Paperback

From the bio on their website. Paperback bio: Fathers of the new subgenre: Scatter-rock by Aaron Willis * Josh Craig- drums * David Rockel- bass, vox * Tom Willis- guitar, vox The rock trio Paperback is rock-n-roll, that's the easy part, but what to classify as the subgenre? There needs to be a term to describe this melodic return to modern rock, that all-too-brief musical period that was drowned out in a wave of grunge. It was a time of rock songs with hooks and humor, oddly modest and modestly odd, where stood giants like Husker Du, Soul Asylum, and the Pixies.

Paperback bio: Fathers of the new subgenre: Scatter-rock
by Aaron Willis

* Josh Craig- drums
* David Rockel- bass, vox
* Tom Willis- guitar, vox

The rock trio Paperback is rock-n-roll, that's the easy part, but what to classify as the subgenre? There needs to be a term to describe this melodic return to modern rock, that all-too-brief musical period that was drowned out in a wave of grunge. It was a time of rock songs with hooks and humor, oddly modest and modestly odd, where stood giants like Husker Du, Soul Asylum, and the Pixies. To hear a Paperback live show is to usher in that age again, where songwriting counts and it feels good to rock.

The term can't just be rock, because Paperback's sound is more complex than the whole White Stripes/Hives/Strokes/Vines three-chord-only doctrine. With changing tempos, odd time signatures and fluid guitar solos, one suspects that these boys gave equal rotation to The Who, Rush and Cheap Trick, and wouldn't blush saying so.

Paperback formed in the winter of 2002 and spent a great deal of time refining their sound before gig one so as to deliver the goods when it came time. Cincinnati is an unforgiving town for arts and music, and first impressions count. The boys nailed a balls-out version of Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger" (which still finds its way into their set) at a tribute and made people take notice from the get-go.

On the local club circuit, Paperback has not discerned who they play with, giving them a chance to win over indie rockers, punks and metallers and build a cross-pollinated bleacher gallery. This is also the conundrum with the subgenre term: Would the black t-shirt crowd shy away from a "power pop" billing? Would indieheads steer clear of a "hard rock" label? Would punks thumb their noses at "alt-prog?"

Their first EP, a self-produced 8 song goodie bag called "Glyph" got the boys out of the basement even more, started their songwriting juices flowing. With constant booking, local airplay (including the legendary 97X WOXY) the song machine was on full steam, and they outgrew "Glyph" almost immediately after its release. A honed, polished Paperback now stood confidently on its ashes, its boot firmly on the ass of the live music scene. They kept their set a trim and blistering 30 minutes, dolling out a fierce, urgent slab of melodic heaviness. (Certain songs have become cult-like anthems with fans, "Cake Eater," is the closest thing currently to a Paperback theme song.)

An album proper was the next logical step and demand has been high through months of recording and rerecording. That LP, "Let's Go Ride Bikes" (the punchline to a joke about ADD) comes out in November 2004. It will include re-worked "Glyph" pieces as well as a bevy of new tunes. Paperback: scattered influences, scattered fanbase, scattered energy.

Upon releasing "Let's Go Ride Bikes" , Paperback had a lot of new material and plans were made to get it recorded in the summer of 2005. However, after playing several shows in the spring, all members decided a break was necessary. And so after finishing up all the shows they had scheduled, Paperback went on indefinite hiatus.

You can watch their last show here, which contains most of the new material that would have been recorded.

Paperbacks Last Show(Youtube.com)

Josh is working with a new band that doesn't have a working name yet.

Tom is working with Bulletproof Charm who is playing shows in support of their debut album "Reverse Engineer".

David is ....well no one I know really knows.


The website has been archived here.