The Paperboys
The Paperboys | |
---|---|
Seattle, Washington, 2007 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Genres | folk rock, world music |
Years active | 1991–present |
Members | Tom Landa Brad Gillard Kalissa Landa Geoffrey Kelly Sam Esecson Kareem Kandi Nick LaRiviere Miguelito Valdes Greg Lyons |
Past members | Chris Jonat Jeremy Hughes Kevin Ball David Plenkovich Glenn Kruger Moritz Behm Neil Burnett Paul Lawton Steve Mitchell Cam Salay Shona Le Mottée Shannon Saunders Hanz Araki Doug Schmidt Alan Macleod Tom Neville Victor Smith Matt Brain Kendel Carson Miranda Mulholland |
Website | www.paperboys.com |
The Paperboys (sometimes billed and credited as Tom Landa and the Paperboys) are a
The Paperboys first studio album, Late As Usual, was released on their own record label Stompy Discs in 1995. They also created Stomp Productions to produce and market their work themselves.[7] Their first three studio albums have received
Their album Postcards won a West Coast Music Award in 2000.[8]
After the untimely death of drummer Paul Lawton, The Paperboys helped to finance a scholarship in his name.[9] The band has also appeared in and scored award-winning international films. They are noted for their version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", which was part of a tribute album for Dylan's 60th birthday.[3] Their most recent release, and seventh album, was 2014's At Peace With One's Ghosts.
A staple at folk, roots, and bluegrass festivals in North America and Europe, The Paperboys have extensively toured both continents, performing in England, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, France, and Austria.[10] Frequently featured on Canadian national television, The Paperboys have said in the past, "We get paid for the travel time, but play for free."[10]
Formation and roster
The Paperboys were originally formed in 1991 by bassist Christopher Jonat and Tom Landa on acoustic guitar and vocals, with Jeremy Hughes on accordion and vocals, Kevin Ball on fiddle, and Dave Plenkovich on drums. This early version of the band was very popular with the Vancouver college crowds, but after creative discrepancies Landa kept the Paperboys name, and all the other remaining band members reformed as
Tom Landa was born in Mexico to a Canadian mother of Irish ancestry and a Mexican father, and later moved from Mexico City to Vancouver, British Columbia.[1][8][11] Initially, Landa discovered Celtic music via the Canadian band Spirit of the West, whose flautist and co-vocalist was Geoffrey Kelly. Kelly would later produce half of The Paperboys' first studio album Late as Usual with Colin Nairne (producer & guitarist for Barney Bentall) and eventually end up joining the band full-time.
The original Late As Usual band members included Moritz Behm on fiddle, Neil Burnett on vocals,
In 2010, the band consisted of Landa, Kalissa Hernandez on fiddle, Brad Gillard on banjo and bass, Geoffrey Kelly on flutes, and Sam Esecson on drums, with a three-piece horn section consisting of Kareem Kandi on saxophone, Nick LaRiviere on trombone, and either Miguelito Valdes or Greg Lyons on trumpet.
Recording history
The Paperboys released a cassette album called "January" in 1993 as their first commercially available recording, and sold many copies at local shows around their hometown of Vancouver. Those original recordings were never released on CD (except for the track "Judy's Wedding", which is featured on Tenure), but a few of the songs from January ("January", "Come Tella Me") were re-recorded by the new lineup for the Late As Usual CD. The Paperboys released their first CD studio album, Late as Usual, in 1994, on their self-established label Stompy Discs, with an associated production and management company, Stomp Productions.[7] Late as Usual went on to garner a Juno Award nomination for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year. They followed that album with 1997's Molinos, which also was nominated for the Roots and Traditional category at the Juno Awards, this time winning. Additionally, Molinos took away the Best Roots Recording category in the West Coast Music Award of the same year. One review referred to Molinos as "bluegrass-tinged pop-rock" with an "undercurrent of Celtic wildness".[16] In 2000, The Paperboys released Postcards, their third studio album, which also was nominated in the same category, for their third straight nomination, but Postcards did not win. In 2000, they won another West Coast Music Award for the Best Roots Recording category for Postcards.[8]
They followed next with Tenure in 2002, the double album Dilapidated Beauty in 2003, and The Road to Ellenside in 2006. In a review for Molinos, it was noted that The Paperboys consistently write pop songs with melodic hooks, which other prior Irish-rock inspired bands such as The Pogues and Oysterband, and others were not always successful at.[5] Postcards, which has songs that range musically from bluegrass, zydeco, flamenco, Irish traditional, country, to Celtic-new-age-Native, and with songs that mix some of the themes, was described as a satisfying example of how far the versatile scope of The Paperboys' music extends.[6]
The Paperboys' 2006 album, The Road to Ellenside, is named after the
In 2009, the band released Callithump. This release features the band name "Los Paperboys" on the front cover, although this is not the official new band name.
Live performances and other work
The Paperboys have performed and appeared in the Genie Award nominated film
The Paperboys routinely sell out shows in some of the most popular and prestigious clubs and festivals throughout Canada, the
The Paperboys' live performances have been described as high energy and accessible, and they have a reputation for gaining new fans after a single performance.[4][20] The loyalty of fans to The Paperboys has been previously described as "a growing cult-like following in recent years."[21]
Musical style and influences
The band has also been noted for recording a number of pop and rock covers — including The Beatles' "I've Just Seen a Face" on Molinos and Sting's "Fragile" on The Road to Ellenside — which incorporate traditional Celtic jigs and reels into the arrangements; "Fragile", additionally, incorporates lyrics from both the English and Spanish versions of the song.
According to Landa, his bandmate Geoffrey Kelley's other band, Spirit of the West, is a major influence on himself and The Paperboys. Landa said, "Even when playing with (Geoffrey), and him being in the same room, I will still say they were a very big influence on me. I'd almost dare to say that had it not been my hearing their records, I would never have been into Celtic music to begin with -- so the band may not even exist."[25]
Personnel
Current members
- Tom Landa - vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin (1991-present)
- Geoffrey Kelly - flute, tambourine (1998-present)
- Brad Gillard - vocals, banjo, bass guitar (2005-present)
- Sam Esecson - drums, percussion (2009-present)
- Kalissa Landa - vocals, fiddle (2009-present)
- Kareem Kandi - saxophone (2009-present)
- Nick LaRiviere - trombone (2010-present)
- Miguelito Valdes - trumpet, congas, percussion (2010-present)
- Greg Lyons - trumpet (2010-present)
Former members
- Christopher Jonat - vocals, bass guitar (1991-1993)
- Jeremy Hughes - accordion (1991-1993)
- Kevin Ball - fiddle (1991-1993)
- David Plenkovich - drums (1991-1993)
- Paul Lawton - drums, percussion (1994-2000; died 2005)
- Cam Salay - vocals, bass guitar, banjo (1994-2005)
- Matt Brain - drums, percussion (2005-2009)
- Shannon Saunders - vocals, fiddle, banjo (1995-2005)
- Neil Burnett - flute, tin whistle, accordion, percussion (1994-1995)
- Moritz Behm - vocals, fiddle, mandolin, percussion (1994-1995)
- Shona Le Mottée - fiddle (1995-1997)
- Hanz Araki - fiddle, flute (1996-1999)
- Kendel Carson - fiddle (2005-2009)
- Tom Neville - fiddle (1993-1994?)
Discography
- January (1993)
- Late as Usual (1995)
- Allmusic link
- Postcards (2000), Allmusic link
- Tenure (2002)
- Dilapidated Beauty (2003)
- The Road to Ellenside (2006)
- Live at Stockfisch Studio LP (2008)
- Live at Stockfisch Studio CD (2008)
- Callithump (2009)
- Live - Across The Water, Across The Land (2012)
- At Peace With One's Ghosts (2014)
- Score (2016)
Awards and nominations
- 2001 Juno Awards, Best Roots & Traditional Album - Group, Postcards (nominated)
- 2000 West Coast Music Award, Best Roots Recording, Postcards (winner)
- 1998 Juno Awards, Best Roots & Traditional Album - Group, Molinos (winner)
- 1998 West Coast Music Award, Best Roots Recording, Molinos (winner)
- 1996 Juno Awards, Best Roots & Traditional Album - Group, Late As Usual (nominated)
References
- ^ a b "Landa and Paperboys Deliver Good News". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. 2001. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b c "Canadian crew deliver lively show". Boston Standard. 2008. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Paperboys deliver a lively treat". Hampshire Chronicle. 2004. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b c "Falcon Ridge Folk Festival". Rambles. 2002. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b "allmusic ((( Molinos > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ a b "Reviews of new folk, pop and jazz releases". Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. 2001-01-09. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ a b c "Celtic bluegrass stompin' pop from Vancouver BC". Elderly Instruments. 1999. Archived from the original on 2004-02-15. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ a b c "Delivery Boys". Mid Ulster Mail. 2008. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b c "CELT IN A TWIST". Celt In A Twist, WorldBeat Canada (transcript). 2006. Archived from the original on May 31, 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ a b c d e "Worldbeats Canada interview with Tom Landa". Worldbeats Canada. 2008. Archived from the original on 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "The Paperboys catch fire at last after just 17 years". Belfast Telegraph. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ They were later joined for the latter half of this recording by drummer Paul "Lolly" Lawton, who went on to stay with them for further recordings & touring until his untimely demise in 2005. "Paperboys Deliver Own Exotic Blend". Modesto Bee. 1998. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ "Drummer remembered fondly". Boston Standard. 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b c
"Review: Various artists - A Nod to Bob". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ "The Paperboys should deliver". Albuquerque Journal. 1999-11-05. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "The Paperboys, Molinos". Rambles. 1997. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
- ^ a b "The Paperboys on Urban Rush". Urban Rush. 2008. Archived from the original on 2016-07-24. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ a b "Vancouver's Paperboys tackle a new route". Vancouver Straight. 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- Vintage Guitar. 2001. Retrieved 2007-05-25.[dead link]
- ^ "Paperboys at the Platform". Lancaster City Council. 2004. Retrieved 2007-05-25.[dead link]
- ^ "Paperboys ready for special Box delivery". Belfast Telegraph. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "Some Country Followed By A Tequila Chaser". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ "Tom Landa and the Paperboys". Houston Press. 2001. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ "Seattle Weekly Music Previews". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
- ^ "A special delivery, The Paperboys' musical stew". Jam Showbiz. 2000. Archived from the original on 2013-01-20. Retrieved 2007-05-28.
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External links
- The Paperboys official website
- The Paperboys official YouTube channel
- The Paperboys profile on the Country Music Televisionwebsite