Rockin' Interviews

Rockin’ Interviews - How did you get your start in music?

Brandon Parrigin - “My father plays guitar, so he started me off with the basics. It wasn’t until we were in Best Buy when Guitar Hero came out and I heard War Pigs by Black Sabbath the interest really began.”

R.I. - How has Randy Rhoads affected you and your playing?

B.P. - “Randy Rhoads has been my idol since the very beginning of my musical career. ‘Paranoid’ was the first song I learned how to play and it was because of Randy’s version off of the Tribute album. His combination of heavy metal and neo-classical was something truly unique that I have always admired and attempt to mimic in my own style.”

R.I. - If Randy were still alive, what do you think he would be like nowadays?

B.P. - “I would like to say that Randy would still be playing heavy metal, but I have heard stories that Randy was actually thinking of leaving Ozzy’s band after the Diary of a Madman tour to pursue classical guitar. I know how much Randy loved classical guitar, so I could see that as a very strong possibility if he were still alive today.”

R.I. - What was the first cover band you were in?

B.P. - “When I was 16 I had a band called R.I.P. (Rock In Peace). We would play a variety of 80’s heavy metal. Some artists we covered were Ozzy, Dio, Van Halen, Avenged Sevenfold, and others from that era.”

R.I. - What is your favorite part of being in a tribute band?

B.P. - “I really like doing the Ozzy Osbourne tribute because it allows me to really focus on recreating the persona for the specific artist. With the songs we do we span through 3 eras of guitar players: Randy, Jake (E. Lee) and Zakk (Wylde). Not playing the music from a wide variety of artists allows me to really dial in on critical aspects of each guitarist, like their tone, picking styles and mannerisms.”

R.I. - What is your favorite Ozzy Osbourne song?

B.P. - “There are so many good ones, it’s really really hard to choose. My favorite Randy era song is ‘Diary of a Madman’. His combination of Randy’s neo-classical and heavy metal approach in that song is just perfect, and combined with the lyrics of the song still gives me goosebumps to this day. My favorite Jake era song is probably ‘Killer of Giants’. I really like the clean pick in the intro that Jake does. For the Zakk era, I’d have to say ‘Miracle Man’. That song just has so much energy and drive, and his intro to the solo is just amazing.”

R.I. - Why do you think some people dislike the idea of tribute bands?

B.P. - “I can understand people’s dislike for tribute bands because it’s just copying the work of someone else. Being in a tribute band, it doesn’t allow for much (if any) of the musician’s own ideas or creativity because their job is to mimic the artist they are paying tribute to. With that being said, I do think that tribute bands are also a “gift” for their audiences because, when done well, they allow the people to be able to experience or re-live seeing a band/artist that may not be around anymore, or might not be able to deliver the same show that they could twenty years ago.”

R.I. - Because this is called “Cover Christmas”, I want to know what your favorite part about the holidays?

B.P. - “I’d have to say it’s just the general feeling of family that tends to come with the season. Everybody is coming together to be able to share time together, it’s something that is truly unique to this time of year.”