PARISHES the solo pandemic project of Taylor Carik (Whiskey Rock ‘n’ Roll Club MPLS, Bronto). Written and recorded mostly in his house during the first year of the pandemic, Taylor combined his love of '90s electro-dance music, funk/R&B beats, and his blues-rock background with a modern take on songs about grief, desire, social troubles, and more. He developed all of the tracks—playing all guitars and bass tracks, plus programming all the drum tracks—before layering in additional harmonica and vocal tracks.
Bring On The . . . is an album about the social and creative spirit pushing back against lockdowns. The album title comes from the track “Scarabs” with lines like “You pray for the rain to bring on the flood/ You begged then you ran just as fast as you could”, “You prayed for the rain to bring on the feast/ Then washed it away, laid the whole thing to waste” and others. The lines capture both the dismay during the pandemic coupled with defiance at the many challenges that have now become an everyday reality, as well as a deep longing for the dance party-filled better times. That defiance culminates musically as well. Bring On The . . . is an album for when the darkness falls and the cold sets in. The album captures the gloom of the pandemic and Uprising in Minneapolis and keeps it at bay with the beats of a sweaty backroom or basement party.
