PARRA DRUMS
RICARDO
PARRA
Every aspect in Ricardo Parra’s upbringing and formation can be conveyed in what Parra Drums is today: a demanded brand both treasured and respected by musicians worldwide.
His curiosity about sound itself has allowed him to advise multiple bands, win a Grammy award and manufacture drums for authentic legends. This eagerness to learn started off with little observations. As a child he wondered why water would sound different as it fell down when its temperature varied, and from that point on he began an investigation (at first involuntarily) that included multiple hours in his father’s laboratory, playing with vacuum chambers, limestone and minerals.
When growing up, his search led him to both study Drums and Engineering at the Universidad Central de Venezuela (Central University of Venezuela), for he wanted to be a Plastic Artist using engineering as a technique. He then switched majors to International Studies and started attending as a listener in subjects of Architecture, Metallurgy and Arts, expanding his view of knowledge. At the end of the day he had enough information as to sit for hours and think about whom he was in each of these areas. Deep down, he was looking for new ways of creating sounds.
He showed Alberto Iacobellis, from the Rock & Folk recording studio, the first guitar he ever made. Alberto was so impressed that he convinced Ricardo to start seriously making drums, giving him his first commission.
He faced the challenge head-on and, together with Iacobellis, he started a journey that afterwards would allow him to be by the side of high-quality musicians, such as Joe Satriani, Backstreet Boys, Collective Soul, Tarja Turunen, and many more.Little by Little, word spread about Ricardo Parra’s drums. Every band in Venezuela came to buy from him, until one day his first international commission arrived: a request from Lee Levin, four times Grammy winner, and drummer of various artists such as Madonna, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Juan Luis Guerra, Luis Fonsi and Shakira. The next one to follow up was Pat Mastellotto, Mr Mr and King Crimson’s drummer (amongst others).
After a pause due to the unexpected death of his father, Ricardo decided to advise Venezuelan bands, helping them produce the drums from their music albums. From the first jobs on this area came Cambié de Nombre from ViniloVersus. The outcome? A Grammy award nomination. Afterwards, he got involved with Será La Vida Bohème, managing the award this time. With these he has accumulated, thus far, a discography of almost 80 productions.
Parra Drums is a reference amongst the most demanding musicians in the industry, being that many of them use products from the label, such as: Abe Laboriel Jr, Paul McCartney’s drummer, Fernando Samalea, Gustavo Cerati, Charly Garcia and Andres Calamaro’s drummer, figures such as Steve Maxwell or Mariano “Tiki” Canero, Acá Seca Trio’s drummer, Juan Berbín, La Mala Rodríguez, Seward, Toflang and Noku Woi’s drummer; and including the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Rodríguez (Simón Rodríguez’s Symphonic Orchestra), directed by Gustavo Dudamel, Anderson Quintero and Orestes Gomez.
Nowadays, Parra Drums is beginning a new stage of growth and development, from the hand of Wow Music Group Corporation, whom are building a new great alliance to impulse the development of the company.