Ash Grove alums Watson, Rikard form half of hard-rock group Paralandra

If you’ve been on the music scene in Springfield lately, chances are you have heard of the rising rock band Paralandra. The band, which is currently on tour, is made up of vocalist/guitarist Cassandra Carson, her father, guitarist Paul Carson, bassist Sawyer Rikard, and drummer Dakota Watson. Rikard and Watson are no strangers to the residents of Ash Grove, as they are both alums of Ash Grove High School. Rikard graduated in 2014 and joined Paralandra in 2015, while Watson graduated in 2015 and joined the band in 2019.
Watson said he was exposed to a lot of music in his childhood.
“I grew up listening to a lot of music,” he said. “My dad was a rocker, and my mom was more into country. The original moment of inspiration came from watching a DVD of Journey Live in 1981. That concert moved me. I loved (still love) the music, as Journey is one of my favorite bands. I thought that show was the coolest thing I'd ever seen, and I wanted that to be me.”
Still, it was during a concert in Springfield that Watson realized he wanted to play music for a living.
“When I attended my first concert, which was 3 Doors Down with Red as the opener at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Mo., (That was also Casandra's first concert.) it was monumentally mind blowing. I knew that was my calling.”
 
College put on hold for music pursuit
Watson said that he and Rikard played together a great deal, starting in their teens. While they enrolled in college after high school, they soon realized that they couldn’t put their music on hold.
“I have been playing shows since I was 13 years old, and Sawyer started playing with me in our band, Crowning Alice, throughout high school,” he said. “So, after high school, we continued to play music, got jobs, and went straight to college. Sawyer completed a year, I completed two years, but music was quickly taking over. We left school to allow more time for music. Although we've kept jobs, we have been touring, albeit not always together, since then.”
The two have also recorded their own music.
“Sawyer recorded two EPs with Paralandra,” Watson said. “I recorded some singles in some country bands, and I was also the drummer for Hot Country Countdown, a show in Branson, for about six months. Sawyer and I have also recorded two full-length albums, ‘Street Magic’ and ‘The Body Electric’, with Paralandra. Those albums were recorded with Elvis Baskette, the highly sought-after producer who has worked with bands such as Alter Bridge, Sevendust, Three Days Grace, Stone Temple Pilots, Slash, and Myles Kennedy, and more.”
While Paralandra plays hard rock, Watson said, they also strive to create something beautiful with their music.
“We have a lot of high-energy dual guitar work, tasteful and powerful drums, and positive and uplifting lyrics,” he said. “We want to be a source of light in this confusing world.”
 
What’s in a name
So where does the name Paralandra come from?
“The name Paralandra comes from the title of a C.S. Lewis book, called ‘Perelandra’, which is the second book in the Ransom Trilogy,” Watson said. “Paul is a big C.S. Lewis fan, loves the Ransom Trilogy, and thought it would be a fitting name for our unique sound. Many people think the name is a mashup of the names of the Carson family, but it's actually inspired by a book.”
 
Now touring
Currently, the band is on tour. Watson said it is a new experience for him.
“Being on the road is unlike anything else,” he said. “I love seeing new places and traveling all the time, experiencing different cultures and food from around the country, seeing things in person that I've only ever seen in pictures. And I love playing music, which is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Being on the road is mostly great. I'm in a band with very talented people who are genuinely wonderful human beings, and we have become such a close, tight-knit family.”
However, he added, there are some challenges that come with the touring experience.
“People think of touring as traveling and playing shows, which is glamorous, but a lot of sweat and hard work happens behind the scenes,” he said. “At any moment in the van, we could get a flat tire, our trailer wheel could fall off, we could lose control on icy roads, we could wreck, our transmission could fail, our trailer axle could bend, our trailer might be broken into, our gear might break or not work, we might stay in a gross hotel or a seedy area. All of those things, and more, have happened to us, and could easily happen again. 
“No exaggeration, we replaced the transmission in our old van seven times! That van was begrudgingly purchased while we were on tour in 2019, 1,200 miles from home in Tucson, Ariz., after our original van's transmission failed.”
 
Business end keeps busy
“While on the road, we also have to manage our social media, our Patreon, film promos, set up and tear down our gear every night, place merch orders... the work never stops,” Watson said. “I absolutely love touring, but it is definitely hard work. It's not for the faint of heart, or for those who aren't fully committed.”
Watson said that he believes every child should have the chance to pursue their dreams, as he did, and he says parents and teachers should work to give them their opportunities.
“Parents and teachers are in a unique position to nurture the dreams and hopes of kids and young adults,” he said. “They may not all have the same dreams, but they all deserve a chance to chase them. So I think it's extremely important to listen to these kids and young adults. Give them the respect of agency and guide them to make the right decisions along the way. All of us in the world are of one race, the human race, and we should all love each other and hope for the best for each other. Love is always the answer. Treat people with dignity, respect, kindness, and patience, and good things will happen. This world is a beautiful place, but it's up to all of us to acknowledge that, and to help make it so.”
 
More info
For the latest about Paralandra, including information on their music, shows, etc., go online to their website at https://paralandrarocks.com, or visit their Facebook page.