Cale Parks

As a core member of the genre-bending indie act Aloha, as an auxiliary player, and with work under his own name, percussionist/multi-instrumentalist Cale Parks has established himself as a talented drummer and polymathic songwriter. In addition to time in the studio and on the road with groups like White Williams, Yeasayer, Passion Pit, and many others, Parks has explored a wide swath of styles, from the ambient pop of his 2006 solo debut, Illuminated Manuscript, to the jazz-flecked instrumentals of his 2020 EP Boards. While still acting as the drummer for long-running post-rock group Aloha, Parks began working on solo material using borrowed recording equipment. The cramped environments of the Brooklyn apartments in which the music was created were reflected in the headphones-friendly atmospheres of what became Parks' official debut album, 2006's Illuminated Manuscript. The record was released by Aloha's label Polyvinyl Records, and in addition to work he was doing with bands like Joan of Arc, Cex, Chin Up Chin Up, and many others, Parks continued to record and play solo shows in support of the album. The 2008 follow-up Sparklace was more synth pop-leaning, and 2009's To Swift Mars EP approached more psychedelic electronic styles in addition to Parks' always-sharp rhythmic sensibilities. Over the next several years, Parks played drums for Chet Faker, Yeasayer, and Tanlines while working on his own music when he had time. 2015 saw the release of the Lagoon Fool EP, a set of four colder synthy songs. After over ten years living in Brooklyn, Parks and his family relocated to the slower-paced Kansas City. In addition to his ongoing work as a hired gun, he brought a new energy to his 2020 EP Boards. The six-song collection was rooted in electronic production but included a wide variety of organic instruments intermingling spaciously with the digital elements of the recording.
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