Rising Music Stars Erin Walter and Keri Cinquina of the band Parker Woodland On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Eden Gold
“You define your success, and relationships are key.” — There are so many ways to be happy and so many ways to “make it.” If you’re not happy or fulfilled or motivated by what you’re doing with your music, that’s not success, at least not to me. Success to me is the friendships, love and relationships along the way making music. “The life I love is making music with my friends” is what Willie Nelson sang and he was so right.
As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Erin Walter (vocals, bass) and Keri Cinquina (drums) of Austin, Texas, power trio Parker Woodland.
Their new album There’s No Such Thing as Time is out Sep. 6 via Flak Records. It’s filled with energetic anthems that hit us with punk exuberance, pop hooks and psychedelic guitars. Each fist-pumping anthem makes you want to jump up, dance and shout along to help shape this world into a place of love and compassion, even as the Earth crumbles around you.
Parker Woodland has previously been covered at NPR, Austin City Limits Radio, Austin American-Statesman and more. They’re favorites of KUTX, including playing their Rock the Park with Luna Luna and their SXSW Rock the Shores showcase w/ Waco Brothers. They played Chicken Ranch Records 20th Anniversary SXSW Party w/ Peelander-Z, and the annual Peace Fest w/ Willie Nelson, Jon Dee Graham, Urban Heat and more. Members of the band have opened for Melissa Etheridge, White Zombie, Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, Big Freedia, Ministry, and John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch). The album was produced by Brent Baldwin who made a name for himself collaborating with acts like Big Star, R.E.M, Wilco, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, and Alejandro Escovedo.
The title There’s No Such Thing as Time comes from a pivotal lyric in their song “Stranger” dealing with death and the supernatural. This album toys with themes of outer space and escapism but always circles back to a foundation of finding love in our modern apocalypses. Even on a dying planet, love is worth fighting for in the eyes of Parker Woodland.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story.” Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Keri Cinquina, Parker Woodland drummer: I grew up in Southern California and close enough to the beach that I could ride my bicycle. I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, so I was your typical Gen X kid. Both my parents worked full time, so I did a lot of either walking or riding my bike to and from school. My sister is 17 years older than I am, but we’re super close. At that time, she lived about 15 minutes away. I’d spend weekends with her and she’d also pick me up after work every Wednesday to take me for dinner or go to the movies. I played outside ALL of the time. We were never indoors. Being inside was a punishment. I skateboarded, roller skated, rode my BMX bike around the jumps in the creek by my house, as well as rode dirtbikes. Summers were spent outside and at the beach. Once I started playing drums and got my first drum set, I spent hours practicing in my garage. My neighbors were super cool about it too. I played records as loud as I could get away with. Once the Walkman came out, that was a game changer! Portable music?!! I drug that beast everywhere with me and took my cassette collection on all vacations. Absolute best time to be a kid. No computers, no internet, no cell phones, totally unplugged and fully engaged with life. A rolodex of phone numbers all memorized without issue when needing to call a friend. Yes, I had angst in my life like most kids, but what a great time to be one!
What inspired you to pursue a career in music, and how did your journey begin?
Keri Cinquina, Parker Woodland drummer: I started playing violin when I was eight. Did that for three years and was bored, so I started learning guitar. I really wanted to play drums, but there was no opportunity at that time to learn in school. I finally had the chance when I started Junior High. I dropped everything else and put all my energy into learning and playing drums. I’m a late-in-life baby, so my parents were older when they had me. My dad was a fan of big band music and used to watch Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson. I was fascinated with them and instantly wanted to play drums. So, when I had a chance, I started and never looked back. Started playing in a performing rock band when I was 14 and the rest is history!”
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Keri Cinquina, Parker Woodland drummer: I was in an all-girl band in California in the late ‘80s/early ’90s. Our booking agent got us a gig at a hotel for Halloween one year. As we were setting up, people started showing up in rather, let’s just say, “unusual” costumes or “lack thereof.” Imagine our surprise when we found out it was a swingers party! Needless to say, it turned out to be quite entertaining and a super fun show.
It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist: Funniest mistake? Wow, that’s a tough one. I totally agree that we learn from our mistakes and our challenges, and Andrew Solin (Parker Woodland guitarist) and I talk all the time about the ways we can grow as musicians, as people, and as a band. But when it comes to funny band moments, what comes to mind is my very first tour, in my very first band, The Personals, and our substitute drummer Toby — who joined us on the day of tour because our actual drummer Kristen almost had her appendix burst and was in the hospital — spoke up somewhere along the highway and asked, “Hey guys, where do I put my boogers?” It was this perfect deadpan drummer moment and I’ve been laughing to myself about it for 20 years. Otherwise, I’d say most of my learning experiences, mistake or otherwise, have involved more tears than laughter, but that’s OK. When I need to laugh, I’ve got Brooklyn Nine-Nine supercuts on Youtube.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Keri Cinquina, Parker Woodland drummer: My momma. She’s supported me since day one. She let me try new and different things and never told me I couldn’t do it or stopped me. When I told her I didn’t want to play violin anymore and switched to guitar, she just helped me make that happen. I remember how excited I was getting home from 6th grade and telling her the music teacher from Junior High talked to us today and said we could learn to play any instrument, including drums. That was it! That was the chance I’d been waiting for! My momma never batted an eye. She smiled and said, “absolutely!” From the time I was eight years old, all the way through college as a music major, she never missed a band concert; not one. Music saved me and she threw me the life preserver.”
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you’re working on now?
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist: I’m absolutely over the moon about Parker Woodland’s debut full-length album There’s No Such Thing as Time. It’s a record I’ve literally dreamed of making — lost sleep, written songs in my REM moments, woke up to sing into my voice notes. And we have a huge September of release events in Austin, where we’re from. The City of Austin is issuing a proclamation of Parker Woodland Day on September 12th, 2024. We get to go to City Hall to accept that. Mostly I cannot wait for people to have the vinyl records in their hands and the songs in their ears.
We’re very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Keri Cinquina, Parker Woodland drummer: To me, diversity is all about inclusion. Race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, cultural differences, religious preference. It all matters. Representation matters. Differences matter. Inclusion for all matters. Just because a person doesn’t believe or agree with something or someone, it doesn’t mean it’s not true. It’s so important now, more than ever, that we come together and acknowledge everyone’s truths. Diversity is what makes life great! Exploring new things. Opening your mind up to things that it was closed off to. The world is a big, beautiful place. When a person closes themselves off to other people’s differences, they relegate themselves to never moving forward and become stagnant in their truth.
As a successful music star, you’ve likely faced challenges along the way. How do you stay motivated? How do you overcome obstacles in your career?
Keri Cinquina, Parker Woodland drummer: By not listening to the naysayers. Not letting the negativity win. Negativity is a disease and it will infect every part of your being if you let it. We are so good at talking ourselves OUT of things. We need to change our mindset to talking ourselves INTO stuff instead. I CAN do that. I WILL do this, despite what people say. It’s ok to fail. Failure is the best teacher. Don’t wallow in it! Learn from it and move forward. If it was easy, everyone would do it.”
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist:
1 . “You rock!” — In Girls Rock Camp, which I’ve been involved with in Austin and Chicago, we try not to say “Sorry!” when we make a mistake playing, but instead shout, “I rock!” Women are socialized to be apologetic for ourselves, but how can you learn and grow if you don’t make mistakes? So this is a way of celebrating that you tried instead of framing it as a mistake.
2 . “You define your success, and relationships are key.” — There are so many ways to be happy and so many ways to “make it.” If you’re not happy or fulfilled or motivated by what you’re doing with your music, that’s not success, at least not to me. Success to me is the friendships, love and relationships along the way making music. “The life I love is making music with my friends” is what Willie Nelson sang and he was so right.
3 . “It’s not too late.” — I became a songwriter and frontperson in my forties. Would I have rather started as a teen or in my twenties? Sure. But you start when you start. Start the thing you love now.
4 . “Commit and trust yourself.” — When I lost my job to the COVID pandemic, I vowed to myself that I would center rock-n-roll, and my band Parker Woodland, in my life from now on. I would pursue my dream fully. So the decisions I make may sometimes be rushed because I’m seizing an opportunity that feels time sensitive, so I can’t consider every pro and con. But, it’s better than being paralyzed by fear or indecision. Moving with the flow of what’s possible and trusting myself to go for it — it has not steered Parker Woodland wrong yet.
5 . “Rest.” People think I’m constantly working, but the truth is I sleep well and I rest when I need to. I just know when my workflow is best. I’m a morning person, so I go hard to hit our band goals and my own work and personal goals first thing. That way I can rest, hang out with my family, go out and see friends’ bands at night, or just sit and have a glass of wine at the end of the day with satisfaction about what I accomplished.
Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you approach songwriting? How do you approach musical collaborations?
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist: Andrew [Solin] and I just did a great podcast on our creative process, called Qreative Podcast. You can listen here. Andrew and I write on our own, bring ideas together, wrestle with them, discuss, try stuff, play around, pull our hair out, get tacos, and so on and so forth until we find the magic enough to have an intentionally arranged, emotionally charged anthem that we can bring to Parker Woodland’s awesome drummer Keri for her input. Then we all work together to get it to the level of live show worthiness. It’s a total journey for every song, some easier and faster than others, and it’s worth it.
Your music has resonated with so many fans worldwide. What do you believe sets your music apart? How do you connect with your audience?
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist: I like to say Parker Woodland is the sound of “meaning it.” We care passionately about the lyrics, the music, the message, how it’s recorded, the epic communal experience of the live show, and about the community around the band. “The World’s on Fire (and We Still Fall in Love)” was our first single and EP and that theme of love amid struggle is central to our music and one that relates to people’s real lives, certainly to mine, so I can relate to our listeners and fans.
With your busy schedule and demanding performances, how do you prioritize self-care and maintain a balance between your personal life and career in the music industry?
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist: It’s a commitment. I love mornings doing Zumba at my local YMCA. I love walking my dog, having dinner with my family when I can. I do very little house cleaning. My car is a mess. Some things just get triaged off the list because my happiness is music, family, friends, and the community. Those come first. Oh, and sleep and Mexican food.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist: First of all, I believe art can change the world! So whoever you are, if you’re trying to make the world a better place, do what you love and share it! Secondly, my day job — though it can be day or night — is as a Unitarian Universalist justice minister. I am the executive director of the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry, the state action network for UUs. I work every day to organize and support people seeking LGBQTIA+ rights, climate justice, reproductive justice, healthcare access, racial justice, and much more. I see us as part of the continuum of movements that have come before and will follow. As my colleague the Rev. Ashley Horan says, I’m “taking my shift for the revolution.” That revolution is collective liberation, and music and art are a huge part of that.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Keri Cinquina, Parker Woodland drummer: Stewart Copeland. Next to Neil Peart, he’s always been one of my drum heroes. Rush and The Police are my top two favorite bands of all time. Stewart’s hi-hat work, his reggae inspired rhythms and he just seems to be an all-around great human. He’s had such a successful career for decades now. I’d love to chat about and get some firsthand insights about that.”
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
Erin Walter, Parker Woodland singer/bassist: We’d love you to follow Parker Woodland on Instagram and Facebook @parkerwoodlandband and on Twitter and TikTok @parkerwoodland . We’d love you to sign up for our email list at ParkerWoodland.com and pre-order (or order, depending on when you read this) our new album There’s No Such Thing as Time and a cool shirt to go with it via Parker Woodland’s Bandcamp!
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This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold.
