Paper Route is an American experimental
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
and
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
band from
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
formed in 2004. It consists of
JT Daly (vocals, keyboards, percussion, samplers),
Chad Howat (bass, piano, programming), and Nick Aranda (guitars). The band has released three full-length albums and several
EPs
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
.
History
Formation and early years
Chad Howat,
JT Daly and co-founding member Andy Smith met while attending
Greenville College
Greenville University is a private university in Greenville, Illinois, United States. It is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. Established as Greenville College in 1892, the institution was renamed Greenville University in 2017.
History ...
in Greenville, Illinois. Paper Route was founded shortly after the disbanding of the trios' previous band, For All The Drifters.
The band's self-titled debut
EP was released on August 29, 2006. In December 2006, the band released a Christmas EP titled ''A Thrill of Hope'' through
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...
. A song from the EP, "The Music", was later featured in the 2009 film ''
(500) Days of Summer
''(500) Days of Summer'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Marc Webb, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as Tom and Summer r ...
''.
In 2007, Paper Route were featured on ''
Paste'' magazine's website as artists to watch: "The group produces a refreshing mix of the organic and the electronic, with quality songwriting to match."
In early 2008, their music was featured in the television show ''
One Tree Hill''
in episodes "Life Is Short"
and "Cryin' Won't Help You Now". The band's song "Last Time" was chosen to be the theme song for the 2008 Nike+ Human Race.
''Absence'' (2009–10)
The band's major label debut, ''
Absence'', was released on
Universal Records
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
on April 28, 2009. The album reached number 13 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Heatseekers chart.
In March 2010, Paper Route were named one of '10 Artists to Watch in 2010' by American music website Shred News.
In November 2010, the song "Gutter" was featured on TV series ''
CSI: NY'' in the episode "Hide Sight".
In November 2010, Paper Route announced that Andy Smith left the band.
''The Peace of Wild Things'' (2010–13)
In September 2010, two songs by Paper Route – including "Calm My Soul" – were featured on
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's show ''
World of Jenks''.
In June 2011, the song "You Kill Me" from the band's 2008 EP ''Are We All Forgotten'' was featured in an episode of
MTV
MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's ''
Teen Wolf
''Teen Wolf'' is a 1985 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and written by Jeph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. Michael J. Fox stars as the title character, a high school student whose ordinary life is changed when he discover ...
''.
The first single off the band's second studio album was titled "Better Life" and released to
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
and
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
on November 1, 2011.
A song titled "Sugar" was released as a part of a free compilation album on
NoiseTrade
NoiseTrade was a global online audio and book direct-to-fan distribution platform. It was based in Nashville, Tennessee. It enables its users to upload original music and books and give away for free without digital rights management to anyone ...
on Valentine's Day 2012.
JT Daly also created remixes of
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...
's songs "The Original" and "
Dark Horses" from Switchfoot's critically acclaimed record ''
Vice Verses''. The remixes were featured on Switchfoot's EP ''
Vice Re-Verses'', which was released in April 2012.
In May 2012, Paper Route were featured in the third episode of
BYUtv
BYUtv is an American television channel and free family-friendly streaming service, founded in 2000, which is owned and operated as a part of Brigham Young University (BYU). The channel, available on most smart TVs or through cable and satellite ...
's ''
Audio-Files''.
On June 18, 2012, Paper Route announced that their second album, titled ''
The Peace of Wild Things'', would be released on September 11, 2012, and that the second single from the album would be "You and I".
A music video for the single was released onto
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
on August 31, 2012.
Upon release, ''The Peace of Wild Things'' reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers chart, and number 164 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
In 2013, Paper Route's song "Better Life" was featured in ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...
'' episode, titled "
True Lies
''True Lies'' is a 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker, a U.S. government agent, who struggles to balance his double life as a spy with his familial duties, ...
".
On October 6, 2013, the band released a cover of "Royals" by
Lorde
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...
,
followed by a cover of
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...
's "
Say My Name
"Say My Name" is a song by American group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, '' The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerki ...
" on November 26, 2013.
''Real Emotion'' (2014–present)
On September 24, 2014, Paper Route announced that drummer Gavin McDonald would be leaving the band, pushing back planned October tour dates to December. The band performed two new songs on a four-city East Coast tour in February 2015, including their new single "Zhivago". The track was released as part of the
Ten Out of Tenn compilation album on March 17, 2015.
In July 2015, JT Daly and Chad Howat announced that Nick Aranda was made an official member of the band.
The same month, Paper Route announced that they had signed to
Kemosabe Records
Kemosabe Records is an American record label founded by record producer Dr. Luke in 2011. It was launched as an imprint of RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Los Angeles, California, the label has signed acts including ...
, an offshoot of
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
.
On February 26, 2016, the band released a new single "Laugh About It". Howat's website confirmed that the album would be titled "Real Emotion".
The second single off the album, "Chariots", was released on June 12, 2016. The song premiered at
E3 as the exclusive gameplay trailer track for ''
FIFA 17
''FIFA 17'' is a football simulation video game developed and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., A ...
'', the video game by
EA Sports
EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they imitated real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) ...
, and later was featured in the game's soundtrack.
On September 23, 2016 the album
Real Emotion was released.
The band made their late night television debut on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''
Late Night with Seth Meyers
''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire variety talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing w ...
'' on February 1, 2017 where they performed "Balconies."
They announced an indefinite hiatus in early 2019.
Touring
From late July through August 2008, Paper Route was part of the Final Riot! Tour, with
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...
,
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is bes ...
, and
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2004, hailing from Orange County, California, Orange County, California. The band originally began as a solo project for Andrew McMahon, the frontman of Something Corporate.
The b ...
.
They toured with
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...
again in 2009 on the band's third album. In 2008 they also toured with
Passion Pit
Passion Pit is an American indie pop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Formed in 2007, frontman and keyboardist Michael Angelakos is the band's primary recording member. As a touring act, the band currently consists of Angelakos (vocals, syn ...
. In 2009 they also toured with
Copeland and
She Wants Revenge. In 2010 they toured with
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young (American musician), Adam Young, who created the project while exp ...
and
Lights. In 2012 they toured with
Half Noise,
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...
, and
Mutemath
Mutemath (sometimes styled as MuteMath or MUTEMATH) is an American alternative rock project founded by American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer Paul Meany. Originally co-founded as a band with Darren King in 2002, ...
. In 2013 they toured with
Anberlin
Anberlin is an American alternative rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida, in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band consists of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, ...
and also
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons are an American pop rock band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band currently consists of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and bassist Ben McKee. They first gained exposure with the release of ...
. In early 2016, Paper Route toured again with Mutemath. In October 2016, following the release of ''Real Emotion'', they embarked on a 20-date east coast/midwest headlining tour (The Really Emotional Tour) with
Half Noise as the support act. They followed this up supporting
K. Flay on the second part of her Crush Me Tour in February 2017.
Discography
Albums
Extended plays
Singles
Band members
Current
*
JT Daly – vocals, keyboards, percussion, samplers
(2004–2019). Daly has been involved in other projects including music production (most recently produced and co-wrote songs with alt-rock artist
K. Flay, including hit single "
Blood in the Cut"), soundtrack composition (short film for Smarkmark), visual art exhibitions ("rest easy", "architechnopoly", "love fever sunburn", and "the body is a kingdom and the kingdom is beautiful") and film direction and production (including "This House" for
Edison Glass).
*
Chad Howat – bass, piano, programming
(2004–2019). Outside of his work with Paper Route, Howat has produced, mixed, and engineered for several artists including
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...
,
K. Flay,
Brooke Waggoner
Brooke Waggoner (born May 30, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from New Orleans, Louisiana, who resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
Early life
Waggoner was born in Houston, Texas, to Lewis Earl and Kris Allyn (Kulcke) Waggoner. She comes fr ...
,
Hillsong United
Hillsong United (stylised as Hillsong UNITED or UNITED) is a contemporary worship collective originating from Hillsong Church. Since forming in 1998 out of the church's youth ministry, the group has released fifteen live albums and six stud ...
, and
Kye Kye ).
* Nick Aranda - guitar, bass
(2015–2019). Aranda toured with Paper Route on their tour promoting ''The Peace of Wild Things'' and became an official band member in July 2015. He has toured with bands including
The Rocket Summer
The Rocket Summer is the solo project of Bryce Avary, a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and record producer based in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas.
He has released eight studio albums and several EPs. His fifth release, 2012's '' Lif ...
and was a founding member of
Dizmas.
Former
* Andy Smith – vocals, guitars, harmonica, theremin
(2004–2010). After parting ways with Paper Route, Andy formed the band Brother Leather, independently releasing the album ''Meat Mural'' in 2013. He is currently recording an untitled follow up with Stephen P Bohn (ex-Death Comesto Matteson).
* Gavin McDonald – drums
(2004–2014). Gavin has performed with several bands including
Canon Blue,
Macrosick and New World. He also is featured as a drummer on several albums.
References
External links
*
Paper Route interview at StereoSubversion.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paper Route (Band)
Musical groups from Nashville, Tennessee
Musical groups established in 2004
Indie pop groups from Tennessee
Motown artists
2004 establishments in Tennessee
Universal Motown Records artists
Greenville University people