Altsounds: Who came up with your band name and is there a story behind it?
Paper The Operator: We had been looking for a name for a while. We tried a few different ones out, but none of them stuck. One night I had a dream, and in the dream I was trying to think of a band name. In the dream I thought of "Paper the Operator." For some reason, "Paper" struck me as a guy's name in the dream. When I woke up I realized that it wasn't really, but I still liked it.
Altsounds: Are things like recognition and a fan base in the UK important to you?
Paper The Operator: Definitely. British culture, especially musically, has always had a different perspective than American culture. The current American culture can be pretty depressing at times.
Altsounds: You must have had some setbacks during the time you've had as a band, what made you carry on?
Paper The Operator: I just really want people to hear my songs. The idea that my music could connect with other people the same way that my favorite bands' music has connected with me is incredibly exciting, and when I hear of it happening, incredibly satisfying. Also it feels really good to rock.
Altsounds: Forming a band is hard, what advice do you have for people with musical aspirations?
Paper The Operator: I don't know, I need some advice on it myself. Finding people you like playing with who play well is a huge pain in the ass.
Altsounds: If you all had to listen to one song or one band for the rest of your life what would it be, And why?
Paper The Operator: It would probably be Guided By Voices, because I love them, and they have thousands of songs. A lot of their songs don't strike you as great at first, but slowly grow on you. It seems like that would keep me busy for awhile. GBV or The Beatles.
Altsounds: A lot of people judge bands on image, how do you think you would fare if all your fans judged you on image?
Paper The Operator: I think we would fare pretty badly, depending on who was looking. We don't look very cool. When I think of a lot of my favorite bands though, like the Pixies, they didn't have great images either. I'd like to think that our band would appeal less to casual listeners, and more to people who wouldn't be so quick to judge a band based on how they look.
Altsounds: If you had all the money in the world, and you could do whatever you wanted with it, would you carry on with Paper the Operator?
Paper the Operator: Yes, because I love the band and hate working. I'd have to keep busy somehow.
Altsounds: If you were trying to get someone to check out your sounds would you tell them to buy the EP or head to a show, and why?
Paper The Operator: I would definitely tell them to buy the CD. Live shows are fun while you're at them, but it can often be hard to catch everything that goes on. We're a song oriented band. It's easy to have a crush on a band after seeing them live, but to fall in love with a band, you need to bring their music into your world and into your life on a day-to-day basis. You may hate a certain song one day when you're in a certain mood, but then love it the next. To figure that out, you need to have the CD.
Altsounds: The record industry is said to be having difficulty at the moment, what do you think the reason behind this is, or do you think it is all down to illegal downloads?
Paper The Operator: Personally I think it stems from the record industry's reaction to illegal downloading. Rather than figuring out how to roll with it, they're freaking out, because they're losing money. They're not interested in taking a chance on an artist any more, so they only support artists they believe will move the most units. More often then not, those artists are shite. Putting out nothing but flash-in-the-pan crap music will hurt them more in the end.
Altsounds: Are social networking sights such as MySpace and Facebook important to your band?
Paper The Operator: For sure, Myspace makes it easy to be heard by anyone. It's also great for hooking up with other bands to play shows with.
Altsounds: You have a new album 'Goodbye God' in the works, what can we expect from that, and when can we expect it?
Paper The Operator: It's going to be a lot different than the Solemn Boyz EP. I've always wanted to make a really loud, slick sounding hi-fi record, which is what the Solemn Boyz EP is, but that's only part of who we are as a band. Goodbye God is sort of the rest of the story. I'm recording it entirely on my own, at home. There are some songs with loud guitars and drums, but then there are some quieter, moodier songs, and some others that use only electronic sounds. The album's almost done, I only have a couple songs to finish.
Altsounds: What would you like to achieve as a band in the future?
Paper The Operator: It would be great just to get to the point as a band where I could quit my job. As I've mentioned before, I hate working.
Altsounds: Please use this space to promote anything you want.
Goodbye God will be coming out soon on Viper Bite Records. Also check out the band I'm in with my wife, The Color Wheels
The Color Wheels on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
Paper The Operator: We had been looking for a name for a while. We tried a few different ones out, but none of them stuck. One night I had a dream, and in the dream I was trying to think of a band name. In the dream I thought of "Paper the Operator." For some reason, "Paper" struck me as a guy's name in the dream. When I woke up I realized that it wasn't really, but I still liked it.
Altsounds: Are things like recognition and a fan base in the UK important to you?
Paper The Operator: Definitely. British culture, especially musically, has always had a different perspective than American culture. The current American culture can be pretty depressing at times.
Altsounds: You must have had some setbacks during the time you've had as a band, what made you carry on?
Paper The Operator: I just really want people to hear my songs. The idea that my music could connect with other people the same way that my favorite bands' music has connected with me is incredibly exciting, and when I hear of it happening, incredibly satisfying. Also it feels really good to rock.
Altsounds: Forming a band is hard, what advice do you have for people with musical aspirations?
Paper The Operator: I don't know, I need some advice on it myself. Finding people you like playing with who play well is a huge pain in the ass.
Altsounds: If you all had to listen to one song or one band for the rest of your life what would it be, And why?
Paper The Operator: It would probably be Guided By Voices, because I love them, and they have thousands of songs. A lot of their songs don't strike you as great at first, but slowly grow on you. It seems like that would keep me busy for awhile. GBV or The Beatles.
Altsounds: A lot of people judge bands on image, how do you think you would fare if all your fans judged you on image?
Paper The Operator: I think we would fare pretty badly, depending on who was looking. We don't look very cool. When I think of a lot of my favorite bands though, like the Pixies, they didn't have great images either. I'd like to think that our band would appeal less to casual listeners, and more to people who wouldn't be so quick to judge a band based on how they look.
Altsounds: If you had all the money in the world, and you could do whatever you wanted with it, would you carry on with Paper the Operator?
Paper the Operator: Yes, because I love the band and hate working. I'd have to keep busy somehow.
Altsounds: If you were trying to get someone to check out your sounds would you tell them to buy the EP or head to a show, and why?
Paper The Operator: I would definitely tell them to buy the CD. Live shows are fun while you're at them, but it can often be hard to catch everything that goes on. We're a song oriented band. It's easy to have a crush on a band after seeing them live, but to fall in love with a band, you need to bring their music into your world and into your life on a day-to-day basis. You may hate a certain song one day when you're in a certain mood, but then love it the next. To figure that out, you need to have the CD.
Altsounds: The record industry is said to be having difficulty at the moment, what do you think the reason behind this is, or do you think it is all down to illegal downloads?
Paper The Operator: Personally I think it stems from the record industry's reaction to illegal downloading. Rather than figuring out how to roll with it, they're freaking out, because they're losing money. They're not interested in taking a chance on an artist any more, so they only support artists they believe will move the most units. More often then not, those artists are shite. Putting out nothing but flash-in-the-pan crap music will hurt them more in the end.
Altsounds: Are social networking sights such as MySpace and Facebook important to your band?
Paper The Operator: For sure, Myspace makes it easy to be heard by anyone. It's also great for hooking up with other bands to play shows with.
Altsounds: You have a new album 'Goodbye God' in the works, what can we expect from that, and when can we expect it?
Paper The Operator: It's going to be a lot different than the Solemn Boyz EP. I've always wanted to make a really loud, slick sounding hi-fi record, which is what the Solemn Boyz EP is, but that's only part of who we are as a band. Goodbye God is sort of the rest of the story. I'm recording it entirely on my own, at home. There are some songs with loud guitars and drums, but then there are some quieter, moodier songs, and some others that use only electronic sounds. The album's almost done, I only have a couple songs to finish.
Altsounds: What would you like to achieve as a band in the future?
Paper The Operator: It would be great just to get to the point as a band where I could quit my job. As I've mentioned before, I hate working.
Altsounds: Please use this space to promote anything you want.
Goodbye God will be coming out soon on Viper Bite Records. Also check out the band I'm in with my wife, The Color Wheels
The Color Wheels on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
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