Para, which adds to their individual personalities and musical style, in turn adding to the band as a whole. Check out the Para web site for pictures, show dates, music, and more: www.para.i8.com.

Group Members Omar E & Ralph R- guitars, Jaquelinne B- vocals, Charlie E- bass, Jeff V- drums

Instruments two guitars, bass, drums, vocals.

Albums Evo Demo

Press Reviews Music Madness Magazine www.musicmadnessmagazine.com

Additional Info all songs (c) Para; 2001, 2002, 2003

Location miami, florida - USA

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