The Paperboys have been jamming for more than 30 years now, all the while developing their music as they incorporate new influences.
The six-piece Vancouver-based band play a unique fusion of music that meshes folk, bluegrass, reggae and Celtic, just to name a few. They will be in concert at Knox United Church in Parksville this Feb. 15.
This will be the fourth in the Craig Bay Choristers Seaside Performance Series, fundraising events that once expenses are recovered support the Choristers' ongoing activities throughout the year. In addition a donation will be made to the Oceanside Hospice Society.
Over the years, the Paperboys' sound has evolved as new genres are incorporated and the players improve their craft, said founder Tom Landa.
“There’s still a thread there that is similar to the beginnings, it’s not like we’ve changed so radically that we wouldn’t be recognized," Landa said. “It feels good to be able to do this for as long as we’ve been doing it.”
Landa is the lead vocalist, as well as playing guitar and the jarana, which is a guitar-shaped eight-string instrument from the southern region of the Mexican state of Veracruz. He was born in Mexico and immigrated to Canada with his family as a teenager.
On the fiddle and vocals is Kalissa Landa, and the band also includes multi-instrumentalist Geoffrey Kelly, also known for being a member of The Spirit of the West.
When writing music, Landa draws on things that inspire him and affect him musically.
“I try to write from a perspective of things that I know or I had lived," he said. "So although some songs would be fictional, really the majority of our work is based on things that happened in my life, or as our lives as a band — lived and shared experiences."
Landa grew up interested in music and although he wasn't playing an instrument at the time, the music resonated with him and shaped him as a teenager.
"I always say that the music chose me, not the other way around," he said. "I was influenced by it from a very early age. It definitely defined my character as a teenager."
After a period of interest in heavy metal and rock music, Landa's music tastes did a "180" and he dove into the world of folk music. To this day he still finds himself seeking out new musical genres and experimenting with the different instruments he plays.
“I try to make a point of playing an instrument almost every day," Landa said. "And every time I sit down to play the piano or the guitar or the jarana or anything, I’m always trying to come up with new things, new songs."
The band values spontaneity and does not follow a set list. Instead they read the room and play according to how the audience is reacting. If people get up and start dancing, they tend to keep things upbeat. For a theatre crowd that's more inclined to listen and remain in their seats, there's a song for that as well.
“We have two or three songs that we usually start with, that we’re pretty comfortable with and then we let the night decide where the music’s gonna take us,” Landa said. “Sometimes I like to keep myself, and the band, sort of keep us on our toes, so I’ll call a song that we haven’t done in a couple years, or a few years, and everyone’s going ‘oh boy I hope I remember all the changes’.”
Continuously working on new music, Landa recently released a new album with his other project, the Latin music themed Locarno. Up next is a new Paperboys album which he hopes to record in the spring and release as early as this summer.
The Paperboys will take the stage at Knox United Church (345 Pym St.) at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $35 and they are available online through Eventbrite and with cash at Fireside Books in Parksville.
