Paper Thick Walls

Artist Information

Biography

Orchestral indie rockers Paper Thick Walls began on a green carpet with an acoustic guitar, piano, and a few stories crafted into melodies. The songwriting talents of Eric Michaels and Kate Schell create a truly genre defying sound that "is a sweet miss-mash of influences from Wilco to Sufjan Stevens," with "a bit of Cursive's dramatics and a dash of the boldness found in bands such as Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire." (Loud Loop Press).  The past two years have combined the talents of band members Jacques Rene, Roger Sherman, and Andrew Sabo to add lush orchestral instrumentation behind the profound lyrical imagery.

Following the successful press reception of Paper Thick Walls freshman album, "A Thousand Novels", the band spent the year touring over 50 cities in the US and Canada to move more than a thousand records with their own hands, playing with touring bands such as The Lumineers, Company of Thieves, Drive by Truckers, Joe Pug, and Smoking Popes.  

With such an infectious live show, it's not hard to see why Paper Thick Walls have been named one of the top five emerging artists from Chicago by The Deli Chicago and Chicago Magazine.  The band’s 2011 debut record  "A Thousand Novels"  claimed numerous “Best of 2011” lists and over 150 positive reviews.  The band played key music festivals including NXNE, CMJ, Mid-Point Music Festival, and Summer Fest.

This year, the band is set to release a new EP that will showcase five new songs that further utilize the many instruments in the five piece group to further explore what TimeOut Chicago calls their, "anthemic folk rock" sound.

In addition to the rigorous touring schedule of 2012, lead members Eric Michaels and Kate Schell performed the principal roles in a full-length feature film premiering in 2013 entitled, "We Grew Up Here."  The film, directed by Kevin Pickman and produced by 15 in the Dark Films, will also feature a soundtrack composed and performed by Eric and Kate. 

Instrumentation

Kate Schell - Vocals / Piano / Trumpet
Eric Michaels - Vocals / Guitar / Motif
Jacques René - Fiddle / Mandolin / Guitar
Andrew Sabo - Drums
Roger Sherman - Upright Bass

Discography

"A Thousand Novels" was released on May 3, 2011

Official Website

http://www.paperthickwalls.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace

Audio

• Old Weathered Wooden Dock
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• Sighs Of Relief
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• Orange Tree
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Lyrics

• Nyquil
• A Thousand Novels
• Desolate Place
• Orange Tree

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Paper Thick Walls Interview, Free MP3, and Concert Pics [+ Show ]
  

  "Their album is great, but it’s impossible not to appreciate their talent when viewing them live. Th..."Their album is great, but it’s impossible not to appreciate their talent when viewing them live. They’re a well-oiled machine, and it’s in these performances that their love for the music and determination really comes out. This is a hard-working bunch of musicians, but they don’t forget to stop to enjoy what they’re doing."

• Paper Thick Wall's Album "A Thousand Novels" Reviewed [+ Show ]
  

  "My verdict, then, is that Paper Thick Walls’ “A Thousand Novels” is quite good. Not only are their ..."My verdict, then, is that Paper Thick Walls’ “A Thousand Novels” is quite good. Not only are their compositions very nicely crafted, with the band displaying a penchant for a number of musical styles, their storytelling will keep you entertained and often contains elements of that darkness that lends a haunting quality to a song. Take a look."

• Paper Thick Walls Review & Interview [+ Show ]
  

  "Paper Thick Walls are solid (get it?). More so Sigur Ros than The xx, they play complex indie folk,..."Paper Thick Walls are solid (get it?). More so Sigur Ros than The xx, they play complex indie folk, heavy in both sentiment and intricacy. Their music is as upbeat as it is dark, many times touching upon forlorn topics while gently running alongside melodies that easily upturn the corner of one’s lips."

• The Watch List [+ Show ]
  

  "Kate Schell has voice that is both sweet, delicate, and feircly powerful. When combined with Eric M..."Kate Schell has voice that is both sweet, delicate, and feircly powerful. When combined with Eric Michaels their creates humble folk tunes through float though the imaginary fields and meadows of Chicago."
  

Setlist

Basic Requirements

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