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This one feels special. Not only am I interviewing three members of a tribute band dedicated to my favorite rock band of all time, My Chemical Romance (you might have guessed that from my pen name), but after 348 interviews for FemMetal since 2018, I am finally interviewing musicians from my own country. And not just one, but three.
Alisha, Lizzie, and Yara, the bassist, drummer, and vocalist of The Black Parade, talked about how the tribute act came together, their other musical projects, their upcoming appearance at Beirut Rock Live Festival, and the artists who inspire them.
Read on, and welcome to The Black Parade.
Reuel
Hello girls! I’m happy to chat with you. How are you doing?
Alisha
We’re good, thank you for asking!
Lizzie
Good, thank you!
Yara
Super excited!
Reuel
So you’re all going to be playing at the Beirut Rock Live Festival next month! How excited are you for that?
Lizzie
Very excited! My brother and our friend are organizing the event, they’ve been planning for about a year now. It’s gonna be a huge and really fun event!
Alisha
It’s my first time playing in a festival so I’m really hyped!
Reuel
How did you all meet, and whose idea was it to start playing these MCR songs together?
Lizzie
The project started through my friend Karim, whom I’d met by playing a gig with him back in 2024. He dreamed of doing a Black Parade tribute show, so we found members who loved MCR as much as we did and put a band together! I met most of the members from local gigs.
Alisha
Actually Karim came to me first to ask me to be the singer of the band! But I felt like the genre did not match my voice and I love the basslines! So that’s how I ended up as the bassist and backing vocalist!
Yara
I also randomly met Karim and Kimmy at a gig and we talked about MCR at the time, but it wasn’t until a few months later that they approached me about joining the band.
Reuel
Do you remember the very first My Chemical Romance song you jammed together as The Black Parade? What was that energy like?
Yara
I joined the band way after all the other members, but I think the first song we played together was Dead! I immediately knew that I loved everyone’s energy and that I would enjoy playing together.
Lizzie
We started with the first few songs off The Black Parade album like “The End” and “Dead,” and other hits like “Helena” and “I’m Not Okay!” The energy was very hype and fun from the start, and we connected fast.
Reuel
Which song in MCR’s discography was the most challenging for you to master, and what made it so difficult?
Lizzie
I felt that the hardest was “Welcome to the Black Parade.” Though a fan favorite, the dynamics and fast drum fills are a little challenging.
Yara
Yeah, me too, it’s vocally challenging for me personally because it’s at a difficult part of my range.
Alisha
Agreed, “Welcome to the Black Parade” for sure!
Reuel
You’re all also in other music projects. Can you tell us about your other bands?
Alisha
I used to be in an original band called Open Road Archives, but now im mostly doing gigs here and there playing with amazing musicians across many genres, blues, Funk, old pop, Soul…
Lizzie
My two main projects are Brick Floyd – a Pink Floyd tribute show, and Dreaming Madmen – a progressive rock originals band. I also play for the punk band Glide and pop artist Pól!
Yara
I’m in an emo and post-hardcore cover band called Phase with my brother and some of our friends! We haven’t done any gigs yet, but we’re practicing every week.
Reuel
What musicians can you credit as the ones who inspired you, personally, in your life or career as a musician?
Alisha
My biggest inspiration was my mom and my grandfather who were both really into music. But also Michael Jackson! I always told myself I want to have his energy on stage and his presence, which is why I always strive to be super active and interactive on stage.
Lizzie
My biggest inspirations were my dad, who is also a great drummer, and my brothers, who I always thought are musical geniuses. I personally also love drummer Mike Portnoy’s energy on stage and I’ve gotten very inspired by him, and female drummer Anika Nilles, the new drummer of Rush!
Yara
My biggest inspiration is my vocal coach, Lara Jokhadar. She took me under her wing when I was 7 years old and she taught me classical technique and how to adapt it to any style of singing. My other vocal and acting coach, Christine Abou Zeid, is also a huge inspiration and she’s the reason I feel confident to go up in front of large crowds and perform.
Reuel
Lebanon’s rock and metal scene is definitely growing with young musicians like yourselves. If you could change one thing, outside of the big political stuff we can’t control, to help the local scene grow faster, what would it be?
Alisha
i would honestly like for musicians to be taken more seriously, for venues to be more prepared, and for gear to be cheaper!
Reuel
Thank you for your time, Lizzie, Alisha, and Yara! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Lizzie
We’re very excited to see everyone there and play a show for you again. Thank you FemMetal!!
Alisha
Can’t wait to perform! Thank you for your time.
Yara
Thank you for having us!
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