Sydney could be described as the city of electro/indie, but guitarist Dom Alessio of new-prog band Paper Champion believes that could all change. With a new single about to be released and a prized spot on this week's Come Together festival, Alessio answered some of OzProg's questions about the future of heavy music in Sydney and Paper Champion's place therein.
First things first, what have the reactions been like to your EP since its release?
They've been great, particularly critically, which is really awesome. It's nice to know that there are people other than ourselves who enjoy our music. We've got great reviews home and abroad, and for me one of the most pleasing aspects is that people are picking up on the EP's diversity and originality. We're by no means reinventing the wheel here haha, but I like to think there's a garnishing of originality in our music. But aside from the journos, the feedback on MySpace and at live shows has been extremely positive as well. It's definitely vindication of our hard work.
You've recently recorded a new single that will be available to download for free next month. Can you describe that song for me?
Yeah, a few weeks ago we went into the studio to record a relatively new song for us called "Arrested". We wanted to release this for free to allow everyone to have a copy of the song and try and spread the Paper Champion name. We've never done something like this so it'll be interesting to see not just the reaction to the song, but what effect it has on getting us out there to a wider audience.
The song is more direct compared to some of the tracks on the EP. The song structure is a bit more solid, and some might even say more conventional! We focused strongly on hooks and melody with "Arrested", but also we didn't want to lose that sense of dynamics because we love doing the soft/loud thing. It's probably not as progressive as our earlier stuff. Plus it has a glockenspiel in it! I have to admit that's my doing. I just want to be more like Arcade Fire.
Who did you work with in the recording and production of that single?
We worked with a great producer called Chris Gray, out of his studio called Graylabel Studios in Sydney. We've known Chris for many years. Myself, Dave (drums) and Denis (bass) were in a band together prior to Paper Champion called Otium and we recorded a handful of tracks with Chris around 2003 I think it was. And even prior to Otium, Dave and Grant (vocals) were in a band called Meaneither who recorded with Chris. So we've got a lot of history with him.
How did the recording session for the track go?
Really, really well. We knocked it over in two days. Being friends with Chris for a long period of time, it was such a relaxed atmosphere in the studio, but having that relationship also meant he wasn't afraid to push us more than someone who hadn't built up that same rapport with us. I think we got a stronger product out of it because Chris wasn't afraid to say, 'Nope, not good enough. Do it again.' He was also great at helping us achieve the right sounds as well.
For example, Denis tends to play fairly abstract bass lines that run the gamut of the bass, so capturing both the clarity and bottom-end of his bass lines can be difficult, but I reckon Denis' bass has never sounded better on a recording, and Chris is definitely to thank for that. But that's just one example, because he really worked hard on everyone's sound.
How has Paper Champion changed or matured since recording the EP?
Denis constantly matures because he has a one year old son. Grant has matured because he's got a full time job. I've matured because I have a full time job now, and Dave was always mature. If anything, he's matured less. What's the opposite of maturation?
What were some of the differences, challenges, positives and negatives of recording the single compared to the EP?
Recording the EP was a blast, one of the most fun two weeks of my life. So that sense of being all-consumed by music, hanging out with the Treasurer's daughter, drinking far too many Coopers Greens (sponsorship, anyone?) was missing. But that's a personal thing really. In terms of recording, the challenge was time. Since 'Arrested' is still a fairly new song for us, there were still some things we were a little unsure of in the song. But I think both experiences were comparatively similar– both Rick Hollis (who produced our EP) and Chris are fantastic producers, though they work differently. Rick was the right producer for the EP, while Chris was perfect for achieving the sound we wanted with 'Arrested'.
You must be chuffed to be on the bill for Come Together festival this year?
'Chuffed' doesn't describe it, Brad! It's our first ever festival as Paper Champion so we're extremely excited.
What does it mean for a band like Paper Champion to be able to play to a festival crowd like at Come Together?
More than anything, it's just going to be a truckload of fun. Whatever else comes with it is a bonus in my eyes. But in terms of exposure, you can't really beat it. To play to a 1000+ crowd, I hope, will be awesome. We're on first (11:30am on Sunday, a time when Grant's usually not even awake), but it's better than not being there at all! I hope people are keen enough to come along and check us out.
Are there plans to take your show on the road to other states in the future?
Definitely, it's something we really want to do. I've been trying to organise it for a couple of months but – and not to get too narky here – there's quite a few bands who haven't even replied to our messages about playing gigs in their home town. So that makes it tough, but when you're in a band you can't rely on other people constantly to help you out. Also, all of us are so busy with jobs and family that it can be hard to find time to get away. But yes, the plans and the desire are definitely there. If anyone wants us, let us know!
The city of Sydney doesn't have much of a reputation for its prog output, but is highly regarded in the indie and electronic scenes – why do you think that is?
There's a multitude of factors at play. When it comes down to it, there's probably a lack of good prog bands in Sydney. Don't get me wrong, there's a handful of excellent bands that you watch and think, 'Dude, why are you guys bigger?' but overall there's a lack of inspired bands. I tend to find a lot of them can be a bit mundane. But then you've got bands like sleepmakeswaves (who can thank me for their moniker, by the way), Nucleus, The Third Cycle, The Evening Son, Many Machines on Nine, Ash Phoenix all producing killer tunes. No doubt there's heaps more that I'm missing here!
On the flipside, there's just a stack of great indie and electro bands coming out of Sydney. Sydney is garnering a reputation for producing great bands of those genres because the music is great. Most of my favourite bands would be classed as indie.
Thirdly, I think the Sydney scene is geared a lot more to nurturing indie and electro bands. More venues cater for that kind of music, and so how do you breed quality prog acts if there's only a handful of opportunities for them? It's hard, but there's always new and exciting bands emerging, so I'm constantly keeping my ears out for new tunes.
Do you hope Paper Champion will have a hand in changing the tide in favour of prog? And if so, how?
Haha that would be nice, but there's bands doing it far better than us who are more likely to enact social change. The success of bands like Karnivool, Cog and Dead Letter Circus show that people want that kind of music. It can be done.
Who else do you think will be at the forefront of Sydney's rock scene in the coming years?
The Evening Son. They'll be your new favourite band once you hear them. Stupidly good, it's almost criminal. We played two shows with them over the weekend and they just blew us away. Plus they're awesome guys to boot.
What are your plans for the future in Paper Champion? Will we see you recording/releasing another EP, or is it time for a full-length album now? What will that decision be based on?
I think the future of the band is dependent on how fast we write songs! We're not very quick when it comes to writing music, so our next recording may be a EP out of necessity because we don't have any other songs to record! But I think we'll gauge the response to 'Arrested' before we think about any future recordings. For us, the immediate plans are to take the band out of Sydney and play moiré shows in Newcastle and Wollongong, as well as travel to other states to play shows. The live element of the band is the most important thing to us now, so keep your eye out for us in your town!
Have a listen to Paper Champion on their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/paperchampionband, or read our review of their debut EP. "Arrested" will be released for free on Monday, June 9th. Paper Champion play at Come Together festival on Sunday, June 8th, on the main stage at 11:30 am.
Q&A: Paper Champion
2008-06-04 05:51First things first, what have the reactions been like to your EP since its release?
They've been great, particularly critically, which is really awesome. It's nice to know that there are people other than ourselves who enjoy our music. We've got great reviews home and abroad, and for me one of the most pleasing aspects is that people are picking up on the EP's diversity and originality. We're by no means reinventing the wheel here haha, but I like to think there's a garnishing of originality in our music. But aside from the journos, the feedback on MySpace and at live shows has been extremely positive as well. It's definitely vindication of our hard work.
You've recently recorded a new single that will be available to download for free next month. Can you describe that song for me?
Yeah, a few weeks ago we went into the studio to record a relatively new song for us called "Arrested". We wanted to release this for free to allow everyone to have a copy of the song and try and spread the Paper Champion name. We've never done something like this so it'll be interesting to see not just the reaction to the song, but what effect it has on getting us out there to a wider audience.
The song is more direct compared to some of the tracks on the EP. The song structure is a bit more solid, and some might even say more conventional! We focused strongly on hooks and melody with "Arrested", but also we didn't want to lose that sense of dynamics because we love doing the soft/loud thing. It's probably not as progressive as our earlier stuff. Plus it has a glockenspiel in it! I have to admit that's my doing. I just want to be more like Arcade Fire.
Who did you work with in the recording and production of that single?
We worked with a great producer called Chris Gray, out of his studio called Graylabel Studios in Sydney. We've known Chris for many years. Myself, Dave (drums) and Denis (bass) were in a band together prior to Paper Champion called Otium and we recorded a handful of tracks with Chris around 2003 I think it was. And even prior to Otium, Dave and Grant (vocals) were in a band called Meaneither who recorded with Chris. So we've got a lot of history with him.
How did the recording session for the track go?
Really, really well. We knocked it over in two days. Being friends with Chris for a long period of time, it was such a relaxed atmosphere in the studio, but having that relationship also meant he wasn't afraid to push us more than someone who hadn't built up that same rapport with us. I think we got a stronger product out of it because Chris wasn't afraid to say, 'Nope, not good enough. Do it again.' He was also great at helping us achieve the right sounds as well.
For example, Denis tends to play fairly abstract bass lines that run the gamut of the bass, so capturing both the clarity and bottom-end of his bass lines can be difficult, but I reckon Denis' bass has never sounded better on a recording, and Chris is definitely to thank for that. But that's just one example, because he really worked hard on everyone's sound.
How has Paper Champion changed or matured since recording the EP?
Denis constantly matures because he has a one year old son. Grant has matured because he's got a full time job. I've matured because I have a full time job now, and Dave was always mature. If anything, he's matured less. What's the opposite of maturation?
What were some of the differences, challenges, positives and negatives of recording the single compared to the EP?
Recording the EP was a blast, one of the most fun two weeks of my life. So that sense of being all-consumed by music, hanging out with the Treasurer's daughter, drinking far too many Coopers Greens (sponsorship, anyone?) was missing. But that's a personal thing really. In terms of recording, the challenge was time. Since 'Arrested' is still a fairly new song for us, there were still some things we were a little unsure of in the song. But I think both experiences were comparatively similar– both Rick Hollis (who produced our EP) and Chris are fantastic producers, though they work differently. Rick was the right producer for the EP, while Chris was perfect for achieving the sound we wanted with 'Arrested'.
You must be chuffed to be on the bill for Come Together festival this year?
'Chuffed' doesn't describe it, Brad! It's our first ever festival as Paper Champion so we're extremely excited.
What does it mean for a band like Paper Champion to be able to play to a festival crowd like at Come Together?
More than anything, it's just going to be a truckload of fun. Whatever else comes with it is a bonus in my eyes. But in terms of exposure, you can't really beat it. To play to a 1000+ crowd, I hope, will be awesome. We're on first (11:30am on Sunday, a time when Grant's usually not even awake), but it's better than not being there at all! I hope people are keen enough to come along and check us out.
Are there plans to take your show on the road to other states in the future?
Definitely, it's something we really want to do. I've been trying to organise it for a couple of months but – and not to get too narky here – there's quite a few bands who haven't even replied to our messages about playing gigs in their home town. So that makes it tough, but when you're in a band you can't rely on other people constantly to help you out. Also, all of us are so busy with jobs and family that it can be hard to find time to get away. But yes, the plans and the desire are definitely there. If anyone wants us, let us know!
The city of Sydney doesn't have much of a reputation for its prog output, but is highly regarded in the indie and electronic scenes – why do you think that is?
There's a multitude of factors at play. When it comes down to it, there's probably a lack of good prog bands in Sydney. Don't get me wrong, there's a handful of excellent bands that you watch and think, 'Dude, why are you guys bigger?' but overall there's a lack of inspired bands. I tend to find a lot of them can be a bit mundane. But then you've got bands like sleepmakeswaves (who can thank me for their moniker, by the way), Nucleus, The Third Cycle, The Evening Son, Many Machines on Nine, Ash Phoenix all producing killer tunes. No doubt there's heaps more that I'm missing here!
On the flipside, there's just a stack of great indie and electro bands coming out of Sydney. Sydney is garnering a reputation for producing great bands of those genres because the music is great. Most of my favourite bands would be classed as indie.
Thirdly, I think the Sydney scene is geared a lot more to nurturing indie and electro bands. More venues cater for that kind of music, and so how do you breed quality prog acts if there's only a handful of opportunities for them? It's hard, but there's always new and exciting bands emerging, so I'm constantly keeping my ears out for new tunes.
Do you hope Paper Champion will have a hand in changing the tide in favour of prog? And if so, how?
Haha that would be nice, but there's bands doing it far better than us who are more likely to enact social change. The success of bands like Karnivool, Cog and Dead Letter Circus show that people want that kind of music. It can be done.
Who else do you think will be at the forefront of Sydney's rock scene in the coming years?
The Evening Son. They'll be your new favourite band once you hear them. Stupidly good, it's almost criminal. We played two shows with them over the weekend and they just blew us away. Plus they're awesome guys to boot.
What are your plans for the future in Paper Champion? Will we see you recording/releasing another EP, or is it time for a full-length album now? What will that decision be based on?
I think the future of the band is dependent on how fast we write songs! We're not very quick when it comes to writing music, so our next recording may be a EP out of necessity because we don't have any other songs to record! But I think we'll gauge the response to 'Arrested' before we think about any future recordings. For us, the immediate plans are to take the band out of Sydney and play moiré shows in Newcastle and Wollongong, as well as travel to other states to play shows. The live element of the band is the most important thing to us now, so keep your eye out for us in your town!
Have a listen to Paper Champion on their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/paperchampionband, or read our review of their debut EP. "Arrested" will be released for free on Monday, June 9th. Paper Champion play at Come Together festival on Sunday, June 8th, on the main stage at 11:30 am.