Ya’ll, this had to be the most fun interview I’ve ever done.
This 70’s inspired hip hop/rap band is taking Dallas by storm, bringing along with them a cure for mental illness without the prescription. The lead singer, Cameron McCloud (formerly known as That Kid Cam) was recently diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia, but instead of ingesting psychologically-approved pills in order to deal with his disorder, he decided to start a band that enables him to heal with his illness, inspiring fans along with him.
I decided to interview them in order to dig deeper inside of their inspirations, aspirations, and the message they are attempting to portray through their unique musical vibrations.
Let me start with an introduction:
Cameron McCloud– Vocalist/Lyricist (Suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia)
Stanley Francisko– Vocalist/Lyricist (Suffers from A.D.H.D. and A.D.D.)
Jay Analog– Producer/Composer/Songwriter
Tomahawk Jones– Producer/Composer/Songwriter (Suffers from P.T.S.D. and Depression)
Me: How would you describe your band’s influences?
McCloud: We really like the 70’s vibe, both in style and in choice of music. Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and The Who play a big role in how we dress and the style of music we choose. Between my rapping and Stanley’s vocals, I think we create a good mixture of new-age music fused with the old.
Me: How did the band come together?
McCloud: I feel like it was meant to be. I was signed with another producer who didn’t give me much room for creative space, and then I met Stanley and Tomahawk. I decided to leave my old manager and kind of stick with them to see where the music went. We all decided to go on a road trip to Amarillo, Texas to avoid the predicted meteor that was supposed to crash in Dallas. We made music the whole way there, and it just kind of flowed perfectly. I knew that this was where I was supposed to be, and we’ve stuck together ever since.
Me: How did the name “Cure For Paranoia” come to be?
McCloud: I had recently been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia, and I definitely dealt with some challenges. I decided to let the music become my sense of medication rather than be stuffed with all kinds of different pills. I wanted the same for my fan base, too. I wanted to bring healing to them through lyrics that stemmed from my mental challenges; from my struggles, and I can see through our performances that there are plenty of people who are able to relate.
Francisko: I definitely wanted the same thing. I finally ditched the plethora of A.D.H.D. pills that I had been prescribed over the years and decided to let the music take place of all my medication. I’ve read that if you have water and sound, you can make light. We are all made of water, and Cure For Paranoia brings the sound. We have a job to do, and it’s to keep creating and listening to our audience’s needs because we have a higher message to convey to the people who need it, and there are a lot of people who need a safe place in the midst of the chaos within their mental illnesses. Our band is able to provide that. I remember, after one show, this girl came up to me crying her eyes out because she felt so touched by our music. We hugged, and I could feel her healing. That’s the kind of reaction we live for.
Me: Who writes the songs?
Jonez: We basically come up with different lyrics and beats during the day, and then we test them out at a venue during the evening. If we don’t get the reaction that we want, then we change things up until the song represents the type of sound that touches other people. It could be as simple as adding some clapping in the background, or speeding up the beat. It all depends on the song.
Me: What was your first song?
McCloud: It was kind of a miracle, the way it happened. I created a song called “Jupiter’s Funeral,” which was dedicated to my baby that had to be aborted. We named her Jupiter, and so I wrote a song about my baby who would never live. The day it was completed, Stanley (Francisko), sent me a picture of what looked like a big star, but it turned out to be a picture of Jupiter, which was the closest the planet had ever been to Earth on that night. It really spoke to me and reminded me that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves.
Me: How would you describe your fan-base?
Francisko: We call them “Fams” rather than “Fans.” We started out in Deep Ellum with a speaker set up in the back of our car. It was so cool to see homeless people dancing with business executives, really beautiful. Most of them have followed us ever since, coming to our shows and rehearsals. Even if we get really big, we’ll still think of them when we’re writing our songs. They are the reason we are here now. We would be nothing without them.
Me: Where do you hope to be a year from now?
McCloud: We have a couple of things lined up in Europe this year. We think if we take a break from the U.S., then we can make a really big comeback when we decide to tour in the states.
Me: Where can people buy/hear your songs?
McCloud: Right now, our music is exclusive to certain fans. We don’t have anything on iTunes yet, but there are some samples on our Sound Cloud. We are working on creating our first album, which will be self-titled. There are just so many songs we love to create and perform that it’s hard to choose. Once it comes out, the album will be available for purchase. You can also see some clips of our performances on YouTube if you want to experience a little taste of what we do.
Me: What aspects are the most important to your band?
Jonez: It’s important as artists for us to be historians and document the truth because we can’t rely on anybody else to do the job for us. We universally convey self-empowerment in order to allow people to see things as they really are rather than what they are force-fed through the media.
McCloud: There’s a quote from the comic “Z” that I love: “There’s nothing terribly wrong with feeling lost, so long as that feeling proceeds some plan on your part to do something about it.”
In conclusion, Cure For Paranoia is creating a safe, empowering environment for anyone who is looking for a way to embrace their mental illnesses. The guys were totally cool, and we hung out for hours talking about the meaning of life and coping mechanisms for the struggles that life throws at us. With their unique sound and established messages for the mentally unsound, the band is taking Dallas by storm, but with their kind of talent, they won’t be limited to one city for long.
In Cameron McCloud’s words: “I’m okay, I’m okay with not being okay. It’s alright, I’m alright, I’m just trying to get by.”
Check out their website here: http://www.cureforparanoia.com/
Oh, and here’s a little EXCLUSIVE snippet of a song they’re working on:
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