DARK REMEDY – A CONVERSATION WITH PARSONS & MILLER
Cary Parsons (Guitar/Backing Vocals) and Steven Miller (Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar) make up the edgy and melodic Dark Remedy. The band is a hard hitting entity that has released several dynamic singles that are making major waves throughout the music industry. Their newest track is “Now Or Never”. It infuses ferocious riffs and brazen textures with intense vocals. Dark Remedy’s other two drops are “Haunted” and “Blood Money” which showcases their strong songwriting and bold musicianship.
Dark Remedy is the product of the pandemic. The duo decided to create this amazing creature when things seemed at their worse. Parsons’ alter ego is the dramatic Mr. Sinister of wrestling fame and Miller is a proven and sort after record producer. Already friends, these two decided to follow their dream while the world was in a flux and create Dark Remedy. The music they forge and the vibe they enforce has been growing fervently song by song. With the assistance of Paul Crosby (formerly of Saliva) as drummer and manager, Dark Remedy is taking the world by storm.
Cary Parsons and Steven Miller were kind enough to sit with AMP for this in-depth conversation.
AMP: How did the two of you meet?
STEVEN: When I left college, I started a recording studio. Soon, I began making a name for myself in the Richmond-Virginia Beach music scene. Enter Cary with a band I had known for quite awhile. The sessions went well and I appreciated Cary’s enthusiasm. From there we stayed in touch and became good friends. That was around 2016-17. As time went by, he was doing well with his band while my studio was booming. Then came the pandemic and everything came to a grinding halt. No studio sessions and no venues were booking bands. So, we put our heads together in order to find a way to remain productive. That’s how Dark Remedy got started.
CARY: Side note to that. Don’t know if you want to put this in the interview but it’s pretty funny. We always worked well together. We knew we wanted to construct some sort of project but there was never any time. When we formed Dark Remedy, I didn’t have a home studio. I would have to go to Steven’s place to record.
Here comes the funny! Steven’s wife was really paranoid about Covid and had issues with me coming up to lay down tracks. When we started recording our first song, “Haunted”, I told Steven to put the freaking guitar cable out the window and I’ll record my parts in the yard. I was willing to battle the elements to get this done. The fact is I didn’t give a shit. I knew this was going to be something special. It didn’t have to come to that but both Steven and I are totally committed.
AMP: Your new single, “Now Or Never” is a real banger. Can you give us a little insight into the track?
STEVEN: It started with the intro riff. It just popped into my head. I sent it to Cary who thought it was cool and we began to develop it. All our songs are inspired by what we are going through at the time. “Now Or Later” is kind of our anthem. People have been pent up for so long. They need to get back to living again. Sieze the moment and run with it.
CARY: Fun fact about the song and this is an exclusive. When we write a tune, it may go through a 100 revisions before anyone hears it. We are our own worse enemies. So, this stayed in development for quite some time.
It was originally called “Out Of Time” and as we were finishing it up, I looked at the SMR charts. I saw Attack Attack! had just released a song with the same title. I said, “Oh shit!” We would be pushing a track with the same name while Attack Attack! has theirs already on. So, we thought and thought and then realized the title should be the hook that was right in front of us, “Now Or Never”. It’s funny that once we renamed it, internally we still call it “Out Of Time”.
AMP: How would you describe your sound?
CARY: We go for that big arena sound. When it comes to music, Steven and I are fans first. We both grew up idolizing the big acts like Metallica and Pantera. One thing that old school music had was this big wide guitar sound. We try to capture that with a modern flair. In addition, I believe the way we layer in the synths is uniquely our own. We want that huge groove!
STEVEN: Yeah, just a massive wall of sound. On a songwriting level, what I like to do is work on the arrangements. That way when you start recording, everything has its own place. Early recording techniques demanded super streamlined arrangements. We try to capture that feel. Each instrument has its distinct part and when we blend them all together, there’s this massive wall of music coming right at you. It may sound like a single guitar but it’s actually made up of 5 or 6 tracks that hits you right in the face. Old school technology with a modern finesse.
Cary: As you can tell, we are music nerds. That’s how we connected in the first place.
AMP: What is your creative process like
STEVEN: Every song is totally different. As an example, “Blood Money” started from a one liner Cary sent me. I knew it would be a cool song. Immediately, I sent him a demo back. “Now Or Never’ began with a guitar riff. “Haunted” developed over a longer period of time. Each track has a distinctive story but it’s always a back or forth between the two of us.
CARY: To elaborate on that. Right now we are in peak performance as far as songwriting goes. We are busier than ever in that aspect. Just today, I sent Steven 4 riffs which we can build on. Our back and forth just keeps snowballing until we have something really special.
AMP: You are currently working with Paul Crosby (formerly of Saliva) as a manager and drummer. How did that come about?
Cary: So, he was managing a band I knew very well. I asked them what they thought and they had nothing but good things to say about Paul. I hit him up with a demo of ours, not really expecting an answer back. To my surprise he emailed us back within the hour to jump on a call. The rest is history. It’s been incredible working with him.
AMP: If you could open for any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
CARY: For me it would be Metallica. I feel Metallica is still performing at an amazing level. Also, James Hetfield has been a major inspiration for me.
STEVEN: This is a tough one. You can ask me every day of the week and I’ll have a different answer but today I’m going to say Rob Zombie. I’ve been on a Zombie kick this entire weekend. The energy, the aesthetic visuals and sound makes his gigs unforgettable. That would be a fun show.
AMP: Dark Remedy formed during Covid. How did the pandemic effect the band?
CLAY: Well, it killed my other band. We were primarily a live band but from those ashes, Dark Remedy was born. That’s where the name comes from. It was dark times and this is ours remedy.
STEVEN: If it wasn’t for the pandemic Dark Remedy probably wouldn’t have existed. Before Covid, time was of a premium. It forced everyone to slow down. That gave us time to reassess and decide what was really important in our lives. Dark Remedy was the answer.
AMP: A couple of personal questions. Clay, you are a pro wrestler. How does wrestling and music intertwine? Steven, you have an amazing career as a producer and recording engineer. Which side of the board do you prefer?
CLAY: It’s a pretty known fact that wrestling and rock fit like gloves. It’s probably the adrenaline rush both create. They feed off each other well. Wrestling fans are some of the best fans in the world and they totally support my musical endeavors. Truth be told, I haven’t wrestled publicly this year. I hope to get back in the ring soon but I haven’t been to the gym since January because Dark Remedy has been on a tear. So, I have a lot of work to do!
STEVEN: I’m kind of used to being on both sides of the board. I’ve been playing music my whole life. I play about 6 different instruments so I was always the go to guy for session work. It’s always an adventure. What I like about the studio is the collaboration with so many artists. What’s great about Dark Remedy is the fact that I can use all the skills I’ve accumulated through the years and transfer that knowledge to our music.
AMP: What do you like most about playing music?
CLAY: Everything! I always have a guitar in my hand. I’ve played every day since I was 14. The main thing is that, for me, playing guitar feels natural and uplifting. I also love playing live. It’s great when you can make people feel something through your music. When a person comes up to me after a show and tells me how much my music means to him/her, that is the ultimate reward.
STEVEN: I like the social aspect of music. It’s an art form that brings people closer. That’s what I like about Dark Remedy. We live in different states and still find a way to make it work. I like the fact that we create songs from within ourselves and are able to share that to the world.
AMP: What’s next for Dark Remedy?
CLAY: We have a lot in store. There will be more singles coming out this year. We are working on a full length or EP. We are also looking to hit the road hard in 2024. Dark Remedy is looking forward to meeting all our fans.
STEVEN: Go hard and make great music. It’s going to be a banner year for the band.
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