Gavin, drums (on left)
Chad, bass and keyboards
JT sings and samples
Andy sings and plays guitar

The Paper Route play their second SXSW, and this year have taken a slightly less intense schedule, playing two shows instead of four. Big fans of the music festival/conference/freebie schmoozefest, the Nashville quartet is enjoying their time in Austin. Even when I told them that Allen’s boot shop sold hats that said “Nashville Sucks,” they had nothing bad to say about the city. Ascribing the hats to a long-running country music rivalry of which the Paper Route wants no part, they proclaimed to be “hurt” and “disappointed” over their city’s treatment. “You can be there and not really know that country exists,” Chad says.

The band’s blend of electronic ambiance and acoustic instrumentation builds out of their own interests and influences. The Paper Route members are much more likely to curl up with a literary tome like “Blood Meridian” than be seen bare-chested whipping a shirt around their heads. “Unless we’re in Canada,” says Gavin. “Once we cross the border, all bets are off.” Everyone seemed to be on the same page musically, citing artists like Massive Attack and Tricky in their personal rotations.

If Paper Route were to be a dish, Chad ventured, they would be a chopped salad, “with lots of ingredients. It’s good and good for you.” The band’s got a new album coming out April 28 on Universal and every one of them seemed confident that they had a good deal going on despite the current industry woes. Andy explained that the band fit nicely into a slow and steady business model the label had in mind for them, and so far they’ve had complete creative control. They’ll kick off a national tour on April 2 with Copeland, and are playing some of the best venues across the country so if you can’t swing by their Showcase performance on Friday you’ll likely get another chance soon.

Words and photos by Jacob Cottingham