Interview: Chela Rhea Harper of Coal Chamber, Sarasvati

Chela Rhea Harper is awesome, straight up. Based in Toronto, the self-proclaimed geek has been playing music since she was a kid. Her epic talent has spawned a solo EP under the name Sarasvati, and garnered the attention of front-headbanger Dez Fafara who asked her to play bass in the reunited metal band, Coal Chamber.
Chela impressed the H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS out of us too and we had to pin her down to answer some questions. Keep reading to find out what she had to say, as well as listen to some of the tracks that grabbed Dez’s ears, and ours.

GEEKPR0N: Describe your musical style in 140 characters or less.

Chela Rhea Harper: I have I lot of different styles that I like to explore, however I seem to lean towards anything with an ethnic flare.

Tell us about the musical projects you currently have on the go.

CRH: I try to keep myself busy and have as much fun as possible. I don’t plan to do anything serious aside from Coal Chamber, but writing many styles is an important outlet for me. Everything from melodic doom metal to upbeat progressive groove metal.

You’re the newest member of the alternative metal band Coal Chamber who reunited this past year. As a multi-talented musician in Toronto, Canada, how did that opportunity arise?

CRH: Well, I’ll give you the short answer. I made a website a few years back for female musicians (metal/rock) to interact with each other and offer support. It honestly didn’t really catch on, but it certainly paid off. A friend of Dez who also lives in Canada came across the website and forwarded my info to him. The rest is history.

You recently played the Australian Soundwave Festival in Coal Chamber alongside bands like Slipknot, System Of A Down, Marilyn Manson, Mastodon and more. What was that like?

CRH: Dude, um, completely surreal. It was a trip to meet so many of the people that have influenced me over the years. It was especially amazing for me to meet Devin Townsend, he is my hero! I was able to make some incredible new friends down there, both fans and musicians. And most of all, getting to know Coal Chamber and the crew. It was one of the most amazing events of my life. I truly love those guys.

How has playing in Coal Chamber compared to working with your solo project, Sarasvati?

CRH: It’s hard to compare the two. Sarasvati was a huge accomplishment for me. It was the first time I was really able to express myself in a way that was deeply personal. If I had not completed Sarasvati, I may have never attracted the opportunity to play with Coal Chamber. I gained the confidence I needed and ended up with something I was proud of. Coal Chamber has been hands down the most incredible experience of my life. I finally feel like I am doing what I came to this earth to do. Reach out to people through the power of music. I will always have my writing and my passionate love affair with my guitars. But playing live for fans…that is the most breath taking experience I’ve ever had.

What is the meaning behind the name, Sarasvati?

CRH: Sarasvati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, arts and science. My attraction to her came from a statue that was in the meditation room of my dear friend and mentor Sneh Charkaburtty (Doctor and Author). I knew from that moment Sarasvati would give me the strength to accomplish what I was setting out to do. She represented something in me that was in hiding because of a long felt insecurity. Throughout recording the EP, I had a brass statue of her that sat above my desk on a shelf. It was never a form of worship for me, but a reminder that I had the ability to create something from nothing.

Sarasvati sounds like it draws influences not only from hard rock but Eastern influenced music as well. What drew you to blend these genres?

CRH: It started when I was really young. My mom would listen to a lot of mediation music and traditional eastern folk music. But the day I decided I wanted to write rock music with that type of emotion was when I heard Robert Plant and Jimmy Page’s No Quarter live album. The performance was saturated with Moroccan, Indian and Middle Eastern music. It was a major ‘checkpoint’ in my life.

Who are your musical and non musical influences?

CRH: So many… I can’t possibly write out all the bands and artists that have influenced me over the years, there are many. Music, metaphysics, spirituality and people are my top influences.

Can you tell us about the recording process for Sarasvati’s songs?

CRH: Well, I was and still am a total n00b when it comes to mixing. So that process involved me asking a lot of questions and going on forums trying to figure out wtf I was doing. The way I would record each song was usually different. I didn’t really have a routine, I just sort of went with the flow.

If you had to give up music, what would you do to be creative?

CRH: Draw, dance and make stuff lol.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it?

CRH: To know everything there is to know about the universe, including how to acquire all existing superpowers. Heh.

What can we look forward to coming up from you in the near future?

CRH: More music of course!

And finally, Star Trek or Star Wars?

CRH: Dune.

You can download Sarasvati’s EP on Bandcamp and keep up to date with Coal Chamber on www.coalchamberofficial.com

*Cover Photo Credit: Sai Sivanesan