Formed in 2001, The Paperbacks have operated consistently and quietly
from their home base in Winnipeg, Canada, gathering a dedicated following and building up an
impressive catalogue of songs and accomplishments. Singer/guitarist Doug
McLean, whose previous groups (beloved pop-punkers The Bonaduces and the more
politically-oriented Painted Thin) had dissolved almost simultaneously in 2000,
founded The Paperbacks with members of both those projects: bassist Jaret
McNabb, drummer Jack Jonasson and guitarist Mike McKenzie. It was a step into
slightly unknown territory; though the signature lyrical style of McLean
remained, the harder, sloppier edges of both the previous bands had been shed
to create a more delicate sound, putting greater emphasis on harmonies and
layered arrangements.
After the release of a 7” single and a cross-Canada tour the following
year, McKenzie left to pursue academics; thereafter the band added Jason Churko
(guitar) and Tanya Jonasson (keyboards). “An Episode of Sparrows,” their first
full-length, was recorded by bassist McNabb in his home studio; it was released
in 2003 on Minneapolis-based Pshaw in North America/Newest Industry in Europe. Heavy touring was done throughout Canada, hitting various festivals (Pop Montreal, North by
Northeast) and opening on a number of large shows across the the country (with
The Weakerthans, The Hold Steady, AC Newman and Feist, among others). An EP
with K Records’ Jason Anderson w …
Formed in 2001, The Paperbacks have operated consistently and quietly
from their home base in Winnipeg, Canada, gathering a dedicated following and building up an
impressive catalogue of songs and accomplishments. Singer/guitarist Doug
McLean, whose previous groups (beloved pop-punkers The Bonaduces and the more
politically-oriented Painted Thin) had dissolved almost simultaneously in 2000,
founded The Paperbacks with members of both those projects: bassist Jaret
McNabb, drummer Jack Jonasson and guitarist Mike McKenzie. It was a step into
slightly unknown territory; though the signature lyrical style of McLean
remained, the harder, sloppier edges of both the previous bands had been shed
to create a more delicate sound, putting greater emphasis on harmonies and
layered arrangements.
After the release of a 7” single and a cross-Canada tour the following
year, McKenzie left to pursue academics; thereafter the band added Jason Churko
(guitar) and Tanya Jonasson (keyboards). “An Episode of Sparrows,” their first
full-length, was recorded by bassist McNabb in his home studio; it was released
in 2003 on Minneapolis-based Pshaw in North America/Newest Industry in Europe. Heavy touring was done throughout Canada, hitting various festivals (Pop Montreal, North by
Northeast) and opening on a number of large shows across the the country (with
The Weakerthans, The Hold Steady, AC Newman and Feist, among others). An EP
with K Records’ Jason Anderson was released on the Endearing label, and the
group toured with him, both as The Paperbacks and as his backing band. A major
European tour was launched in 2004, bringing them to England, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Denmark.
In 2005, The Paperbacks convened to record their sophomore CD “An
Illusion Against Death” with Weakerthans frontman (and longtime fan) John K.
Samson producing. Despite the high-profile session, however, the conclusion of
these recordings saw several members leave for other opportunities, both
musical and personal; this left McLean
and McNabb as the sole remaining Paperbacks. The album was released quietly in
2007 on their own Parliament of Trees label, and toured coast-to-coast by the
two founders along with new drummer Corey Biluk and what would be a rotating
cast of guitarists and multi-instrumentalists.
The line-up solidified in early 2008 with new guitarist Kevin
Andrechuck and keyboardist Kevin McLean joining permanently. With the new
personnel in place, the group tackled their next recording project, which
became the monster 32-song, double CD set “Lit From Within.” Produced once
again by McNabb in his home studio, the album took a year to complete and is
set for release in January of 2010. Plans to tour domestically and abroad, as
well as release additional new music, are underway.
