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First Look: Debut Album from Paper Tiger
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First Look: Debut Album from Paper Tiger
On the N.C. duo's new Me Have Fun, jazz, pop, trip-hop and...First Look: Debut Album from Paper Tiger
On the N.C. duo's new Me Have Fun, jazz, pop, trip-hop and psychedelia all come together in a Portishead-esque samples/keyboards/femme vox soundscape of astonishing beauty.
By Fred Mills
By way of introduction: Paper Tiger is an Asheville, NC, -based duo, vocalist Molly Kummerle (of well-known regional jazz/pop outfit Ruby Slippers) and Isaac Gottfried (aka MINGLE, noted deejay and remixer). Since joining forces a couple of years ago, Kummerle and Gottfried have quickly amassed a reputation for crafting brainy electronica that dips equally into hypnotic trip-hop and danceable, pop-tilting sampladelica; they were among a handful of local acts selected to perform at last fall's MoogFest, which featured such heavy-hitters as Massive Attack, Big Boi, Jonsi and MGMT. Me Have Fun (Boy Girl Recordings), their debut, more than reaffirms that reputation - in its quietly compelling, get-under-your-skin brand of understatement, it actually winds up saying more than 99% of the new releases that have appeared so far this year.
First and foremost, Kummerle brings her jazz-trained pipes to the party with such seductive grace that you half expect her to step out from behind the stereo speakers wearing nothing but a sheer silk robe and a coy smile. Yet there's also a palpable vulnerability to that voice. The first time you hear her clearly is in the second song, the title track, cooing "ahh-ahh-mmm" softly, but with purpose, and as the smokey, loungey tune gradually unfolds, the singer confesses her lust and her confusion and to how her "rules start to come undone" as she confronts that desire. In her voice, one hears echoes of Dusty Springfield, Billie Holiday, Beth Orton and Beth Gibbons - fire and ice, ice and fire.
The Gibbons comparison isn't a stray one, by the way; Portishead is the contemporary act that Paper Tiger most closely resembles, along with fellow Bristolians Massive Attack. Gottfried's fertile trove of samples and liberal deployment of keyboards (by both Gottfried and Kummerle, plus guest Chuck Lichtenberger from stephaniesid) all synch organically to cast a widescreen, cinematic glow. From the sweeping strings and noirish vibe of "Hibiscus" and the chilly orchestral minimalism of "Softly" to the eerie-yet-lush "Hugo," whose Beach Boys sample is guaranteed to permanently alter the way you hear "Good Vibrations," these compositions push beyond merely "compelling" to become insistent, the transformation occurring on an almost subliminal level. Another band simpatico with Paper Tiger's crate-digging aesthetic: Saint Etienne, particularly on the surreal, flute-and-horns flecked "Paper Tiger" and the dreamy, yearning "Freezer" (with its suite-like arrangement that slips deliciously into breezy ‘60s pop mode, then back again, this song is destined to find its way onto a movie or TV show soundtrack with the right marketing push).
Seamlessly sequenced, with Gottfried supplying brief (under 30 seconds) instrumental interludes between each proper song to lend an additional filmic heft to the proceedings, and remarkably diverse for a quote/unquote "downtempo" project, Me Have Fun is the type of record that pays dividend after dividend with each new spin. It's the sound of late-night romance, of early-morning musings, and of all the refracted beauty of the daylight that falls between.
Incidentally, don't bother Googling the band's name; it'll just drive you crazy, as there is also a Dutch indierock band called Paper Tiger, a rock/funk outfit from Wisconsin called Paper Tiger, the Doomtree hip-hop collective producer who calls himself Paper Tiger, some teenage band that goes by the handle of My Paper Tiger, and assorted non-musical Paper Tiger entities. If you want to chase down this Paper Tiger and hear assorted album tunes and remixes, go directly to the official website or to the duo's MySpace page. But be careful: the music may be atmospheric and dreamy, but it's hardly toothless. Once it gets you in its maw, it doesn't let go. Rrrrowwrrr.
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The return of trip hop? Meet Paper Tiger
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We’ve all heard trip hop, and we’ve probably obsessed over it for a moment or two in the mid-to-late...We’ve all heard trip hop, and we’ve probably obsessed over it for a moment or two in the mid-to-late 90s. I loved this period for music. Looking back, the 90s were a more innocent time when a new music trend or genre came along and kicked the door wide open. It would go from “Who’s Massive Attack?” to “Have you heard the new Morcheeba live album? It’s killer,” at the speed of sound. There was less music available, no immediate access… you still had to dig through the ROCK/POP section of the CD racks to find the hidden gems and often buy albums based on the coolness of the album cover alone (that’s how I found Sunny Day Real Estate’s Diary, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me and Catherine Wheel’s Chrome). I miss it…
But I digress. I was a big fan of trip hop in it’s heyday. Trip hop is defined by wikipedia as:
…a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music. It began in the mid-1990s, growing out of England’s hip hop and house scenes, including that of the Bristol underground. It has been described as “Europe’s alternative choice in the second half of the ’90s”, and a fusion “of Hip-Hop and Electronica until neither genre is recognizable.”
With artists like UNKLE, Portishead, Thievery Corporation, Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Sneaker Pimps, Tricky, Lamb, Mandalay, Fila Brazillia, Hooverphonic, Everything But the Girl and Télépopmusik (that was every trip hop band I could think of just now), the genre exploded in England and thrived independently Stateside until the genre itself began to fade away. Many of the core trip hop artists moved on from their signature sounds and the genre split into so many different electronic styles that it became increasingly difficult to tell trip hop from your average Dido album.
But no matter how diluted the genre has gotten all these years later, the pure stuff remains as fresh as ever. My iTunes is still packed with a healthy amount of classic trip hop. Massive Attack, Tricky, Portishead and Morcheeba still make records even. But I was really impressed when I heard a more recent band–from Asheville, NC no less–who seem to be on their own quest to revive the genre… whether they realize it or not.
Meet Paper Tiger, the North Carolina duo who’ve been turning ears with their modern spin on the classic London downbeat trip hop sound. Singer Molly Kummerle and DJ Isaac Gottfried describe their sound as “…the meeting of two alter-egos who relish in the space where inhibitions die and art is made. They are inspired by sounds, instruments, vinyl records and ideas that otherwise may never connect.”
In January, Paper Tiger released their debut LP Me Have Fun. It’s a 24-track (some of the tracks are less than 40 seconds long) mishmash of layered sounds, samples, beats and deep bass… all joined together by Kummerle’s smoky, jazzy voice.
I don’t believe that Paper Tiger are necessarily on their way to becoming the next Massive Attack, but I do love them for both reminding me so much of the music I loved back then and for taking the genre a step forward. Here’s a few tracks from Me Have Fun. Buy the whole album at bandcamp for just $5.00!
So what do you think? Are Paper Tiger the sign of a imminent revived genre explosion, or are they a one-off throwback to another era? I don’t know about you, but I’m rooting for the former. Read more about Paper Tiger at papertigermusic.com.
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Human meets machine - Paper Tiger debuts Me Have Fun with local electronic showcase
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There is a place where the seemingly contradictory worlds of jazz and electronica collide. It’s a pl...There is a place where the seemingly contradictory worlds of jazz and electronica collide. It’s a place where multi-instrumentalists meet DJs to blur the line between lounge, pop and trance. And in Asheville, Paper Tiger is your guide to such a place.
More than seven years ago, vocalist Molly Kummerle (Ruby Slippers) and DJ/producer Isaac Gottfried (MINGLE) began collaborating in their spare time. Now, having fully dedicated their creative efforts to the project, the duo is poised to release its debut LP, Me Have Fun, and for fans of seductive, electro-lounge, it is well worth the wait.
The album’s sultry opening track sets the tone for nearly an hour of slinky vocals, crunchy drums and ethereal backdrops that play on each of the duo’s respective strengths. But this project is more than a sum of its parts. Paper Tiger is creating a musical landscape all its own, and it’s a strange and inviting place.
For the most part, Me Have Fun is devoid of hooks, relying instead on infectious grooves and catchy melodies to draw listeners into the dark, smoky moods that dominate the record. It’s an eclectic mix of warm keys, funky bass and crackly samples, intermingled with such subtlety that distinguishing where the human ends and machine begins is nearly impossible.
“That was one of the things I loved about Isaac when we started working together,” says Kummerle. “It’s chill, and he’ll phrase something really weird and then put an effect on it that will make it be like, ‘Oh, that’s electronic.’ But since he uses a lot of vinyl, it has a really organic feeling. So it’s funky but it’s still … I mean, I love records. I grew up listening to records. There’s nothing like that sound. We definitely wanted to keep that.”
The band sent the recording all the way to Europe to ensure that warm, vintage feel was preserved, enlisting Shawn Joseph (King Britt, Massive Attack) to put the finishing touches on Me Have Fun. After all, Kummerle points out, it had been nearly three years in the making and the band was determined “to retain the integrity of what [it] was looking for.”
In addition, she says, Paper Tiger aimed to create a full listening experience, rather than a series of singles to play on shuffle. But in the age of digital downloads, “You have to approach people with the type of music that they want to buy, in the format that they want to buy.” So she and Gottfried compromised, tracking separate musical interludes for a seamless collection that also lends itself to radio and allows fans to pick and choose if they wish.
“I like to listen to the progression that the band went through from the beginning to the end,” she says. “I want to know what order they put the songs in. I really like to feel the process that the band has gone through. And so we definitely wanted to do that. But we also didn’t want to shoot ourselves in the feet. That’s why we broke it up.”
When it came time to design the artwork, Kummerle admits that they “knew just enough to really drive one graphic designer completely nuts.” So the band staged a contest through Creative Allies — Kummerle works by day as Marketing Coordinator at sister company Music Allies — and received an overwhelming response, eventually choosing a majestic tiger stooped upon orange clouds for the cover image.
“We knew that we would know it when we saw it,” she recalls, noting that the winning submission “was actually the first design that came in.”
To mark the album’s release, Paper Tiger will perform alongside several of Asheville’s fellow genre-bending acts at the Orange Peel’s local electronic showcase on Saturday. Strangely, Kummerle says the gig has been in the planning stages since early November and the fact that it coincides with the album release was pure luck.
“These are bands that I would want at my album release party anyway, if it was all my party,” she says. “So it worked out perfectly. It gave us the venue, and it gave me help in billing it out. It’s just really good timing.” To round out the lineup for the release, the band is enlisting the help of some friends, including Chuck Lichtenberger, who played keys on much of the recording, Dave Mathes, the band’s new drummer and cellist Franklin Keel. In addition, videographer Ben Mason will be on hand to “set the ambiance and mood.”
So come Have Fun with Paper Tiger. They really want to play for you.
“This project is so close to my heart that when people really get it and really want to hear it, it’s like, ‘Oh god, I really want to share it with you!” Kummerle says with unmistakable sincerity. “We really want to come play!”
— Dane Smith can be reached at dsmith@mountainx.com.
who: Paper Tiger, with The Nova Echo, Sonmi Suite and Dep
what: Local showcase
where: The Orange Peel
when: Saturday, Jan. 15 (9 p.m. $5. theorangepeel.net)
SIDEBAR FOR DANE’S PAPER TIGER STORY
Along with Paper Tiger, the Orange Peel’s local showcase this month features three more buzz-worthy electronic acts:
The Nova Echo
Energetic, boisterous, pop-savvy, futuristic, young, going places. Before they were well-known in Asheville, the electro-pop band made a name for itself at vampire conventions. In fact, ConventionFansBlog.com says that for the March, 2011 EyeCon The Vampire Diaries, “The first musical guest to be announced is The Nova Echo.” The group (Caleb Hanks, Evan Bradford, Will Arledge, Matt Hixon, Lee Brooks and Jeremy London) recently released its sophomore album, Voyager, which can be downloaded for free or donation at thenovaecho.net.
Sonmi Suite
Experimental, atmospheric, driving, practiced, complex, impeccable. Sonmi Suite (David Mathes, Mike McBride and Robert Garmhausen) has one of the coolest-ever websites on which all of the features (music, photos, blog) are included along with motor assembly, oxygen tanks and ventilation garments on two fully diagrammed astronauts. Hard to top this self-description: “Through their synonymous awareness of harmony, texture, meter, (a)symmetry and the analogous relationship of predictability and unpredictability, they were immediately able to create music that smeared multiple genres together, creating a gyroscope of emotions throughout their sets.” More at sonmisuite.com.
Dep
Prolific, proficient, innovative, introspective, timeless, cinematic. Dep is the recording name of producer/one-man-band Danny Peck. His compositions are “a blend of techniques involving digital/analogue sounds, field recordings, circuit bending and basic sequencing all wrapped up in to melodic explorations in electronica,” but the compelling beauty of his work shares as much, aesthetically, with harpsichords and violins as with synthesizers and Moogerfoogers. Check out Dep’s most recent release, My Quiet Life, and his other free, downloadable tracks, at dep.fm.
— Alli Marshall
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Asheville electronica duo Paper Tiger plugs in for Orange Peel show
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Riding the wave of momentum from its jam-packed MoogFest performance, local electronica act Paper Ti...Riding the wave of momentum from its jam-packed MoogFest performance, local electronica act Paper Tiger releases its new disc among friends Saturday night at The Orange Peel.
Combining the release of the album “Me Have Fun” with additional performances from Dep, Sonmi Suite and The Nova Echo, the voice of Paper Tiger, Molly Kummerle, hopes this big night of music will spotlight the immense talent for locally made electronica.
“I only thought this was possible in a perfect world,” said Kummerle. “And then it just all came together. ... The other bands were in, and this turned into a much bigger night.”
“I felt a huge amount of community support — so much love on a personal and professional level after MoogFest,” said Kummerle. “I mean, to be one of only five local bands on the bill with some of our heroes like Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation. It just made me want to raise the bar again for Paper Tiger.”
No stranger to the local music scene, Kummerle built a strong following with her jazzy ensemble Ruby Slippers before creating Paper Tiger with DJ Isaac Gottfried.
“By making the distinction between the two bands, really focusing on the sound of Paper Tiger, I can better serve Ruby Slippers, too,” said Kummerle.
This new disc took more than two years to finally come together, but the result — including the packaging — has been a lesson in letting go and letting others in.
“I was rushing at first to finish, and then it seemed like when it happens, we will be the band we are supposed to be,” Kummerle said. “
Paper Tiger takes the stage with a full live band, including Dave Mathes on drums, Franklin Keel on cello, Chuck Lichtenberger on melodica and live visuals by Ben Mason of neb.cinema.
Amy Jones writes about music for the Citizen-Times. E-mail her at ajontheair@hotmail.com
Additional Facts
IF YOU GO
Who: Paper Tiger with The Nova Echo, Sonmi Suite & Dep.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
Where: The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave.
Tickets: $5.
More: www.theorangepeel.net.
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Seeing Red
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Singer-songwriter Molly Kummerle (aka Ruby Slippers) kicks off an over-the-rainbow career in Ashevil...Singer-songwriter Molly Kummerle (aka Ruby Slippers) kicks off an over-the-rainbow career in Asheville.
by Joanne O’Sullivan . photos by Anthony Bellemare
There are singers, and then there are performers. Molly Kummerle is the latter. The voice, the moves, the clothes, the makeup and that certain je ne sais quoi that makes it all look easy—Kummerle has the total package, including the fabulous alter-ego and stage name Ruby Slippers. Working in a musical range that spans sultry electronic to smoky cabaret, she’s frequently on stage locally in clubs and festivals, and when she’s not, she’s probably in the recording studio. (Or, she’s coordinating coverage for major music festivals at her music-biz day job, festival marketing coordinator for Music Allies in Asheville.) And while she may someday entertain the idea of moving to a big city to be a rock star, at the moment she’s committed to kicking things off right here in Asheville.
Kummerle grew up on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, listening to steel drums, calypso and her parents’ jazz and R & B records. When Hurricane Hugo hit the island hard in 1989, the family chose an unlikely spot for relocation: an old farmhouse in Barnardsville, where her mother, fiber artist Marcia Kummerle started raising angora goats and making yarn under the label Good Fibrations.
An eclectic, bohemian upbringing to be sure, but as an English major at Brevard College, Kummerle didn’t envision herself becoming a performer. In fact, she wanted to be a nature writer. But then, a few months after graduating, she sang backup in a friend’s soul band, and truly, it was all over. Songs came to her as she walked, rhythm informing words, and she played around with singing and songwriting.
It wasn’t until Stephanie Morgan of Stephanie’s Id invited her to do a cabaret event at Tressa’s that she really came into her own. The cabaret character Ruby Slippers was born. “She’s sort of French and sweet, but also mischievious,” says Kummerle. “She’s my inner child.” She began performing regularly under that band name with Andy John and Robin Tolleson. Jazzy, but with an acid lounge twist, the group drew raves and Kummerle drew comparisons to singers from Fiona Apple to Natalie Merchant.
Ruby Slippers is one side of Kummerle’s musical personality, but there are others. Performing live with DJ Mingle (aka Isaac Gottfried) turned into what she describes as a “downtempo pop electronic project” called Paper Tiger. Along with drummer Dave Mathis, Paper Tiger has played at the Orange Peel, Moog Fest, POP Asheville, LAFF and the Emerald Lounge. They recorded a CD, Me Have Fun, that was released in January, and they’re working on another this spring. While there’s a certain sultriness to Paper Tiger’s sound, there’s a stronger kinship to groups like Portishead or Thievery Corporation.
Of her musical evolution, Kummerle says, “I’m always challenging myself to make music that’s more and more ‘me’.” But she’s also invested in boosting the local music scene however she can. “I want to raise awareness about the electronic scene here—it’s so rich and diverse,” she says. “The higher we raise the bar, the better it will be for all of us.”
Ruby Slippers will perform at Tressa’s on May 6. Paper Tiger is slated to perform at Bele Chere in July. www.papertigermusic.com.
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Album Review: Paper Tiger – Me Have Fun
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Asheville, NC is known for a great many things — a handful of which can be found noted on CoS‘s cove...Asheville, NC is known for a great many things — a handful of which can be found noted on CoS‘s coverage of the inaugural Moogfest 2010. As a hub for music and the arts, North Carolina’s dearest mountain city rests firmly in the palm of the late Robert Moog’s memory, an eclectic reverberation of electronics and DJs surpassing anything we could possibly dream up. Rising from the fires of these multiple craft facets are Isaac Gottfried (aka MINGLE) and Molly Kummerle (aka RubySlippers), who together form lounge/trip-hop duo Paper Tiger.
Paper Tiger’s own back-story is introduced by the following statement: “In the beginning, there was a jazz singer who met a DJ/producer. They shared a mutual love of Radiohead and collaborated on their own cover version of ‘Fake Plastic Trees’. [...] Although both [Isaac & Molly] were working with other projects, they felt a spark in their new creation and began to write and record their own material.”
That is nothing to scoff at, in terms of an origin story, though I would not dare call Me Have Fun a harbinger of Brit-rock imitation — in fact, far from it. At the outset of openers “Happy Hour” and the album’s title single, you get snippets of a clearly straight-vinyl sample, a bubbly child trying to giggle his way through spit, and a transition from whimsy to moody as the haunting scope of “Me Have Fun” chimes in. Kummerle subtly brings her whispering vocals in, whilst Gottfried lays a very jazzy set of layers behind her — textbook, but skillful.
Segueing from “And So On”, an acoustic guitar kicks off “Don’t Panic Betty”, and you find the scheme of things playing itself out: songs and segues alternate from beginning to end, only dropping the ball abruptly every so often, in terms of smoothness on progression. Me Have Fun is a nearly instrumental piece by and large, with Kummerle serving as more of an additional instrument than a distinctive voice in the sea of sounds. There are elements of funk (“Hibiscus”, “Last Call”, “Window”), R&B (“Deep Sea”), Middle Eastern influence (“Paper Tiger”), and even the essence of Zero-7 (“Freezer”); these theme changes are minutiae to those who do not dabble in trip-hop regularly, but in instances where Kummerle comes to the forefront, she shines as daftly as Gottfried would fit in remixing a pop.
I would not consider anything lyrical here to be astounding, save a few lines on “Freezer”, but if you bought this album expecting trip-hop, the likelihood that lyrics were your main focus are slim to none, in retrospect.
To call this act the States’ answer to England’s own Portishead would be accurate and can contribute to discussion on the debut release of Me Have Fun in ways both good and bad. Will it transcend genres or make an everlasting shift known in the world of electronic music? Hardly, but there is no displeasure in listening, and definitely no harsh criticisms beyond a fine line betwixt derivation and inspiration. Kummerle’s and Gottfried’s individual projects and accolades lend credibility to anything either of them touch, and while Me Have Fun is substantially devoid of pop hooks or melancholy, Paper Tiger is a new phase for our two heroes, overall.
Pity the game’s already been saturated for some time. Here’s to hoping we’ll see King Britt make a mark alongside Paper Tiger in the near future?
RATED: 3 out of 5 stars
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Paper Tiger: On the Prowl
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Sweet dreams are made of this: from the opening seconds of Me Have Fun (a sample — vinyl-sourced, na...Sweet dreams are made of this: from the opening seconds of Me Have Fun (a sample — vinyl-sourced, natch — of regal horns, followed shortly by a slinky, downtempo bass/percussion throb), the listener can’t help but sense he or she is in for something special. Indeed, as the next 50-odd minutes unfold you’re transported into a hazy-yet-glistening universe of blissed-out beats and dense, trip-hop textures; of sensual keyboard lines and deft deployment of head-turning samples; and most important, of riveting, deeply soulful female vocals that are simultaneously seductive and vulnerable.
Meet Paper Tiger: singer Molly Kummerle and beatmaster Isaac Gottfried, who are helping to transform Asheville’s electronic/dance milieu into something akin to the vaunted Bristol, UK, scene that gave the world Massive Attack and Portishead.
“We are definitely of those bands, and honored,” says Kummerle, also of local jazz/soul outfit RubySlippers, when asked if the Bristol comment holds water. (Reviewers have often compared her vocals to Beth Gibbons of Portishead.) “Some of my favorite music comes from the European electronic scene, and we also have a great love of old school hip-hop mixed in with Motown.” Adds Gottfried, aka DJ Mingle, “There’s no escaping the fact that our collective tastes from the past have melded into our current style. That being said, I also hope we can be seen as something a little different, and I think this will become more evident as Paper Tiger moves forward.”
No question there. Formally together for about a year and a half — Kummerle and Gottfried met in 2002, and first collaborated on a cover of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”; they later tested the live waters as simply RubySlippers/Mingle — Paper Tiger’s trajectory tilted skyward several notches last fall when the band performed at the three-day MoogFest in Asheville, putting them in front of an international audience. Glowing reviews for Me Have Fun have furthered the momentum, and plans are in place for a new video and an EP of remixes while they work on material for the next album.
There’s also to be an uptick in concert appearances, including a set at this summer’s Bele Chere festival, although intriguingly, Gottfried will be dialing back his live activity to concentrate on the production side. Drummer David Mathes, from Sonmi Suite, has already been working with the band, so he and Kummerle will form the core touring version of Paper Tiger, with selected other players sitting in when possible. Explains Gottfried, of his decision to remain in the studio, “It can be difficult to decide how your music is going to be played live, simply because of the sheer number of ways it can be done. Molly and David have been tweaking the live show to allow for sounds to be triggered and played by the both of them.”
Both musicians are quick to point out that there’s an exciting creative vibe surrounding Asheville these days, and that MoogFest in particular raised the bar not only for them but for the local music scene as well. And for her part, Kummerle can’t wait to showcase Paper Tiger in front of new faces. “We want to challenge our own art and not get too comfortable,” she says. “And I’m also a live performer, so there is a huge opportunity to be able to present your music and connect with a live audience to share in that energy created.”
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Tiger beat: Paper Tiger leads electronic line-up at Asheville’s Emerald Lounge
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Many people still associate Asheville with old-time and acoustic music, but electronica has develope...Many people still associate Asheville with old-time and acoustic music, but electronica has developed a deep following in the city.
“It’s been on the rise for at least the last 10 years,” says Paper Tiger singer Molly Kummerle (aka RubySlippers), talking to take5 after a class session on Ableton mixing technology. “There’s a huge electronic scene about to pop.”
Existing fans and those interested in the genre should hit the Emerald Lounge on Saturday, as Paper Tiger and Chattanooga, Tenn.’s Digital Butter bring a beat fest to the Lexington Avenue venue that includes DJ sets from Mike McBride (Peripheral) and Kummerle herself.
A seductive blend of Kummerle’s jazzy vocals and Isaac Gottfried’s mellow trip-hop grooves, Paper Tiger released its debut CD last January. After several years of performing, Gottfried (MINGLE) has decided to stick to production with the group, so Paper Tiger’s live show now features revamped sets and remixed samples.
“A live show never stops growing — you always find better ways to do things,” Kummerle says. Behind her smooth vocals Saturday will be Dave Mathes (Madlock) on drums, McBride on keys and samples, Ben Mason (neb.Cinema) on visual production, and guests such as Chuck Lichtenberger on melodica.
Digital Butter
The evening plugs in at 10 p.m. with Peripheral’s DJ set. His mix of serene melody and thick rhythm has drawn notice, including top honors in the initial Moogfest remix contest. “He is an incredible producer — his original content is amazing,” Kummerle says.
At 10:30 p.m., Digital Butter takes over, marking its first show in Asheville. Featuring, as Kummerle says, “a skinny white guy, a drummer and a gorgeous front woman,” the trio is Becky Ribeiro (Bexy), on vocals and trumpet, Adam Staudacher (SKiNNYiLL) on production and bass, and Hunter White (H-note) on drums. “We’ve wanted to bring them for a long time,” Kummerle says. “It’s such a sultry, R&B, edgy electronic sound. It’s really catchy.”
Molly Parti
After Paper Tiger’s midnight performance, Kummerle wraps the show at 1 a.m. with her debut DJ set under the moniker Molly Parti. Mixing samples through a MIDI controller is another outlet for her to explore the sonic possibilities of electronic music. “It seems to fit me more than anything else I’ve done,” Kummerle says about electronica. “This is the opportunity to play and have fun.”
In the wake of Moogfest’s big crowds and the instrument maker’s move downtown, look for the local electronic scene to keep growing, Kummerle says. That includes a new Paper Tiger disc next year. “We’re six or seven songs into a new record,” she notes. “We’re all still working on music all the time.”
Flynn writes about entertainment for take5. Email mickfly@bellsouth.net.
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Let The Moogfest Begin
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Moogfest is only just starting in Asheville, N.C. and already I've had the chance to hear Brian Eno ...Moogfest is only just starting in Asheville, N.C. and already I've had the chance to hear Brian Eno talk about his brilliantly beautiful sound and visual installation, "77 Million Paintings," a piece that addresses the role of the composer in music. Or maybe that should be the lack of a role: Both the visual and sound portions of this installation rely on a set of rules that determines what you see and what you hear. Images are displayed on three computer screens, and slowly change over time as sound comes from CD boomboxes set up around the room. Each boombox has a CD of different music, and, like the images, the sounds are randomly selected.
At the installation, I also had a chance to meet Eno, the musician I most admire. In a rare moment for me, I asked for his autograph. I have a set of his "Oblique Strategies" cards, a deck of cryptic messages intended to help artists find different creative paths. I asked him to choose from the deck and sign a card.
That night, still a day before the official festival began, I went to the pre-Moogfest party for Tobacco, a side project from the singer for the psychedelic band Black Moth Super Rainbow. I liked them live a lot, but was drawn back to the Eno installation, where I sat on a couch and enjoyed the rich imagery and soundscape. I was alone and it was late, and eventually I was asked to leave so the staff could close the installation for the night. I'll just have to keep going back. Before the night ended, I headed back to the clubs to see a few good local Asheville bands, including RBTS WIN and Paper Tiger.
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Album Review: Paper Tiger – Me Have Fun
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Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Asheville, NC is known for a great many things — a handful of which can be...Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Asheville, NC is known for a great many things — a handful of which can be found noted on CoS‘s coverage of the inaugural Moogfest 2010. As a hub for music and the arts, North Carolina’s dearest mountain city rests firmly in the palm of the late Robert Moog’s memory, an eclectic reverberation of electronics and DJs surpassing anything we could possibly dream up. Rising from the fires of these multiple craft facets are Isaac Gottfried (aka MINGLE) and Molly Kummerle (aka RubySlippers), who together form lounge/trip-hop duo Paper Tiger.
Paper Tiger’s own back-story is introduced by the following statement: “In the beginning, there was a jazz singer who met a DJ/producer. They shared a mutual love of Radiohead and collaborated on their own cover version of ‘Fake Plastic Trees’. [...] Although both [Isaac & Molly] were working with other projects, they felt a spark in their new creation and began to write and record their own material.”
That is nothing to scoff at, in terms of an origin story, though I would not dare call Me Have Fun a harbinger of Brit-rock imitation — in fact, far from it. At the outset of openers “Happy Hour” and the album’s title single, you get snippets of a clearly straight-vinyl sample, a bubbly child trying to giggle his way through spit, and a transition from whimsy to moody as the haunting scope of “Me Have Fun” chimes in. Kummerle subtly brings her whispering vocals in, whilst Gottfried lays a very jazzy set of layers behind her — textbook, but skillful.
Segueing from “And So On”, an acoustic guitar kicks off “Don’t Panic Betty”, and you find the scheme of things playing itself out: songs and segues alternate from beginning to end, only dropping the ball abruptly every so often, in terms of smoothness on progression. Me Have Fun is a nearly instrumental piece by and large, with Kummerle serving as more of an additional instrument than a distinctive voice in the sea of sounds. There are elements of funk (“Hibiscus”, “Last Call”, “Window”), R&B (“Deep Sea”), Middle Eastern influence (“Paper Tiger”), and even the essence of Zero-7 (“Freezer”); these theme changes are minutiae to those who do not dabble in trip-hop regularly, but in instances where Kummerle comes to the forefront, she shines as daftly as Gottfried would fit in remixing a pop.
I would not consider anything lyrical here to be astounding, save a few lines on “Freezer”, but if you bought this album expecting trip-hop, the likelihood that lyrics were your main focus are slim to none, in retrospect.
To call this act the States’ answer to England’s own Portishead would be accurate and can contribute to discussion on the debut release of Me Have Fun in ways both good and bad. Will it transcend genres or make an everlasting shift known in the world of electronic music? Hardly, but there is no displeasure in listening, and definitely no harsh criticisms beyond a fine line betwixt derivation and inspiration. Kummerle’s and Gottfried’s individual projects and accolades lend credibility to anything either of them touch, and while Me Have Fun is substantially devoid of pop hooks or melancholy, Paper Tiger is a new phase for our two heroes, overall.
Pity the game’s already been saturated for some time. Here’s to hoping we’ll see King Britt make a mark alongside Paper Tiger in the near future?
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Me Likey Me Have Fun
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Paper Tiger
Me Have Fun
(Boy Girl Recordings)
Rating (Scale of 1 to 100): 81
Genre: Lounge, Trip...Paper Tiger
Me Have Fun
(Boy Girl Recordings)
Rating (Scale of 1 to 100): 81
Genre: Lounge, Trip Hop, Electronic, Singer Songwriter
You’ll Like it If: You must be ensconced in velvet whenever you play Portishead.
Defining Song: “Paper Tiger”–The track melts into a wash of strings and the sultry trappings of Kummerle’s voice. The aesthetically pleasing tune is a short lived two minutes, compelling the finger to hit repeat with obsessive recurrence.
Trip Hop is tricky. While it can seem effortless, anyone who has witnessed Massive Attack or Portishead live knows that every pore is dedicated to the music and the visual landscape. Asheville can now claim some of that seemingly facile cool thanks to local band, Paper Tiger, a duo consisting of jazz/lounge singer, Molly Kummerle and DJ/producer, Isaac Gottfried.
The two met about seven years ago through a mutual love of music and all the trappings Asheville offers for artists. When Molly wasn’t performing as her alter ego cabaret star, Ruby Slippers, and Issac wasn’t dropping beats as MINGLE, they tinkered with sounds that slowly melded into what is now Paper Tiger.
Their debut album, Me Have Fun, slowly arose from its comfy chair and entered the public arena in January, 2011. The end result is a sublime mix of sneaky keyboards, unique samples (including a baby coo) that ambush the ear, and Kummerle’s silky voice to guide us through the world of Paper Tiger.
The comparisons to the Trip Hop masters are evident, but it would be unfair to namedrop folks like Thievery and end there. Me Have Fun is an original work of art and deserves its own recognition. It’s a big world inside the album with a surprise at every turn.
“Happy Hour” starts the album with a horn revelry and a sample audience clap and ends a half hour later on “Last Call”, with Kummerle’s voice giving way to a grainy vinyl sample of a simple piano. In between lies the adventure. “Hibiscus” hits the funky stride with violin trickles and graceful keyboards thanks to guest Chuck Lichtenberger (of Stephanie’s Id). “Folded Laundry” plays up to the metaphor of complicated relationships without surrendering to maudlin, and “Hugo” sits complete with dark swagger and Beach Boys sampling.
Me Have Fun is a an album to cozy up to with bottle of wine (or absinthe for the saucier minded) or to jump start a party in need of voltage. It works either way. Kummerle and Gottfried own so many ideas on this album that it will compel the listener to have different emotions with every listen. It’s a good thing, and I hope their future output continues this myriad of escapades.
For more on Paper Tiger, go to their website www.papertigermusic.com
Check out this interview with Molly in the new Verve Magazine
How do you feel about Paper Tiger’s new album? Is it up to your trip hop standards?
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Me Have Fun: Paper Tiger – Album Review - WUAG 103.1 FM
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Every so often a debut album comes out that reams of style and poise, enter Paper Tiger. Stemming fr...Every so often a debut album comes out that reams of style and poise, enter Paper Tiger. Stemming from Asheville, the art basin of North Carolina, Paper Tiger’s Me Have Fun is a further evolution for sultry trip-hop. This beat heavy, sample-driven album reintroduces listeners to the ground work laid by the likes of Portishead of the 90’s and more recently Little Dragon. The duo of Producer Isaac Gottfried and Vocalist Molly Kummerle, create a progressive blend of storytelling laid over groove laden instrumentation. It is true this combination has been recycled time and time again. But the key is to do it well.
Isaac’s productions put you in the mind of his predecessors King Britt and DJ Spinna. He shines the most on his host of interludes that layer the album. From the intro having the 70’s female sample to the head-bobbing outro, we are given hints towards his influences while given clips of his ranging skill. Molly opens the pages of her bedside journal to display a vulnerable self that is coming to terms with her soul. Delivering ballads pressed against melodic orchestration that has a since passed rhythmic blues sense to it. Track 19 “Folded Laundry” represents the height of both Isaac and Molly’s worlds coming together at one time.
Paper Tiger’s Me Have Fun is a quality display of a beat-defined soul record. It pulls from genres like Trip-Hop and Soul, with hints into the mind of a singer/songwriter. Me Have Fun, solid for kids of all ages…
Prez
DJ/Music Critic
WUAG 103.1 FM
www.wuag.net
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Paper Tiger — Me Have Fun (Boy Girl Recordings)
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An eclectic blend of trip-hop, Shirley Bassey/Bond theme and lounge jazz, the Asheville duo makes la...An eclectic blend of trip-hop, Shirley Bassey/Bond theme and lounge jazz, the Asheville duo makes late-night mood music for the louche and lovelorn alike. The duo blend synth textures, samples and processed beats with just enough organic elements — ringing guitar notes, double-tracked vocals, shuffling percussion — to tilt toward soulful intimacy rather than, say, Portishead’s creeping existentialism or Beth Orton’s summery trip-folk. The duo link longer songs with instrumental or vocal snippets, creating an album-long dream-scape of cocktail cool.
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Truly, Deeply, Madly ... Spotlight on Molly Kummerle
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When I first moved to Asheville in 2002, I immediately set out to hear local music to make friends a...When I first moved to Asheville in 2002, I immediately set out to hear local music to make friends and become familiar with the “scene.” Many artists left me feeling awe and star struck. One of those artists was one, Molly Kummerle. She was and still performs regularly at downtown clubs, festivals and concerts and back then it was with a trio called Ruby Slippers. Three accomplished creative musicians made up the group and while multi instrumentalist Andy John and drummer Robin Tolleson were integral parts of the ethereal trip hop sounds, it was Molly’s arresting stage presence and voice that captivated me.
Since that time, she’s immersed herself into a plethora of projects and causes that are testament to her tireless journey to share her incredibly unique voice to the aforementioned “scene.”
I had the immense pleasure to speak with her at length about her musical path.
Your voice is a mixture of smoky undertones and full throated wail that beacons listeners into the stories you weave around ethereal melodies and haunting moog sounds. When and how did you find your voice?
Am I there yet? I feel like my voice is a life path. I connect with it and keep connecting with it more and more. I found access to my voice when I was singing back up with Mavis (R&B soul group) and that was when I really started to feel comfortable as a singer and with the sound of my voice. Before, I sang because I loved to sing, but I didn’t necessarily love the way it sounded. I had to find my perspective as a singer and where I’m coming from and then learn how to embrace it, embody it. Soul music and R&B helped me find it. Singing back up is truly challenging because you have to read and gauge where the lead singer’s going. It was a really tight project but there was also space to improvise.
Your graceful stage presence is obviously influenced by the grooves and it suggests your deep connection with each tune’s subject matter. Tell me about how you develop and craft the songs.
I have a couple different processes. If the song starts out with me (I co-write with my producer Isaac Gottfried) I usually hear a bass line or rhythm first. The rhythm drives the lyrics and phrasing. I’ll have one or two ideas for lyrics. It starts to fall-in together in parts – like watching a pin ball game. If the bass line drives the whole thing, then everything else reacts and counters off it. The vocal part comes to me like a horn line. Then I’ll put lyrics to that. If it starts with Isaac, he’ll give me a rough loop that includes some samples that include a bass line and drum beat. Then I’m inspired to create vocal melodies to go with those.
Paper Tiger is your latest project and you partnered with North Carolina’s School of the Arts School of Filmmaking to create a stunning debut video of a song of yours called Me Have Fun. How did you decide to work this particular tune as opposed to any others from the upcoming new release?
It was serendipitous really. I had known the cinematographer Greg Hudgins and director Chris Searcey from years ago. Greg sent me a message on myspace that he was looking for a college senior filmmaking project. He was my drama partner from years back and worked at the Fine Arts Theatre I frequented. I had previously worked with Chris on another student film project. The entire experience was incredibly professional from the very start. We had meaningful and productive meetings which was key. They were sensitive to what this would mean for us and them. Isaac and I decided to send them 7 song samples from the upcoming release and we just said, pick one that you guys vibe with most, and we’ll do the one you choose. It just so happens they connected with the title track, Me Have Fun.
Many accolades about past and present projects have honed into the mastery of the sound and feel of the music, but I want you to talk about the songs’ contents lyrically too. Deep Sea contains contradictions while Special Sauce makes me stop and t
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Interview with Paper Tiger: How they chose the winner
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When Asheville-based pop duo Paper Tiger decided it was time for some awesome cover art to grace the...When Asheville-based pop duo Paper Tiger decided it was time for some awesome cover art to grace their recently recorded album, Me Have Fun, they enlisted the help of Creative Allies to find the perfect design.
Over 100 submissions were entered from Allies members all over the globe and the duo finally decided on Chilean designer Vela, who created a retro-stylized design.
Paper Tiger frontwoman Molly Kummerle shares with Creative Allies the behind-the-scenes joys and challenges of running a design contest, and how she and musical partner Issac Gottfried of Mingle finally chose their winning design.
What got you to post a contest on Creative Allies?
First of all, we had an awesome time with the contest — it was a lot of fun! We decided to run a contest because we wanted to interact with our fans and get some communication out about the album. We wanted to get people involved and excited about our music.
We also didn’t have a clear enough vision of what we wanted the album to look like to give good direction to one designer without driving them nuts. Letting go of the fact that we are musicians and not designers, we knew we would know the design when we saw it, and we really wanted to get a lot of different ideas.
How do you feel about the designs that were submitted?
We got some really killer designs that made choosing the winning cover very difficult, but was also an awesome part of the process. Both Isaac and I would get so excited when we would see new submissions. We would text each other and talk about them. I know, we are such dorks!
What sorts of things were you looking for in the final design?
We felt that an album cover should speak for the music, that it should be a visual representation of the music. It should make people want to look again and then pick it up.
Then we wanted it to be representative of us – simple, fun, bold but also subtle. We wanted to make sure that the design popped without being too busy — that it would stand out and be memorable in color scheme and pattern.
The band name needed to stand out most, then the album title, because honestly, your cd is your business card. We asked ourselves: “What kind of band/music does this look like it will be?”
We didn’t want to be blatant & cliche, but we also didn’t want it to make us look like a genre that we weren’t, metal, indie rock, techno…
We wanted to be able to carry the design elements over to the rest of the album packaging. We wanted a color scheme that we really felt at home with that we could weave into all of our imaging – website, posters, stickers etc.
What was it about Vela’s design that made you choose it in the end?
We thought it would be really diversifiable and that is why we chose it. When it came down to it, we meshed with the shapes, the colors, the simplicity and the boldness. We thought that it represented us well and would stand the test of time.
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Paper Tiger – me have fun [Stream]
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Paper Tiger is an original Downtempo Trip-Hop project, inspired by sounds, instruments, vinyl record...Paper Tiger is an original Downtempo Trip-Hop project, inspired by sounds, instruments, vinyl records and ideas and the brainchild of DJ/Producer MINGLE and jazz singer RubySlippers.
Their latest project “me have fun” has been in my rotation for a while now, one because I’m still trying to decipher all the samples used in their tracks and two because I’m really digging track #17
Another great thing about Paper Tiger is that they hail from my hometown and will be performing at the annual street festival known as “Bele Chere” on July 30th. Great to see the festival of my youth being more open to new sounds.
Head over to Paper Tiger’s Bandcamp to stream/support the LP.
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SoundTrack Paper Tiger and Melanaster at the Hookah Bar 1/13/2010
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by Jake Frankel
Fans of Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation take note: Asheville has its own de...by Jake Frankel
Fans of Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation take note: Asheville has its own deeply sexy lounge act.
On a recent cold night, Hookah Joe's hosted Paper Tiger and The Melanaster Band, each group offering trippy, down-tempo beats and minimalist sounds that showed why they're two of Asheville's most unique and promising bands.
Paper Tiger created a seductive mood from the start with "Folded Laundry," a song centered around DJ/producer MINGLE's classic '70s disco guitar samples and the breathy whispers and jazzy confessions of singer Molly Kummerle (aka RubySlippers). The obvious creative chemistry between the duo continued throughout their set as they played material from their forthcoming debut, Me Have Fun, creating a laid-back atmosphere that resonated perfectly in the intimate, smoky hookah den. Highlights included "Lost & Found" and "Deep Sea," which combined an introspective red wine-sipping vibe with old school hip-hop and restrained electro-sexiness.
For most of the set the duo was joined by drummer Dave Mathes, best known as a member of local live-electronica band Sonmi Suite. Mathes added heft to the beats, but was often a bit too high in the mix, his live snare and cymbal hits often overpowering the subtleties of Kummerle's vocals and MINGLE's tastefully layered instrumentals.
Also contributing to the performance was video artist neb.Cinema, whose stylized, dreamy live projections perfectly captured and amplified the subtleties of Kummerle's heavily eye-shadowed facial expressions and the sly movements of her glittered-up black gloves.
The ensemble finished the set with the album's title track, its catchy Rhodes flourishes and chorus of passionate pleas between lovers making it a single that could earn the group wider recognition come early 2010. Fans of Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation take note — Asheville now has a deeply sexy lounge act of its own.
Next up was The Melanaster Band, a new group orchestrated by the recently turned-local singer/songwriter/DJ/multi-instrumentalist Marley Carroll. Named after a species of jellyfish, the group bears the same moniker as Carroll's 2007 debut album (Melanaster), which was praised on NPR as "gorgeously subdued glitch-pop."
Carroll spent four years meticulously crafting the album; writing, recording and playing all the songs (and instruments) himself. To recreate them live, he recruited some of Asheville's top musicians to help, including Billy Cardine (Biscuit Burners), Barrett Smith (Town Mountain), Ryan Lassiter (Jonathan Scales Fourchestra) and Jake Wolf (Cabo Verde). This was only their second performance together, but you never would've known it from the quality of their playing.
They performed Carroll's brilliantly composed songs like "For North Carolina" and "Highway Hearts" with sophisticated precision and natural builds, the layers of guitars creating tension with subtle textures rather than cliché and aggressive licks. Together, they masterfully sculpted the album's melancholy, under-the-ocean mood, Wolf's bass lines gently bubbling along amidst the swirling currents of Carroll's keyboards. Cardine's piercing Dobro slides often sounded like the cries of whales, or rays of sunlight piercing the ocean's depths.
Carroll's submerged voice gently guided the way as he navigated the lyrical dark waters of isolation, displacement and identity without ever allowing himself to drown in his own depression. There was a sense of wonder and a determined beat at the heart of the watery explorations that helped keep them afloat. The Melanaster Band wasn't yet quite as sophisticated or precise as Radiohead (an obvious influence), but on this night they proved themselves to be similarly adept students of manifesting a complicated range of human emotions into ethereal sounds.
Paper Tiger plays The Rocket Club on Jan. 15. More at myspace.com/thepapertigermusic.
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Paper Tiger presents new jazzy, electronic vibe
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By Lindsay Nash
take5 Correspondent
Paper Tiger's music is jazzy, swanky, electronic and sophis...By Lindsay Nash
take5 Correspondent
Paper Tiger's music is jazzy, swanky, electronic and sophisticated, a rare blend that makes for the perfect soundtrack to a drive or night on the town.
On Friday, that eclectic sound will be featured at the Hookah Bar in Asheville for an evening of music and live visuals.
The electronic trip-hop duo formerly known as RubySlippers with MINGLE have come together to create a new sound and new band. They expect to release their new album, “Me Have Fun,” in February.
“We started collaborating eight or nine years ago,” said Molly Kummerle. “We did a cover on a Radiohead song and started writing together. And it finally occurred to us that we should pay more attention to this and make it our full-time deal.”
The duo is made of Kummerle and Isaac Gottfried, a DJ and producer of MINGLE, of Asheville.
For the fans of RubySlipper, Kummerle describes the new sound as “a less bit less rock ‘n' roll.”
“I feel like it's still very simple and has a jazzy flavor, but it's fuller,” she said. “It's not flashy. It's kind of got this lazy sophistication to it that I really love but it's also still really playful and fun.”
The new name, Kummerle explained, explains a lot about what their music is about.
“The songs are about life, the strangeness of it, the toughness of it, but also the delicacy and tenderness of it,” she said.
Gottfried, the other half of the duo, explains the new sound as a lot of different genres rolled into one.
“It's hip-hop beats with sort of a jazzy, funky, loungy, sountracky feel behind it,” he said. “And there are little bits of worldliness. You'll hear little Asian and Indian touches.”
Paper Tiger was featured in POPAsheville 2008 as well as the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival and showcased at the MOOG Foundation CD release party at The Orange Peel. The duo's song “Folded Laundry” is featured on Lunch Video Magazine.
Friend and fellow musician Stepanie Morgan, of stephanies?d, said the new music is most congruent to what's inside Kummerle. “She has had more creative control on this one than ever before,” Morgan said. “It's the most Molly.”
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The Positive Points of Negative Space
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The positive points of negative space
Ruby Slippers' front woman reveals her inner geek
by Alli Ma...The positive points of negative space
Ruby Slippers' front woman reveals her inner geek
by Alli Marshall
Band-room eyes: Molly Kummerle.
"I'd love to play my trombone again for kicks," admits Molly Kummerle, front woman of pop-jazz trio Ruby Slippers.
This isn't the sort of comment one expects from a sultry vocalist who wears her red tresses piled loosely on her head, dons lingerie tops and evening gowns for the stage, and pens lyrics about underwater fireflies.
Drape herself over a grand piano, sure. Heft a trombone? Well ...
"Out of all the brass instruments, I think it sounds most like the human voice," Kummerle continues. "Because it doesn't have valves, you can do so much with it."
She should know – she played the unwieldy instrument in school band. And, unlike most of us who are forever trying to shed our marching-band dorkiness, Ruby Slippers' singer is applying band-class principles to the lounge-club aesthetic of her current musical endeavor.
I [don't] want my MTV
"One thing that I learned being a band geek is that there are different parts [to a piece of music] and they're all important," Kummerle says. "For [Ruby Slippers], being a trio, every part is really important."
The vocalist got her start as a back-up singer in R&B outfit Mavis, but when that group broke up, Kummerle wanted to keep singing. At the weekly open-mic sessions hosted by Tressa's, Kummerle met drummer Robin Tolleson and guitarist Andy John, both seasoned musicians associated with various Asheville-based projects.
"I was trying to put together a band and Stephanie Morgan gave me [Andy's] phone number," the singer recalls. "I ended up putting us into the Gypsy Moon songwriting contest and we won $50. I said, 'See, you're gonna make money if you play with me.'"
Three years later, the trio has attracted a viable fan base and plays venues around the Southeast – but don't expect any rock-star antics or big-label deals on the horizon.
Living Room (Groosion Records, 2005), the group's first full-length CD, is a homegrown effort produced and arranged by the band and mastered by Asheville engineer Steven Heller. Mellow, jazzy grooves provide a vehicle for Kummerle's poetic, often-dreamy lyrics. There's a modern sheen to the album, offset by a passionate throwback at the end: "Miss Celie's Blues" from The Color Purple, which Kummerle croons to considerable effect.
"We don't have the great MTV goal," Kummerle says. "I don't know anybody who has that. What I'd like is for us to keep playing together."
If that sounds unlikely (what band, deep down, doesn't want to land a Rolling Stone cover?), keep in mind that Ruby Slippers considers themselves among a growing local scene that not only churns out singer-songwriters with pop savvy, but supports its own. "This is a great time to be a musician in Asheville," the vocalist insists. "I like the fact that Asheville is small. It's kind of cozy and very personable, [and] there are a lot of creative people, so it's easy to collaborate.
Between the lines
Which is to say, this singer has no plans to leave home. Born in the Virgin Islands, Kummerle moved with her family to WNC when she was in middle school – the trombone years. But, despite exotic beginnings, the front woman is happy in Asheville.
Instead of scoping LA or New York, Ruby Slippers is focused on "honing our chemistry," as Kummerle puts it. "[We're] like a little family – these two people know me really well. There's a lot of trust involved in making original music."
And, far from employing diva-esque maneuvers on stage or in the studio, Kummerle takes the less-is-more approach. "Something I've come to enjoy a lot is the use of space," she says. "We always joke, 'Oh, my favorite part was when you weren't playing.' It doesn't matter how much you have to say, it's [being able] to say what you have to say in the least amount.
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should."
More band-geek lessons? Maybe.
"I'm really shy," Kummerle admits. "Being a performer gives me an outlet to grow as a person; to meet people I wouldn't [meet] otherwise.
"I don't think of myself as 'that girl.' I still feel like a kid walking down the hall with the [trombone]. I was never one of the cool kids, to my knowledge – I've pretty much done what I wanted to do."
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An Asheville Band on a Musical Yellow Brick Road
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1 January 2008 — Rapid RiveR aRtS & CULtURe Magazine — Vol. 11, No. 5
RAPID RIVER ARTS & CU...
1 January 2008 — Rapid RiveR aRtS & CULtURe Magazine — Vol. 11, No. 5
RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE
An Asheville Band on A Musical Yellow Brick Road
Musically captivating and visually
arresting, Ruby Slippers is a
local band destined to have an
enormous impact on the Asheville
music scene. The group
can’t claim our mountains as
their first inspiration, though — that
credit goes to a hurricane.
Molly Kummerle, lead vocalist and
leader of Ruby Slippers, was born in St Croix, US Virgin Islands. The island, so dependent on tourists, was devastated by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Recovery would take years, too many, so Molly’s parents gathered their possessions and two daughters and moved to the Asheville area, a place previously visited and enjoyed. The daughters learned to love it here too, and still do.
The most curious question for Molly
is: how does a soccer playing trombonist (in middle and high school bands) become an outstanding vocalist, performer, and songwriter? “Three easy steps,“ Molly explains.
She let her love of music (“my sister
complains I sang loud but off key in
all our car trips”), performing (“always playing dressup in Mom’s clothes”), and her education (B.A. in English Lit) meld with her “courage to try.” Add the opportunity to sing backup with R&B band Mavis, which led to writing with local musicians, then singing those songs at Tressa’s
open mic nights with the
house band. “It all comes
together with the energy
that is shared by the audience
and the band.”
The name Ruby Slippers literally popped into existence late one
night. “We were all talking
about music being a journey with companions who come and sometimes have to go,” Molly remembers. “We face and overcome adversity, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz — that was it — ruby slippers! “ The name crystallized their feelings and lead to the birth of the band. Molly joined with drummer Robin Tolleson and multi-instrumentalist Andy John to form the band Ruby Slippers and cut the demo disc, which led to
their CD, Living Room.
The music in Living Room is a collaborative effort bringing out the best of
each musician’s experience. The vocals are sultry, the lyrics from the soul, the music jazz-influenced alternative rock — the result is mesmerizing.
But “you can’t stand still,” Molly
says. Unlike Dorothy who desperately wanted to go home, Molly Kummerle passionately wants to stay on the journey. “So I have to keep experimenting.”
She deliberately set out to challenge herself in a variety of performance and music formats. She performed in local stage plays, such as Rocky Horror Picture Show, Porgy and Bess and the Scarlet Letter. Crazy about cabarets, she studied cabaret-style shows like the Dresden Dolls, with its outrageous costumes and “characters without rules”. In addition, she began performing with an “all star” band, including different instruments, such as the cello, keyboards, and a DJ (electronic sounds). This wide experience is expanding her unique performing style and
evolving sound. She describes her music as “Indie Electronic Alternative with a Jazz influence.”
These days Ruby Slippers’ music is
becoming more of a reflection of Molly’s ideas — less jazz influence, more electronics (DJ). The new music has more of
an edge, but I can assure fans that it still contains the vocals and range of lyrics displayed in Living Room. Molly’s lyrics are poignant slices of life, shared with a close friend, or introspective musings on the storms and insights of life.
As exciting as Ruby Slippers is on
CD, it’s nothing compared to seeing
them perform live. Whether it’s the telling detail of a quiet tiny moment or the painful memory of a raging life storm, with Molly’s dreamlike movements Ruby Slippers will sweep you away.
Ruby Slippers is one of the 34 pop/
indie/alternative bands performing at this
year’s POP Asheville (formerly ID Fest).
LOCaL mUSiCianS
Ruby Slippers
Asheville Pop 2-Day Music Fest
When: Saturday & Sunday, January 19 & 20, 7:30 to 2:00 a.m.
Where: The Grey Eagle, the “new”
Rocket Club, and Stella Blue. A shuttle provides transportation between the three venues. ww.popasheville.com.
if you go
Molly Kummerle, lead
vocalist of Ruby Slippers.
An Asheville Band on a Musical Yellow Brick Road by Joe ZiniCH
Joe zinich is an avid fan of local
asheville musicians.
For more info on Ruby Slippers visit
www.rubyslippersmusic.com.
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Exerpt from: Localpalooza, Friday, Dec. 3; The Orange Peel
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"...the stunning – if not plain sexy – jazz 'n' rock sway of Ruby Slippers effectively reminded the ..."...the stunning – if not plain sexy – jazz 'n' rock sway of Ruby Slippers effectively reminded the faithful few gathered that the music's all that matters anyway."
"... lazy-in-a-real-good-way..."
Another attractive threesome in Ruby Slippers began the evening behind the beautiful voice of Molly Kummerle. The only real question we need to ask about this lady is: Where the hell did she come from? The answer, according to the band's Web site, is the Virgin Islands – which solidifies Kummerle's classy-diva thing as all the more intriguing.
Her voice melts butter across the room with microwave ease, while vaguely evoking the best of Ani DiFranco or even Fiona Apple. Kummerle's guitar/drums accompaniment completes the sultry jazz flavor of the Slippers' contemplative sound. Guitarist Andy John fingerpicks the lush textures of a Heritage hollow-body electric, while seasoned drummer Robin Tolleson displays jazz-trained prowess with his pedigreed strokes.
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Junk Journal: Localpalooza, Friday, Dec. 3; The Orange Peel
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And in addition to the Slide's inspired set, the flaming emo-meddling of Zero to Sixty and the stunn...And in addition to the Slide's inspired set, the flaming emo-meddling of Zero to Sixty and the stunning – if not plain sexy – jazz 'n' rock sway of Ruby Slippers effectively reminded the faithful few gathered that the music's all that matters anyway.
...Another attractive threesome in Ruby Slippers began the evening behind the beautiful voice of Molly Kummerle. The only real question we need to ask about this lady is: Where the hell did she come from? The answer, according to the band's Web site, is the Virgin Islands – which solidifies Kummerle's classy-diva thing as all the more intriguing.
Her voice melts butter across the room with microwave ease, while vaguely evoking the best of Ani DiFranco or even Fiona Apple. Kummerle's guitar/drums accompaniment completes the sultry jazz flavor of the Slippers' contemplative sound. Guitarist Andy John fingerpicks the lush textures of a Heritage hollow-body electric, while seasoned drummer Robin Tolleson displays jazz-trained prowess with his pedigreed strokes.
A bass player would complete their lazy-in-a-real-good-way sound, but Lord knows, with attendance numbers like Localpalooza had, the band probably can't afford to pay one.
supersonic
