To give a press release type bio seems sort of phony to me. The most interesting thing about me is what you hear in my music. But here is some randomness that is extended in friendship - so any visitor can get to know something about me and The Power of Suggestion Dolores Paradise
The Power of Suggestion is a duo – Dolores Paradise and DJ Julio. But this release, The Colors, is a solo project - written, performed and produced by Dolores. DJ Julio did the vocal production on Track #4 “Purple Acrylic” – the only tune on the cd with lyrics. They are varied genres – each sounding like the color in the title. They go from ambient electronica, to vintage Duane Eddy type sound (with a twist), to Brazilian/lounge, to pure Dance. These tunes were fun to do and they’re fun to hear – enjoy!
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My idea about doing cover tunes are these: You select a song that lots of people like - that has been written and performed by someone really good and you prove yourself to be a good musician by being able to learn it and do a version yourself. The tune that we pick gives you a line on who we love and what lyrics are applying to our lives as of this moment. Now if we're doing a song you already know then our version becomes a way to hear our point of view.
How is it that the bullies in the schoolyard have grown up into the people that are now playing with the minds of the whole world? What arrogance related nonsense did they unleash that now they can't control it anymore? It's like Mickey Mouse in the Sorcerer's Apprentice cartoon. Soon the Sorceror will come back - I hope.
There is a place for everyone on this planet - the leaders, the farmers, the poets, the healers,the musicians, the dancers, the runners, the warriors... When we are doing what we love in freedom, our energy and our work and play keep us feeling loved and happy with one another and happy with ourselves. When we are prevented from being our true selves, the human spirit becomes a frightened and frightening force with no direction. Those of us that are most injured, lost and scared become oppressors. They turn against others for fear of losing even more. There is no place on the earth or in the heart for these poor, lost people. They have ignored the truth that their spirit tells them for so long and with such terror that terror is all they are and have. They surround us all now like a great tornado swirling around. Their noise and destructive wind keeps them oblivious to all that is happening outside their own realm. Maybe if we are strong enough and keep our lives moving in the direction of honesty and fearlessness, just maybe if we are blessed and lucky too - they will twist and turn with such violence that they blow themselves right off the planet where they can be neutralized in outer space. I believe this is possible. I want to. I have to.
orpheum theatre, boston, 10/5/05 The undersea-lit proscenium archway glowed in myriad shades from the moment the first footfall hit the stage. “This next instrumental skyrocketed to the top of the charts back in, uh, 1461.” And with that the cymbals blared and the heartbeat was pushed to the most joyful extremes. I could almost see the banners of color streaming in the air with a medieval dervish of sound and dance. Dance...the dance of the dead. Not the dance that signifies death, but the fact that the dead can dance. And dance, they did. Through the air of the theatre, in the colored gels’ glow, through my very body, and most insistently through the musicians who graced us this night with their soul and their song. Adrien, 10/13/05
I understand the consuming fear that drives people to violence and abuse. I understand sadness that turns into bitter anger and then hatred. What I can't comprehend is the white middle class - even educated - people that I've met that have no music in their environment...... no stereo in their home, no singing at their occasions, no lessons on musical instruments for their kids. Trying to imagine myself in such a situation horrifies my soul. I'm not trying to be dramatic. I really feel this way.
Back in the early 1990's Adrien (of ask Adrien) and I were walking in a park. There weren't any other people around - it was a weekday morning - and we were thinking how it looked like it could be any century at all. Even we looked sort of timeless - boots, pants, I had on a long skirt, no hair do.. like anyone from anytime. I was saying how I don't miss playing in the clubs one little bit. I love the music and the people but not moving the equipment, putting up with club management, making hardly any money - plus I'm shy - used to border on agoraphobic. I said I wish I could just stay home and record the tunes and everyone could hear them somehow. We laughed about it. It seemed so unrealistic and out of the question. At that point there wasn't anything like the music scene there is now on the internet. Lots of people still didn't even have a computer but now..............
It's always been me and DJ Julio. We played in New Wave/punk bands in the 1980's. One of them, White Women, was starting to catch on. There was a local music scene in Boston at the time. We were doing pretty well. We played all the clubs. We got on a compilation of indie bands. We got a good review in the Village Voice. That sort of disolved, though in a haze of drugs, anger and confusion. We tried pulling another band together. It didn't work out - more drugs, anger and confusion. After a while we released an independent cd "Listen" (available by request - go to the contacts page and email me) That got us a development deal with a mob affiliated company that slave drived 3 cd's worth of songs out of us just to get 50% of the publishing rights. Our manager lost what little was left of his mind, though and thank God we were able to get out of that situation. But in the process those beautiful songs are just abandoned. We won't re-release them or we'd be back in business with devils. They feel to me like lost children. So now it's The Power of Suggestion safe and sound.
Maybe you thought this was going to be a fan letter to The Power of Suggestion, but not this time. I have to write about the 2 fabulous musicians that make up the group Air - Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin. These guys are unbelievable. None of their songs have one wasted note - they're all gorgeous and important. They make sounds that are transcending to me. The music takes me away from my present tense everytime. All this and they are the ultimate in pop musicians as well. I saw them live only 1 time and it was an amazing show with just the 2 of them and some back up guys. They don't dress up or do anything theatrical. They just start to play and they transform the whole club into somewhere else. Their tunes have been used on soundtracks for movies and even commercials. They can do anything and it always works. I could harp on and on about specific times in my life when everything changed because of their music, but I won't .... I'll just say I LOVE AIR - THEY ARE MY FAVORITE BAND