The Paradox at 'Almost Acoustic Christmas'

KROQ-FM / KROQ

The Paradox join Megan Holiday backstage at KROQ's 'Almost Acoustic Christmas' 2025.

Transcript

00:00106.7 KROQ and it's KROQ and Megan Holliday backstage at Acoustic Christmas with The Paradox!

00:09Hi!

00:10Hey! You guys are the band that I was most excited to talk to tonight. I couldn't watch your set, sadly, because I was here working.

00:19But how did it feel to be out there playing your first Acoustic Christmas?

00:22It felt absolutely insane. I think back a lot to like when me and Zeeland were watching almost Acoustic Christmas,

00:29like Blink's performances on there back from the 90s and stuff.

00:32Oh my god, yes!

00:33So this is a very full circle moment for us, yeah.

00:35I know. Well, the thing with you guys, and it just makes my heart so happy,

00:39you've really only been a band for a little over a year now.

00:42Yeah, 15 months.

00:43Yeah, it's crazy. And then really your story is you kind of reached out to Billy Joe Armstrong,

00:49and you're like, hey, can you help me figure out these chords, right?

00:52And then he's like, why don't you guys come out and open up for Green Day in Atlanta, which is where you're from.

00:57Yeah.

00:58I mean, and then since then, I did get to see you at Warped Tour.

01:01Warped Tour you brought out, Travis Barker.

01:03So there's been so many cool moments.

01:05I want to hear from you guys about some of your biggest highlights of being a band for only 15 months.

01:10Ooh, me? I would say working in studio with Travis.

01:14Yes.

01:15Did you feel like you learned a lot in that process?

01:18Yeah, definitely.

01:19I'm sure.

01:20He works 25 years.

01:22I believe it.

01:23I believe it.

01:24And then like the fact that I had to sing my part in front of him.

01:27He's like in the studio, like in the outside, like in the glass window.

01:31Yep.

01:32Looking at me while I'm singing.

01:33I was like, oh my God.

01:34How do you think I felt, bro?

01:35How do you think I felt?

01:37How surreal, you guys?

01:39Absolutely surreal.

01:40And how was it playing Warped Tour, this iconic festival that I'm sure...

01:45Did you get...

01:46You're too young to have gone to Warped Tours, huh?

01:48Yeah.

01:49I never went.

01:50Okay.

01:51See, that was me.

01:52I would go every summer.

01:53That was what I looked forward to doing when I was in high school and going out to Warped Tour

01:56and stuff.

01:57So it was a huge deal to see you guys playing.

01:59Thanks.

02:00Is it different now than back then?

02:01It's different in the sense of, you know, it's bigger and it's in a different location

02:07and it's kind of on a different level, but it's still the same feeling of community.

02:10That's cool.

02:11That's the thing that I love the most about Warped Tour.

02:13I was super jealous.

02:14I never got to experience that back then.

02:16For sure, yeah.

02:17Warped Tour is like super cool.

02:18I think like, yeah, same thing, like seeing, like watching like old performances from like

02:22Warped Tour, like literally every band, you know, like Taking Back to Fall Out Boy,

02:27New Found, Blink.

02:29Story of the year.

02:30Yeah.

02:31You guys, we have the same musical taste.

02:33It was just insane.

02:34Yeah.

02:35There were some bands that I would go and see in high school and stuff.

02:37And I just-

02:38You were so lucky.

02:39I know.

02:40I really know I am.

02:41But there's still time, you guys.

02:42There's still time for you.

02:43I know.

02:44That's why we're trying to bring it back.

02:45Yeah.

02:46A lot of these bands are going to go and play when we were young.

02:47You know, some 41 will be back at some point.

02:48Me too.

02:49Me too.

02:50Me too.

02:51So you guys, so what, what are your plans now?

02:53I mean, we're wrapping up the year.

02:55You know, we've got, are you all going home for Christmas and doing that?

03:00After, after this, we're going to Portland for another show.

03:03Okay.

03:04Then we're doing another show in Seattle.

03:05We're going to be home for two weeks.

03:06We're going to go back out, come back out here to LA, write for about two weeks.

03:10Yes.

03:11We're going to do three shows.

03:13And then I think, yeah, working on like just more music.

03:17Our plan is definitely to release like an EP and hopefully a full length next year.

03:21Okay.

03:22But yeah, just trying to, you know, crank out music and just like coming out and playing

03:25shows and seeing, you know, all you beautiful people.

03:28Giving the people what they want, giving the people what they want.

03:30You know?

03:31Yes.

03:32It's what we want.

03:33We love it.

03:34Yeah.

03:35Well, you guys, you're like a breath of fresh air.

03:36That's what I always say about you on the radio.

03:37I love your energy.

03:38I love your vibe.

03:39And you know, you guys just seem like great people.

03:41I said it already.

03:42I love your suit.

03:44You look like, like Mrs. Claus.

03:45I'm like, yeah, I'm kind of going for like a Hugh Hefner smoking jacket vibe.

03:48I see it.

03:49And then the Pamela Anderson updo.

03:50Okay.

03:51That's sort of what I'm, I know it's a little, it's a little too playboy.

03:54But, so we're going to now totally flip things on its head from talking about playboy to

03:59talking about, to talking about mental health.

04:01And I want to know how you guys handle those tough times.

04:05I mean, you're a new band.

04:06You're going out on the road.

04:07It's not easy.

04:08No, there's no manual of how to do it.

04:10So how have you guys, how do you guys keep yourselves mentally well?

04:14I can't say my first method on air, but I can say my second method, which is, I think

04:21meditation, you know, working out, things like that.

04:23I think, you know, you put it best.

04:25You know, it is one of those things where most bands where you're, you know, within your

04:28first year, you don't have so many people like looking at you and things like that.

04:33But I think, yeah, like for us, just like staying true and just having fun.

04:38Like, you know, whether it's, you know, a house show or it's, you know, when we were

04:42young or something, just, you know, treating it all like it's, you know, like it's fun.

04:46Just, you know, having a good time.

04:47It really helps when you have that, you know, creative or a safe space, you know, for the

04:52four of us to just come together and really just, you know, get out, whatever we, whatever

04:56it is, we can all just come together and talk to them.

04:59These are my brothers right here.

05:00Yeah.

05:01Any storm, you know, that makes me so happy to hear that.

05:04We always do checks.

05:05We do checks, you know, just to make sure everyone's, you know, doing good and handling

05:09things well.

05:10That's smart.

05:11It's super important, you know, and I'm just so excited to watch you guys.

05:14I mean, you've had this meteoric rise.

05:16I can't wait to see what you're going to do next.

05:18So the paradox.

05:19Thank you so much for joining me.

05:20I'm Megan Holliday backstage at Acoustic Christmas.

05:22Give it up for the paradox, everybody.

05:24Give it up for the paradox.

05:26Yes, sir.

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