The Paper Cranes
Encyclopedia
The Paper Cranes are a Canadian indie pop
band from Victoria
, British Columbia
. The band is composed of the husband and wife duo of Ryan McCullagh (Guitar,Bass,Vocals) and Miranda Roach (Keyboard,Drum Sequencing). Despite several line-up changes during their career the group remains centered around the husband-wife team. The band take their name from the book, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor Coerr
.
In the summer of 2005 Greg Ipp, a Toronto
DJ and music blogger, founded Unfamiliar Records and signed The Paper Cranes. In the autumn of that year Miranda Roach joined the group as their keyboard player. Following some opening slots for Wolf Parade
and Pretty Girls Make Graves
the band recorded their untitled debut EP usually referred to as the "Veins EP." The Album was recorded at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver
BC and was engineered and produced by Howard Redekopp. In December 2005 Ryan and Miranda were married.
The Veins Ep was released on Unfamiliar Records as the label's first release in the spring of 2006. The single, "Ill Love You Until My Veins Explode" was given a 4 star rating by Pitchforkmedia.com. Shortly after, Mark Vondrasek left the band and a few months later, following the band's first Canadian tour James Watson and John Quissy both left as well to finish their degrees at the University of Victoria
.
In 2007, The Paper Cranes recruited Braeden Paterson (Guitar), Mark Lavoie (Bass), and Evan Middleton (Drums) to record their first full-length album, Halcyon Days. The album was recorded at The Hive Studio in Burnaby, BC by Jessie Gander over 3 days. Most of the album was recorded live from the studio floor. Shortly after the recording of Halcyon Days, "I'll Love You Until My Veins Explode" and "Milkrun" from the Veins Ep were released in the UK as the double-A side single, "I'll Love You Until My Veins Explode/Milkrun" on the Longest Mile label, owned in part by Ross Millard
of The Futureheads
. Halcyon Days was released in February 2008 on Unfamiliar Records.
After the release of "Halcyon Days" Evan Middleton left the band. Mark Lavoie continued to perform with The Paper Cranes but subsequently left to tour with fellow Victoria musicians, Maurice.
James Alexander Bodman and Jeffrey Mitchelmore of the Victoria indie-rock band, The Racoons
joined the group in 2008 and both can be heard on The Paper Cranes' 2009 online-only single, "Telephone."
In the August of 2009 The Paper Cranes released their second full length album, Chivalry's Dead on Unfamiliar Records. The album was recorded over 2 months in the Spring of 2009 at Mankind Studio in Victoria BC. Grand Piano on the album was recorded at The Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Shortly after the release of Chivalry's Dead, citing scheduling conflicts with the supporting band's other musical projects,The Paper Cranes' core members Miranda Roach and Ryan McCullagh restructured the band as a duet utilizing drum loops and electronic instruments to take the place of live back-up musicians.
In the fall of 2008, "Rabbit in a Snare" from the band's "Veins" Ep was featured in a Canadian television commercial for the Nissan Rogue
and in 2009 The Paper Cranes were voted Victoria's Favorite Band at the 2009 Monday Magazine
M Awards.
Their music has been playlisted on CBC Radio 3
.
s M Awards are awarded for Victoria’s visual, literary and performing artists. The Paper Cranes have won two awards.
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|rowspan=2| 2009 || The Paper Cranes || Favourite Band ||
|-
| Halcyon Days || Favourite album of 2008 ||
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|rowspan=2| 2007 || The Paper Cranes || Most Promising Band ||
|-
| The Paper Cranes || Victoria's Next Big Thing ||
|-
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band from Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. The band is composed of the husband and wife duo of Ryan McCullagh (Guitar,Bass,Vocals) and Miranda Roach (Keyboard,Drum Sequencing). Despite several line-up changes during their career the group remains centered around the husband-wife team. The band take their name from the book, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a non-fiction children's book written by American author Eleanor Coerr and published in 1977.This true story is of a girl, Sadako Sasaki, who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bombing by the United States...
by Eleanor Coerr
Eleanor Coerr
Eleanor Coerr was a Canadian-born American writer of children's books, including Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes....
.
History
The band was formed in January 2005 by multi-instrumentalist Ryan McCullagh (Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard), James Watson (Drums), John Quissy (Bass), and Mark Vondrasek (Guitar). The group recorded 5 demo songs together including early versions of "I'll Love You Until My Veins Explode", "Out On The Horse Tracks", and, "Deus Ex Machinegun" which circulated on the internet though the recordings were never officially released.In the summer of 2005 Greg Ipp, a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
DJ and music blogger, founded Unfamiliar Records and signed The Paper Cranes. In the autumn of that year Miranda Roach joined the group as their keyboard player. Following some opening slots for Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade
Wolf Parade is an indie rock band formed in 2003 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band is currently on an indefinite hiatus as of May 31, 2011.-History:...
and Pretty Girls Make Graves
Pretty Girls Make Graves
Pretty Girls Make Graves was an art punk band, formed in Seattle in 2001, named after The Smiths song of the same name...
the band recorded their untitled debut EP usually referred to as the "Veins EP." The Album was recorded at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
BC and was engineered and produced by Howard Redekopp. In December 2005 Ryan and Miranda were married.
The Veins Ep was released on Unfamiliar Records as the label's first release in the spring of 2006. The single, "Ill Love You Until My Veins Explode" was given a 4 star rating by Pitchforkmedia.com. Shortly after, Mark Vondrasek left the band and a few months later, following the band's first Canadian tour James Watson and John Quissy both left as well to finish their degrees at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
.
In 2007, The Paper Cranes recruited Braeden Paterson (Guitar), Mark Lavoie (Bass), and Evan Middleton (Drums) to record their first full-length album, Halcyon Days. The album was recorded at The Hive Studio in Burnaby, BC by Jessie Gander over 3 days. Most of the album was recorded live from the studio floor. Shortly after the recording of Halcyon Days, "I'll Love You Until My Veins Explode" and "Milkrun" from the Veins Ep were released in the UK as the double-A side single, "I'll Love You Until My Veins Explode/Milkrun" on the Longest Mile label, owned in part by Ross Millard
Ross Millard
Ross Millard is a guitarist and vocalist in UK act The Futureheads. The band released their debut album The Futureheads in September 2004, which included the hit singles Hounds Of Love, Decent Days & Nights, and Meantime...
of The Futureheads
The Futureheads
The Futureheads are an English post-punk band from Sunderland. consisting of Ross Millard , Barry Hyde and David "Jaff" Craig...
. Halcyon Days was released in February 2008 on Unfamiliar Records.
After the release of "Halcyon Days" Evan Middleton left the band. Mark Lavoie continued to perform with The Paper Cranes but subsequently left to tour with fellow Victoria musicians, Maurice.
James Alexander Bodman and Jeffrey Mitchelmore of the Victoria indie-rock band, The Racoons
The Racoons
Racoons are an indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia.-History:Racoons were formed in 2008 by founding members Matthew Lyall and Murray Mckenzie. The duo were then joined by Jeff Mitchelmore and James Alexander Bodman, former members of indie pop band The Paper Cranes. The band's debut EP...
joined the group in 2008 and both can be heard on The Paper Cranes' 2009 online-only single, "Telephone."
In the August of 2009 The Paper Cranes released their second full length album, Chivalry's Dead on Unfamiliar Records. The album was recorded over 2 months in the Spring of 2009 at Mankind Studio in Victoria BC. Grand Piano on the album was recorded at The Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Shortly after the release of Chivalry's Dead, citing scheduling conflicts with the supporting band's other musical projects,The Paper Cranes' core members Miranda Roach and Ryan McCullagh restructured the band as a duet utilizing drum loops and electronic instruments to take the place of live back-up musicians.
In the fall of 2008, "Rabbit in a Snare" from the band's "Veins" Ep was featured in a Canadian television commercial for the Nissan Rogue
Nissan Rogue
The Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover SUV that debuted in October 2007 for the 2008 model year, produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan. It is the North American counterpart of the X-Trail sold outside North America , as well as the Qashqai in Europe and the Dualis in Japan and Australia.The...
and in 2009 The Paper Cranes were voted Victoria's Favorite Band at the 2009 Monday Magazine
Monday Magazine
Monday Magazine is a free alternative weekly newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Contrary to what the name suggests, Monday is distributed throughout greater Victoria area every Thursday...
M Awards.
Their music has been playlisted on CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
.
M Awards
Monday MagazineMonday Magazine
Monday Magazine is a free alternative weekly newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Contrary to what the name suggests, Monday is distributed throughout greater Victoria area every Thursday...
s M Awards are awarded for Victoria’s visual, literary and performing artists. The Paper Cranes have won two awards.
|-
|rowspan=2| 2009 || The Paper Cranes || Favourite Band ||
|-
| Halcyon Days || Favourite album of 2008 ||
|-
|rowspan=2| 2007 || The Paper Cranes || Most Promising Band ||
|-
| The Paper Cranes || Victoria's Next Big Thing ||
|-
External links
- The Paper Cranes at Indie Update
- The Paper Cranes at Contrastream