Paper Arrows was born in a Chicago attic studio in the Winter of 2007.
What started as a group of quiet songs by Joe Goodkin (Burn Rome Burn), soon absorbed the production and instrumental talents of Jay Marino (Buddy Nuisance, Lindsay Anderson) and Darren Garvey (Buddy Nuisance, Cameron McGill), and the result is the full-length album Look Alive, which Quell Records will release on March 4, 2008.
So… why the name Paper Arrows?
Says Goodkin: “I liked the idea that these songs, and songs in general, are like arrows that you write and then fire into the air, hoping that they hit the intended targets… and Jay’s approach to producing the album was so conductive to that idea. Almost everything was recorded quickly… like first takes, second takes… even the vocals, he wouldn’t let me over-think them… we’d cut entire tunes in twenty, thirty minutes… and I think the result is that everything sounds fresh and direct and the “arrows” are more likely to hit home. My favorite moment is in the song “Again and Again”… it’s all live, one take (the first take actually), and if you listen closely you can hear the Blue Line train go by in the background, like a ghost, during the second verse…”
Look Alive was mixed by Manny Sanchez (Billy Corgan, Umphrey’s McGee) at Gravity Studios in Chicago, and mastered by Gravity’s Doug McBride (Augustana, Fallout Boy, The Walkmen).
Already at work on a second Paper Arrows release, Goodkin says, “We’re kicking around 20 or so songs… it’s fun because we established such a great chemistry and ability to write and record quickly… and the new material is really strong… if Look Alive is a quieter record about Chicago winters and loss, then the second record seems like it will be more about recovery and hope…” As Goodkin sings on the title track of Look Alive: “Spring is almost here.”
Joe Goodkin (vocals, guitar)
Jay Marino (bass, mandolin)
Darren Garvey (drums, piano)
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