Songs
From the album Callithump
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- country:Canada
- region:North America
- style(s):Celtic, World
- label:not signed
- gender:male, female
- instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
- artist posted by:Mainstage Management Inc.
Line up
- Brad Gillard (Bass, Banjo)
- Geoffrey Kelly (Whistles)
- Kalissa Hernandez (Vocals, Violin)
- Kareem Kandi (Saxophone)
- Miguelito Valdez (Trumpet)
- Nick La Riviere (Trombone)
- Sam Esecson (Percussion)
- Tom Landa (Vocals, Guitar)
Links
Tom Landa and the Paperboys are constantly changing and developing. From their beginnings as a "Celtic Stomp" band in 1992 to the current band which includes the influences of Mexican Son Jarocho mixed in with Irish Jigs and Reels and a good dose of Country and Bluegrass. Now the group dishes up healthy servings of Ska, Soca and African Highlife and has been known to throw in a little White Boy Reggae.
Formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1992 by lead vocalist and guitarist Tom Landa, the original Paperboys lineup also included percussionist Paul Lawton and banjoist/bassist Cam Salay; fiddler Shona Le Mottee and multi-instrumentalist Shannon Saunders both enlisted in 1995, and later that same year the group issued their debut LP, Late as Usual. After recording 1997's Juno Award-winning Molinos , Le Mottee left the group, and was replaced by flautist Hans Araki . In 2000 The band released their first album on Red House Records entitled Postcards. The latest recording Callithump was release late in 2009.
Tom Landa and the Paperboys are constantly changing and developing. From their beginnings as a "Celtic Stomp" band in 1992 to the current band which includes the influences of Mexican Son Jarocho mixed in with Irish Jigs and Reels and a good dose of Country and Bluegrass. Now the group dishes up a healthy servings of Ska, Soca and African Highlife and has been known to throw in a little White Boy Reggae. Of course it also has strains of Soul, Pop and Funk although we are by no means a funk band. It is mostly Acoustic although we also like Electric guitars. It is Singer-Songwriter based but not the coffee house variety. It is definitely FOLK music, but not in the Kumbaya style. It has a deep respect and appreciation for tradition (Bluegrass, Old Time, Celtic, Son) but it's by no means Traditional. It Rocks incredibly hard and is extremely danceable, but that is not to say it can't be mellow and slow and beautiful. It can be heart breaking, but also joyous. It is never dark or angst ridden, and always full of hope - but not in the 'Up With People' kind of way. It's not Jazz, although we like Jazz a lot. It's not heavy metal or punk or grunge, although we love Rush and AC/DC. It is World Roots Music. It's POP music. It is GOOD music. It has a tendency to connect people and means a lot to many folks the world over, and for that we are very grateful. It is the only multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-generational, multi-lingual, multi-instrumental, genre bending, co-ed band you will hear today
File Under: Celtic / Mexican / Latin/ Folk / Acoustic / Alt-Country/ Roots/ Soul/ Pop
It's been said The Paperboys' music is hard to describe. Truth is, you could add rock, Son Jarocho, and world beat to that list too. Call it 'Guinness with a tequila chaser while listening to an Americana Jukebox'. Or 'a place where Irish, Mexican and Roots music collide.'
Of course, this multicultural mix is hardly surprising from a bilingual band, whose founding member is Mexican-Canadian and whose players cover a range of musical backgrounds from Bluegrass to Funk to traditional Scots and Irish music.
"A lot has to do with where we're from," says lead singer Tom Landa. "Vancouver is a culturally diverse place which feeds what we do and the music we make."
"Yes, we cover a lot of musical territory and have a lot of influences. There is a lot I can tell you about the music. But what it isn't is something that you can easily put into a little box and say "oh, this is Celtic" or "this is folk." We are much more than that."
Meanwhile, critics from Billboard to the Washington Post don't have any trouble describing the Paperboys sound.