A Paper Cup Band
Midwestern Post-Sarcastic
Label: self-releasedÂ
Minneapolis/Milwaukee/Lincoln cityboy folk trio A Paper Cup Band are fans of original, quality music ala The Violent Femmes, Wilco and Langhorne Slim.
They’re not thinking about selling millions of records or cashing a paycheck, and their album, Midwestern Post-Sarcastic, is carrying the musical torch for those of us trapped in cubicles 8-5 each day. Boasting 21 tracks of fickle musicality, this is one paper cup you’ll want to recycle.
A Paper Cup Band : “Cherry Bomb (Boom!)” (mp3)Â
The group is playing a couple local Minneapolis gigs before embarking on a significant West Coast tour through the end of August. Before they get all famous on us, we sat down with group leader Andrew Jansen to chat about the group, the record and your mom.
What’s the story of the group?
Kyle (drummer) and I (Andrew) are from a suburb just north of Milwaukee. We never met in high school. He was a freshman in high school when I just got to college but finally met when I told his sister I needed some musicians here in Minneapolis. I had always admired his playing, and he mine. So we met up and we started laying down the instrumentation for the songs I had been writing for the last couple months.
How do you describe your music?
A Paper Cup Band is a modern day jug band (sort of like a paper cup would be in the place of a jug) But that is really what we are trying to harness. That off the cuff, spry energy of spontaneity.
Tell us about the track “Never Have to Cry.”
I wrote it about my favorite band at the time Danielson and just how I feel that their outlook on life really makes life easier. They are real spiritual and I think they’ve helped me look on the brighter side multiple times in my life. One of the lines in it is “they sing for sake of the song” That’s what I want to do… and that’s what they do. And wonder what other people think the song is about. Maybe people feel I am singing about us as a band. I’m not sure.
What else is new with you guys?
We are working hard on many projects. I am working on a basement sort of cassette tape/cd under my alias Webby Moore. We are also working on an electronic sort of TV on the Radio meets the Violent Femmes meets Four Tet album called “Else as Other.” It’s about half way there. Then we have our stuff to play in basements our more gritty electric guitar and distorted bass stuff called “Detroit vs. Farming” that may be a side project or an album we really don’t know yet. Many of those songs we do play live already and will possibly play at the hexagon this sat.
Wow, you guys are really busy, huh?
We don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Sometimes you feel like all this is too much to work towards. Obviously, there is no money in it. And that’s fine. I just fine that my hobby can sometimes keep me from even making money in other ways (i.e. not getting more hours at jobs because of tour and what not). It’s taxing. But it is so worth it. Sometimes I feel we get to do this for the rest of society that can’t. I feel blessed.
You have some big shows coming up, right?
We do have some amazing shows coming up. Including a killer at the Hexagon this Sat July 14th with Skoal Kodiak and Omaur Bliss. I real diverse line-up. Not to mention a show the day before and the day after. (I suppose our myspace is the best for seeing our homebase dates). We also have a crazy tour lined-up and are so excited to represent Minneapolis on the road.
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