The Paperboys: Press

Astonishingly eclectic folk-rock from acclaimed Canadian quintet


We say :

 
So there I am, filling my battered old Peugeot up with unleaded at the local petrol station when I overhear a bunch of interesting-looking young people talking about the gig they’re heading towards. We fall to chatting and they turn out to be The Paperboys, an acclaimed folk-rock combo from Vancouver, Canada, on a short UK tour. Before I leave the station they’ve pressed their newly-released CD into my hands and I slip it into the car CD player as I head for home.
 
The Road To Ellenside, recorded in the heart of England’s Lake District, is their fifth album (if you include their greatest hits set) and I’m embarrassed to have to admit that I’d never even heard of them before. As soon as track one offered up its winning blend of eclectic country-folk-rock enlivened with all kinds of unlikely influences, I knew I was going to like this disc. By the time I’d got home I knew I was going to review it.
 
That first track, the sparky, sprightly instrumental String Of Horses, blends a light funky guitar rhythm with Celtic flute and fiddle, which is immediately usurped by the Mexican flavours of La Primavera, briefly introducing me to the delights of Tom Landa’s richly expressive vocals before unexpectedly transforming itself into an Irish jig for the instrumental section.
 
Given their playing abilities, this is a band that I can imagine being quite marvellous live, and there’s a decidedly live feel to the CD that animates soaring road ballads like California, the kind of thing that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on an early Eagles album.
 
The band’s only female member, Kendel Carson, plays some tasty fiddle licks throughout, but she’s also a fine singer, contributing much to a lovely duet with Landa on Fall Down With You. Their latin version of Sting’s classic Fragile, set to the rhythm of a lightly-strummed jarana (eight stringed Mexican guitar) and pepped up with another of Geoffrey Kelley’s unexpectedly Irish flute solos, is worth the price of the CD in itself, but then so are the punk-jazz jig Sheep’s Ass, the sturdy South American flavoured instrumental El Baile del Puma and the Mexico meets South Africa groove of Waiting.
 
Just when you think they can’t blindside you with any more surprises, they let Geoffrey Kelly loose on the vocals of Water Dreams, a semi-psychedelic sea shanty, which he delivers in tones that might belong to Tom Waits’ younger brother, until the track ends with two trumpet solos, one a smoky dive bar jazz improvisation and the other sounding almost like a long lost baroque composition.
 
Bands capable of bringing this much conviction to such a diverse range of styles are rare indeed so investing in The Paperboys would be a wise move for anybody who enjoys artists like Paul Simon, Loudon Wainwright or Great Big Sea.
 
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THE PAPERBOYS

Tom Landa has a penchant for strong ale, long walks in soulful landscapes, and old buildings – not to forget free-range eggs for breakfast. So when the Paperboys were on tour in England’s Lake District a couple of years ago and a fan invited the band to stay overnight in her small mansion…Well, the words just fell out of his mouth after dinner, while he was being given what he calls ‘the five-cent tour’ by the owner.

“I happened to say out loud: ‘Wow! This would be an amazing place to make a record’ – because of the tall ceilings, the whole vibe of the place,” says Landa, the Paperboys leader and guitarist, interviewed in an East Side pub. “I felt our music would sound really good in there. And she turned around and said ‘Why not?’ So later that evening, having consumed much wine, we discussed the matter.”

A year later the Paperboys duly returned to Ellenside, the stone mansion in the Cumbrian countryside near Ireby, bringing with them sound engineer Mark Tucker who’s worked with England’s premier folk-rock outfit Fairport Convention and a van-load of mobile recording equipment.

“Ellenside is in a really incredible setting,” Landa enthuses. “We’d wake up surrounded by green hills, cows and sheep, and farmers making their way to work. A lot of the band members would go for long hikes in the countryside, and we’d congregate in the kitchen between noon and one, then work until about eight or nine, so by ten we were wrapped up and out at the pub for the last hour.”

It’s a hard life being a Paperboy these days. Ellenside and its owner and host Susan Hopley are saluted in the song “Comfort and Kind”, one of several collaborations between Landa and flute and whistle man Geoffrey Kelly, with the lines Our glasses are filled with charity’s gift / By the hands of comfort and kind. Landa also takes a verse to praise the vintage bottles emptied on the first visit: I went down the stone steps to the cellar below / To blow the dust off Chablis and Merlot. Sung with soul and a hint of passion.

The Road to Ellenside is the Paperboys fifth studio album. The band, which bagged a Juno award with its second release Molinos, plays an eclectic mix of roots music styles. Its main ingredients are Celtic, pop, country-rock, bluegrass, and – increasingly –Mexican folk. Landa, who was born in Mexico, is a huge fan of son jarocho from the gulf coast state and city of Vera Cruz.

“Growing up in Mexico City, I was very much into rock. Traditional Mexican music was about the most uncool thing you could listen to,” says the founder and leader of the Paperboys, who headline St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the Commodore on Friday, March 17.“When I moved to Canada I was in a big hurry to fit into my new culture, so again I shied away from Mexican music.”

“Oddly – or appropriately – enough, I rediscovered son jarocho thru Los Lobos, who did a record of traditional music called La Pistola y el Corazon,” Landa continues. “There were several songs of son jarocho. It was like the first time I heard Celtic music. Something in me was stirred and I couldn’t get enough. It’s been a burning interest in the last 6 years or so and in the past couple I’ve been down to Vera Cruz to study it.”

To northern ears son jarocho sounds like a blend of Cajun, Cuban country music, and native-Indian fiesta music – with a strong African influence in the rhythm. It’s best-known song is “La Bamba”, a huge pop hit for Mexican-American teenage prodigy Ritchie Valens in the late ‘50s, later transmuted by The Beatles into their own hit “Twist and Shout”.
The Latin presence on The Road to Ellenside is strong. The first song “La Primavera” is son-jarocho rock (cleverly intercut with an Irish jig). Landa also sings a fine cover of Sting’s “Fragile” in Spanish. And his collaboration with Kelly “El Baile del Puma” is another nod to Mexican traditions.

But the Celtic world sets the tone for the album. Spirit of the West founder Kelly adds phrases from well-known jigs and reels to several songs. He’s also responsible for the story behind “The Sheep’s Ass”, a Celtic-pop instrumental whose name requires some explanation from Landa.

“We’d written the tune and were playing it live but without a title. Around that time Geoffrey had gone hiking with a friend up a mountain in the Isle of Skye, in Scotland. It was a really hard slog, and after a couple of hours they could still see their car in the parking lot.”

“They pressed on, and got into mist and fog. They were looking out for the cairn – the little pile of rocks that marks the summit – but could hardly see anything. Then the fog parted a bit and Geoffrey called out ‘Look! There it is, the summit cairn!’ At that point the cairn moved, and they realized they’d been looking at a sheep’s ass. He told that story one night, and I said ‘That’s our title’.”

What people are saying about Dilapidated Beauty so far…

“Out are the jigs, reels and bodhrans that populated past Paperboys releases; in are Hammond organs, Rhodes pianos and horn section that wouldn’t be out of place on a classic Stevie Wonder record”
Mike Devlin, Times Colonist. Victoria, BC.

“Road songs can be the cliché of the Americana genre, but the Paperboys make a commendably original contribution with sharp, vivid lyrics and smooth harmonies on a serious dark-edged string of songs….the quietly lonesome songs that could have come from Gram Parsons”

Tom Nelligan- Dirty Linen



“Landa has never sounded in better voice as he delivers ballads about lost love, longing, hope, and nostalgia…the excellence of the musicianship makes Dilapidated Beauty the Paperboys strongest release to date, and the one that most reflects Landa’s breadth of vision and rapidly evolving skills as a songwriter.”

Tony Montague- Georgia Straight Vancouver



“The double CD Dilapidated Beauty sees the band moving more towards an Americana sound incorporating soul music and country. Featuring a great lead vocalist, stunning fiddle playing and one ex-member of Spirit of the West, The Paperboys prove that Canadian music is now a force to be reckoned with on the international stage”

Venue Magazine Bristol UK



“This release surely places Tom Landa in the vanguard of Canadian song writers. And rightfully so. There is so much good on Dilapidated Beauty. It is courageously adventurous, compelling and immensely enjoyable…With a bit of luck, the title track may wind up a bona fide hit. That’s the least the Paperboys deserve for such a brazen but thoroughly intriguing release.”

Roddy Campbell- Penguin Eggs Magazine





CD: Dilapidated Beauty
Label: Stompy Discs
Rating:
Genre: Mixed


This CD is just plain Kick Ass.
The Paperboys hale from Canada but will surely be seen throughout the USA . Dilapidated Beauty is a dynamic combination of songs. Each Genre is covered here. The Paperboys vocal and the album production are splendid. This band is a shining example of the talents involved in roots music today. Radio should queue this one up and spin it till it melts.
Roots Music Report




Vancouver 's Paperboys have come a long way from their first Seattle support slot seven years ago. These days they're a guaranteed club filler across the U.S. and Canada . They've won a Juno Award (the Great North's equivalent of a Grammy), tour constantly, and pack them in at festivals all across North America and Europe . And they've kept growing from their Celtic party-band beginnings. The personnel has changed, allowing songwriter and frontman Tom Landa the chance to explore a lot more ground, whether it's the Latin roots he exposed on Postcards or the Western snapshots that make up the band's ambitious new double CD, Dilapidated Beauty (Stony Plain). The first disc, subtitled "Night Driving," is fragmentary, a series of evocative rural images from places like "Omak Hotel" and "Lillooet." Disc two, "Saturday Afternoon," catches its breath, clinging to visions of home on songs like "It Takes So Long" and the achingly gorgeous "What Would I Miss," before returning to the road at the end with "Windshield Cracks." There's still a Celtic heart beating under it all, as evidenced most strongly by the instrumental "If I Could Be There," but it's muddied over here in prairie dust for a coating that verges on alt-country. Landa is rapidly developing into a world-class songwriter, and the band is keeping pace with him, spreading its wings and flying to a place where anything seems possible. The Paperboys definitely deliver.

CHRIS NICKSON Seattle Weekly



The Paperboys “Dilapidated Beauty” (Stompy Discs 2003) Available: Now

A two CD set which is described as one disc of Eagles laced alt-country, and another of Tower of Power horns and gospel choirs, reminiscent of early Elton John and Van Morrison, is enough to strike the fear of God into anybody! But don’t be put off, there’s enough here to make up one disc of really good stuff. The Paperboys have been around for the last ten years or so, and this Vancouver based band started out as a Celtic Pop outfit, evolving to embrace Latin and Americana and Soul, collecting a Juno award on the way. The use of whistle and fiddle sometimes conjures up the spirit of The Bothy Band (no greater praise can I offer), and the Canadian sensibility, added to the Celtic sound, and the wistful vocals of lead singer Tom Landa, are a heady mix indeed. Add some slide guitar, sweet harmonies, the classic Americana rock of the title track, great original material, and enough mentions of highways and things for it to have an Americana feel, and you have an eclectic combination of rootsy acoustic music. But the division of the album into “Night Driving” and “Saturday Afternoons” would be unnecessary if the pseudo-soul band stuff was omitted altogether, leaving behind a very good album indeed.

BJ - Americana UK

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The Paperboys "Dilapidated Beauty" (True North)
This is another case of discovering a band thanks to file sharing. Yeah, it's not supporting the band that way but it makes me want to get their other releases. That's the way I see it. The Paperboys are from Vancouver, Canada and have a Celtic/folk/bluegrass sound. The first disc is entitled "Night Driving" and it's got 10 tracks of alternative country/ bluegrass that's pretty good. I don't normally like country music but I like this band. Their sound has kind of changed from the one album I heard "Molinos," but it sounds like their music is maturing. I believe this is the Paperboys' 5th album. The Night Driving title is kind of fitting because this is something I would want to listen to at night driving my car. It's not loud and it's just soothing music. Disc 2 is entitled "Saturday Afternoon" and it's more of the sound that got me into the Paperboys. It's more upbeat and catchy songs on Disc 2. Some songs are a little bit on the religious side but that's all right. I listen to reggae music and it's nothing but that so. I think with every listen, I like "Dilapidated Beauty" more and more. If you're curious, check this out.
Worth Buying? If folk rock is your thing, yeah.
Notable Tracks: Disc 1: "If I Could Be There" "Omak Hotel" "By The Hand of my Father" Disc 2: "Perfect Stillness" "Easy Chair" "Croked Grin"
Rating:
Reviewer: Bryan, Ska, Punk & Other Junk











The two-CD Dilapidated Beauty finds perennial west coasters the Paperboys moving way from the celtic and into the much more roots-oriented world—and you know what? It works. Now definitely more Blue Rodeo-ish than Spirit of the West-ish (but, thanks to the strong vocals of frontman Tom Landa, still recognizably Paperboys), Dilapidated Beauty is fast becoming one of my favourite driving albums. Disc one (“Night Driving”) features well-crafted songs telling haunting stories about travel, heartbreak and the loneliness that can only come with long hours on long roads, while disc two (“Saturday Afternoons”) is a more jazzy offering featuring horns and Hammond organ and a selection of jangly tunes that’ll make you smile while you tap the wheel. Landa should be complimented on his ability to take all the usual Paperboy elements—fiddle, pennywhistle, dobro—and remake them so well. Dilapidated Beauty makes a perfect soundtrack for William Least Heat Moon’s classic road-trip novel Blue Highways—and if you don’t get either reference, I’d suggest adding both the book and this album to your collection.

—John Threlfall, Monday Magazine



THE PAPERBOYS: DILAPIDATED BEAUTY
Stompy Discs, www.paperboys.com

The best band from just over the border comes back with their strongest
record yet. Last year, the Paperboys released the career retrospective,
Tenure, celebrating their ten years in the business, and collecting their
strongest songs with rarities and cover songs. Dilapidated Beauty, a
two-disc set of killer songwriting attached to beautiful melodies, shows why
this band is still around and why it is a mystery that they aren't in the
big leagues. Co-writing 12 of the 18 songs with bassist Steve Mitchell and
16 songs total, Tom is writing some of his best songs to date. On this
disc, he finally fully embraces the alt-country feel that has been in the
mix from the beginning, and provides fuller instrumentation, allowing the
songs to truly come alive. The first disc is titled Night Driving and has a
slightly quieter, melancholy feel while the second disc, Saturday
Afternoons, is more upbeat, with some of the songs having a full horn
section behind them. Many of the songs have been part of their live shows
for a while and their familiarity with the material comes through. The
playing and singing is confident and the fuller sound adds shading to these
songs I hadn't heard before live. For those who've followed the band, you
know the lineup changes a lot. As of this recording, the Paperboys are Tom
Landa, Steve Mitchell, Shannon Saunders, and Geoff Kelly. Dilapidated
Beauty is a crystal clear, current snapshot of what these amazing musicians
can do. Whether on a major label or not, this is a big league release and a
classic recording.

James Rodgers –Victory Review Seattle




The Paperboys won a Juno for 1997’s Molinos — and it wasn’t a fluke. The two-disc Dilapidated Beauty set is one of those rare albums you can listen to with your parents (if your folks dig The Eagles or Jim Croce). Disc 1, aptly called Night Driving, will get you through those long, pre-dawn, head-bobbing hours on the road. Traditional three-part Gospel harmonies blend with an East Coast influence in If I Could Be There. By The Hand of My Father is a stark tale of domestic violence as seen through a child’s eyes. Night Driving’s melancholy character contrasts sharply with that of the sunny second disc, Saturday Afternoons. The dichotomy is so jarring this collection might have been released as two separate albums. Night Driving gets an A while Saturday Afternoons gets a C.

Christine Leger- Uptown Magazine Winnipeg

"The Paperboys are cranking it up"

Mix of different musical styles goes directly into the bloodstream - 200 "highlander" resisted the cold to enjoy open air concert.

BONNDORF.Courage will be rewarded. This was evident at the Paperboy's open air show at the cozy and romantic "Schloflgarten", where 200 "highlander" gathered on Saturday despite the bad weather forecast to let themselves be overwhelmed with the fun and joy with which the Canadians played their music.

Those emerged as being masters of their trade, since they present an unmistakable musical mix to the listener's ears, which can only be grasped and pictured once it is heard - the best way to do this is live. The multicultural and ingenious mix of irish folk, mexican, latin american and celtic tunes - enriched with soul, pop, acoustic and country - is very unique and enters the bloodstream directly, at the latest after the the challenge to "clap your hands".

Within a brief time, the Paperboys stirred the latter up in their audience. Ever since the first notes have been played, the urge to shake a leg is instilled. They do not have the necessity to copy the "greats" of the music scene. Much more, they fascinate with their own creations and lyrics, which not only lead singer Tom Landa performs in "Waiting" with his striking voice, the Paperboys are also very convincing with their vocal harmonies.
A class of her own is of course Ashley McLeod on the fiddle, who works her instrument at a breathtaking speed and with absolute tonal security. The audience was thrilled to see how she emerged as a formidable step dancer, which ended in a wonderful intermezzo between drummer Matt Brain and this spirited stomping young lady with her excitedly teetering, blonde pony tail, who seems to effortlessly dance and fiddle at the same time for all one's worth.

Not less convincing are the Paperboys' softer tunes, especially when Geoffrey Kelly sends the audience's spirits to wander through the misty highlands by playing his wooden flute. Impressive how these protagonists on stage elaborate on each other's playing and sing about simple things as life itself, as for example their restless lifes on the road in "California" or "Rain on me".

The German capital must have deeply impressed the musicians on their last tour through Germany, since they wrote a song named "Goodbye Berlin". Mexican guitar songs at their best are celebrated by Brad Gillard during "La Primavera", while the virtuoso flute sound of "El baile del puma" (which was composed during a soundcheck) infatuated the audience once more. The audience benevolently accepts Geoffrey Kellys avowal to "Bonndorf is a famous city", as he praises the sizes of the old schnitz and that he wants to shoot the new movie "Black Forrest Gump" with Tom Hanks. With the open air concert of the Paperboys the "Folktreff" chairwoman Gudrun Deinzer has unerringly chosen an outstanding music group with notable international awards. The changing of the location from the public swimming pool to the "Schloflgarten" has proved itself as a success, since a distinctive vibe developed during the concert with this distinctive music.