Paper Route

I was tired. There was just this lingering sense of exhaustion in the summer of 2004. I was tired of false starts. Tired of dreaming. Tired of being jaded. Tired of being tired. So it seems fitting that this story begins underneath my bed. You may picture me crawling below my mattress, but in reality my bed is about 6 feet above the ground-enough space for a small iBook and some cheap monitors. When I couldn't sleep, I'd descend my steps and make music all night. Some bands have LSD, others have cocaine, and our drug of choice seemed to be insomnia. I programmed, played bass, accordion, synths and even snuck into an undisclosed location masquerading as a music student to record piano. JT Daly, a close friend and old band mate, started coming over to sing, drum, and play bells. We had always dreamed about doing a project together and finally it was becoming a reality. After a month or so went by, Andy Smith, another close friend and ex-band mate who lives above me, started coming downstairs and contributing vocals, guitar, harmonica, and some synths. A band had naturally formed between the three of us and we were making music together, once again.

One day our friend Kate York stopped by Bottom Bunk Studios, as it came to be known, to check out what we were up to. Well she liked what she heard and wound up lending her gorgeous voice and melody to a song. This inspired us to tap into the deep resources of Nashville, fully knowing we were surrounded by such great musicians. One of those great musicians is Mike Daly, our favorite lap steel veteran who came over and set up shop in my bedroom. He also played dobro, much to our delight. Another friend, Claire Indie, brought her cello over one evening and played beautifully. Before we knew it, we had recorded a handful of songs in my apartment. Oh, and we all played Rhodes, but we can't remember who did what, specifically. Once we had completed the songs, JT designed different covers for each track. Usually this meant he sat the floor and worked on art while I was mixing at my desk.

So its 2007 and this EP is what we have to show for the sleepless nights. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it.

mute math, snow patrol