Papermaps

POP MTL 2013

First, I want to state for the record that I LOVE the city of Montreal.  And the two times that Papermaps played Montreal (March 8, 2012 at Sala Rossa and August 11, 2012 at Divan Orange) were great experiences. Notice that I’m not counting our Pop Montreal appearance on September 20, 2012 at 3 Minots – although we did have a great time…Let me explain…

You see, way back in the 2000’s,  I was plugging away releasing music independently under the (awkward) moniker EX~PO. I had heard about this great festival based in Montreal (POP MTL) and wanted desperately to play it.  At the time I was knee deep in a very involving project (I think it was the Elephant Shell album by Tokyo Police Club) working non-stop in my studio, Chemical Sound and it was getting dangerously close to the application deadline. It really got down to the wire – to the point where I couldn’t even courier my application without it arriving late – that day I decided to bite the bullet and drive to Montreal to deliver my application by hand.  I was that desperate (this is before they started using Sonicbids).  Anyway, in addition to the usual stuff my application package included a beautiful hand-drawn jigsaw puzzle depicting a surreal landscape not unlike the cover of the 2008 EX~PO album, Central Meaner Street. I wish I took a photo of it before I dropped it off at the POP MTL offices –  handing it off, sweat dripping from my furrowed brow, to a very perplexed, possibly frightened intern…

I didn’t get in that year.  But that didn’t stop me from applying year after year.  Finally, in 2012 Papermaps was accepted into the festival. Great! But there was a problem…We couldn’t do it – not as Papermaps, anyway.  September of 2012 happened to be an awkward time for us.  The previous month we had just released and toured the Inferior Ghost EP,  our half-abandoned, nearly orphaned sophomore release meant to follow up our eponymous 2011 debut.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love and stand by Inferior Ghost – but a wrench got thrown into the project when I found myself in the position of having to shut down my recording studio right in the middle of its creation.  We had to stop writing, finish up what we had and mix the album in other studios. So what was slated to be a full-length album instead became a 6-song EP.  Then, a few weeks after the release and tour for Inferior Ghost, both Todd Harrison and Wendy Leung decided it was best they leave the band.  In retrospect, it was the right thing for both their personal lives and Papermaps but at the time it left Bobby, Betty and I unable to play most of the material from both our albums.   So when our record label expressed the opinion that we ought to put in an appearance at the festival despite our personnel problems we just felt, well not ready. Then I had an epiphany. A crazy idea…

Let me state for the record I despise irony in music.  The smell of irony, especially parody, sends me to the back of the room or to the bar every time. Pastiche can do the same thing too if not done well or interestingly. I pride myself on the fact that there is 0% irony in our music.   So when I decided that I and a hastily formed pick-up band would perform no original material at the official Papermaps POP MTL showcase at 3 Minots at the ungodly and unforgiving hour of 2AM  it seemed, in my deranged and fragile state, to make perfect sense at the time. I chose the material that best reflected my mood.  We decided to play one of my all-time favorite albums: Iggy Pop‘s, The Idiot. We played every track off that album except “Sister Midnight” and “Mass Production.”   We had a blast but it was certainly not a Papermaps show. We played it earnestly, loud and violently and in our own way – as a cathartic tribute.  BTW, the pick up band included our very own Bobby Lee on drums.  Brandon Lim (of HUSSY) on bass and Henry Shi on lead guitar (thanks for a great time, guys).  We ended up doing a second performance back home a few weeks later, just for “old times sake.”

Anyway, I’m sure the organizers over at POP MTL are either oblivious to or have forgotten about our blatant abuse of their festival last year.  Maybe not.  Either way, for whatever reason Papermaps are not in the festival this year but we would love to come to Montreal and play some original Papermaps material from our new full-length album, Darker Lights (out October 8 on Sparks/Universal Music Canada).   Any Montreal promoters out there? On September 28th we begin an East Coast tour in St. John NB.  We’d love to drop in the night of 27th or maybe do something, say, in early October.  Drop us a line!

-dean

Echoes From A Dimly Lit Studio Pt.3

Things are going slowly but are getting more and more exciting.  Take (for instance) the fact that we have a new member joining the band.  Andy Soto is a good friend of mine.  In 2008  I produced a record called Doubleplusgood for his Paris, France-based band, Utopium. In 2010 Andy came to visit Toronto again and helped out with the making of our debut full length, papermaps,  contributing some piano, insights and additional engineering. He fell in love with our city and pledged to return, for good.  Well, Andy is back!

We are still perfecting those same three songs … recording the final lead vocals and working on the textures that Andy will be adding to the mix.  You can witness the early genesis of these new textures at our Canadian Music Week showcase (Hosted by Two way Monologues and GreenShades) at Rancho Relaxo, Saturday March 23 at 11pm sharp! Andy will be joining us on stage for the very first time!!!! So please come out and help us welcome Andy to the Toronto indie music scene! Also, we will not be returning until June for NXNE…(unless something very special compels us to do otherwise).

Astute link followers will also notice that I will also be appearing solo at Shanghai Cowgirl, Thursday March 21 11:30pm as part of CMW.

-dean

Here’s the poster for the BIG SHOW
FB Event (please join): https://www.facebook.com/events/545414052165619/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Echoes From A Dimly Lit Studio Pt.2

We’re coming out of the woodwork, out of the woodwork, out of the woodwork, outa’ the woodwork, like a reluctant gargoyle …

Hello. We’ve been in studio-land head-space for a few weeks now and we are knee deep into that esoteric art form known as album making and I would prefer to stay there, exclusively if possible, if it were not that we have been called to duty by our very good friends, THE CHEAP SPEAKERS to help launch their baby into the world and so on Saturday Night, upon a very late announcement and with little or no rehearsal (and even less sleep), the PAPERMAPS trio will be hitting the stage at the stroke of half-past midnight inside the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern after said very good friends. It should be an evening to remember! I have no idea how much it costs of the top of my head. Maybe, like $8. Look it up here: http://showgopher.com/#!Toronto/2013-03-02/HorseshoeTavern We are “special guest.”

Another place to catch us live in the middle of album making season will be during this year’s Canadian Music Week (Fest) on Saturday March 23 at the Rancho Relaxo, 11pm sharp! Come to that show and you are sure to hear way, way more new material from our next record and there’s sure to be a surprise or two regarding band line up changes and sounds…

As for this dark and (at times) chilly studio – I’ve been laying down the guitar tracks  (again and again) and doing a some keeper vocal takes for songs with titles like, “The Edge of China Town” and others (i.e., the same 3 songs mentioned last week).  We work slowly.  No photographic evidence this week, I’m afraid.  Check back soon…

Echoes From A Dimly Lit Studio Pt.1

Hello,

This is the first of what I hope to be a series of blog posts documenting the making of our forthcoming album. This week we recorded some bed tracks for three songs. We did this in our new studio, Echo Valley. Here’s the photographic proof:

I went into the studio on  my own for a few hours last Wednesday to lay down some guide tracks (voice, guitar and metronome) for Bobby and Betty to play along to. On Monday night we all got together, along with engineer Nathan Vanderweilen, and discovered that I got the tempos all wrong –  so we ditched those guide tracks and the three of us ended up just playing together which worked out splendidly. We worked until around midnight, about 7 hours, and got the drums and baritone guitar tracked for three songs. We are hoping to have this new album finished in time for a late Summer or  early Autumn release. The working titles of these three songs are “Shadow Theatre,” “Edge of Chinatown” and “The Hedonist (Feels Right).” Those of you who came out to our last show at the Horseshoe Tavern got to hear all three songs. We’ll be sure to play them again at our next show.

Cheers,

-dean

PS
Here’s more photographic evidence from Bobby’s phone:

Bobby's drums are mic'ed and ready...

More drum set-up photos…This is as much a reference for us than it is entertainment for you…
The Drummer’s Perspective …

One last ingredient to a good bed-tracks session is the ever-watching eye who tells you when you’ve screwed up …

Thanks for tuning in!

A Place Called Echo Valley and Our Next Record…

Hi,
Some of you may have already noticed – we are not that band any more.  In my opinion, this is a good thing. Bobby, Betty and myself have been working on new material as a three-piece for a few months now. It’s been a slow, and at times awkward, but very rewarding process.   I know this sounds funny coming from the main songwriter but I finally feel like we are making the music I’ve always wanted to make –  it’s just much more focused.  That doesn’t mean we won’t be expanding our ranks  – in fact we have plans to add a new member very soon but meanwhile we have established a great vibe that we want to continue nurturing.

Way back in June 2012, while I was finishing up the final mixes for Inferior Ghost, we moved all our stuff out of what was once Chemical Sound and into a new space. At first the space was an empty white-washed shell with no electrical outlets, harsh lighting and a big chaotic mountain of gear in the centre – a quite daunting scene actually – but eventually with the help of some friends (namely Cameron Harding and Owen Norquay of Mesa Mesa, Jay Sad and Nathan Vanderwielen) we began building our new headquarters and named the studio/workspace, Echo Valley. Unlike Chemical Sound, Echo Valley is not a commercial studio but rather a shared facility where cool producers work and cool bands rehearse and record. Now that the studio is fully functional I am cheerfully looking forward to committing our new songs and vibe to tape.  I intend to document the process here at papermaps.net, so look for more updates about the new album – things like pictures, video clips, lyric scans, etc.

The upcoming show at the Horseshoe Tavern (Thursday Feb 7) will be the three of us  and we are going to play at least three (maybe four) new songs that we plan to record shortly after that show. The rest of the set will be comprised of back catalogue songs that we still enjoy playing and work best in our new configuration.  One song we will not play is “Reunion.”

What else??? Oh, we’ve moved our mailing list to a new mail service.  If you want to subscribe to our mailing list just look for the form in the top right corner of this blog called, Email Love.

I want to thank everyone who supported these past 3 years, especially those who continue to support us – and all you newcomers!

cheers,

-dean

Horseshoe Tavern Thurs Feb 7!

Hi!
We are breaking our Holiday Hiatus with a hometown show at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, Thursday February 7!  Joining us will be Toronto’s Alright Alright as well as our studio-mates MESA MESA who are a fantastic sounding band and the amazing VISTAVISION will also be making a rare live appearance!  Deets:

FB Event:  http://www.facebook.com/events/547064551972239/
Showgopher:  http://showgopher.com/#!Toronto/2013-02-07/HorseshoeTavern

Holiday Sabbatical and Dean’s Year End List

Hi,

It’s the Holiday Season and while most bands work feverishly during these weeks, we here in PAPERMAPS have decided to take a 3-week sabbatical. We’ll be reconvening in January and plan to play our hometown  February 7 at one of our favorite venues in town (hint, it has the word “shoe” in its name – more details and to come).  Since distilling the lineup down to Betty, Bobby and myself, we’ve been working on new material with hopes of a summertime 2013 release and tour(s). Our secondary hope is to preview much of that new material at our February 7 show. Let’s keep the fingers crossed…

Every year I do a little “year end” list of vinyl albums that I purchased that year – not counting records from previous years, oldies or classic albums, etc., which I shamefully buy a lot of…As always, some of these records were the soundtrack of my year, while others collected dust…but something convinced me to buy them…Here they are in no particular order:

Tender New Signs – Tamaryn
Crayon Wars – Wendy Versus (ok, I played on this album, but it did come out on vinyl)
Self-Titled – Paper Beat Scissors
Clear Moon – Mount Eerie
Lowbanks – From East to Exit (ok, I produced this…but it came out on vinyl)
The Only Place – Best Coast
Worship – A Place to Bury Strangers
Wild Peace – Echo Lake
Self-Titled – Metz
Self-Titled – VISTAVISON (I also produced this one, but it’s out on vinyl now and one of my faves)

And there you have it…the 4th annual “Dean’s Year End List.”

Not counted here, but given honorable mention is the seminal post-rock/neo-jazz band, Talk Talk and their 2012 reissued/remastered Spirit of Eden.

Cheers and Happy Holidays,

-dean

New Music Video for “Nobody Gets It,” by Kerry Shaw

Since Monday (six days ago) our latest music video for “Nobody Gets It,” has been available for stream on Exclaim.ca. The video is now available on YOUTUBE for the rest of the world to see:

This video was envisioned and directed by the very talented photographer Kerry Shaw. We here in the PAPERMAPS camp love it! It’s hard to describe. Perhaps Kerry’s own words sum it up best:

“Nobody’s perfect. A notion we tend to forget when we look at our partner, our colleagues, our family, ourselves. We are creatures of expectation and with that comes the tendency to overlook just how amazing the people truly are around us. Papermaps have compiled a song that explores the anger in desiring perfection, the frustration of someone not living up to our idea of who we think they should be. Perfect. I contradict these lyrics with a montage of appreciation. Specifically, images of women. The female form, movement and overall imperfections and actions of women. All kinds of women…This is not an in-your-face, socio-political “oh, look at how women are being over-sexuallised/distorted in media/over-beautied” kind of dialogue.  Rather, this is a study of the female face, body, hair, movement, etc. A slightly dark celebration.”

For us in the group it was a fun and simple video to make.  We each only had to be there a few hours or so. The bulk of the video was done over several days in Kerry’s studio with the many lovely models.  We are thankful to all the ladies who volunteered their time and image for this video – you are the real stars! This clip features all the members of PAPERMAPS lip syncing the song, including Wendy and Todd who had officially left the group before  filming but gracefully agreed to participate.  This video is not only a celebration of beauty in diversity but is also, on a more personal level, a celebration of PAPERMAPS’ former lineup.

Have a look and let us know what you think!

-d

November 29 – The Great Hall – Toronto

There’s a few reasons why you should attend this show. First, we’ve been on hiatus since October so this is a bit of a return. Second, we are a whole new PAPERMAPS in the sense that there are only three of us now: Bobby, Betty and myself (Dean). Betty will be debuting her new instrument – the super sexy baritone guitar. Bobby will be holding down the grooves fort and I will be holding down the treble fort along with Bobby’s cymbals…This is a first – a premier!  Third, we have some brand new songs that we are very excited to show you.  Fourth, this is in support of a great cause – MOVEMBER.  Fifth and finally, there are some great acts on this bill, including headliners Graydon James and the Young Novelists and just before us will be Brad Fillatre at 8pm and Cai.ro at 8:45pm.

It’s all quite exciting, really.

Place: The Great Hall (1087 Queen W, Toronto, Ontario)
Date: Thursday November 29th
Set Time: 9:45pm  Sharp! Early Show! Doors at 7pm
Cover: $20 at the door $13 in advance.
Get you tickets here: http://www.ticketbreak.com/event_details/5541

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/events/212606552203732/

Future Changes

Hello,

There really is no “best” way to say this, so here goes: as of September 30, 2012 Todd Harrison and Wendy Leung will no longer be making music in PAPERMAPS. That doesn’t mean that we won’t be making music together in the future, it just won’t be in the context of PAPERMAPS. Todd and Wendy’s reasons for leaving the group are their own and so I won’t discuss them here (or anywhere) but I want everyone to know that it’s been great making records and playing live shows with them. Both Todd and Wendy’s contribution to the self-titled album (2011) and especially our latest, Inferior Ghost (2012) were great in all respects  (Inferior Ghost being our most collaborative work). That music has taken on a life of it’s own and will always exist with or without the five of us playing it live.  That doesn’t mean I won’t play some of those songs anymore – but I am forced, by circumstance, to look forward now and not back.

The next step (for me and PAPERMAPS) is to continue writing new songs – songs that are (hopefully) just as exciting or better than our previous material and to develop a new, more concrete and minimalist sound. It’s a tall order to fill, but I’m up for the challenge.  I’m quite excited by it, actually. Even in the EX~PO days (when it was just me and the studio) I was keen on “layering up” my songs with oodles of parts/instrumentation.  The subsequent formation of the 4 piece (and then 5-piece) band was in reaction to the fact that the previous records were so sonically complex. It was natural to continue in that vein on subsequent records having access to such great players and ideas but now I’m excited by the idea of working within the context of a 3-piece, just Bobby Lee, Betty Dimo and myself.

On Thursday November 29 at The Great Hall we will debut the 3-person version of PAPERMAPS as part of a great Rockin’ Stache Movember event sponsored by Top Shelf.  We hope to see you there.

Tickets are available here: http://www.ticketbreak.com/event_details/5541

Facebook it here: https://www.facebook.com/events/212606552203732/

Cheers,

-dean