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You Anyway"
READING
THE PAIGE
Interview
with Paige of PAIGE 23
-
Don Sill
Paige
23, the New York based pop trio have been gigging all over the New York
state area (from Long Island to Ithaca and everywhere in-between) for the past
3 years. Their hard work paid off when Singer/songwriter/guitarist known only
as Paige along with bassist Carmine T. Guida and drummer Angelo Catalano signed
a publishing deal and produced two videos. On top of that, Paige 23 completed
their album "Let Yourself Fall" without the backing of a major or Indy label
and celebrated the CD's release at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manhattan early this
year. The trio are building a steady fan base and making a name for themselves.
They are currently being marketed to cable TV networks, film companies, and
record labels where they hope that their pop sound will find its way to main
stream America.
How
did the three of you hook up?
PAIGE:
Angelo's friend Samantha (who actually co-wrote "Frightened Hands" on the album
with me) worked with my mom. I mentioned to my mother that I wanted to start
a band. Sam put me in touch with Angelo. After several bass player switches,
we had Carmine join the party. I met him in a coffeehouse in 1999 during a solo
acoustic performance. Musically and socially the three of us clicked instantly.
We've been a big (well not so big, there's only three of us) happy family ever
since. Tell me how has your music evolved through the years?
PAIGE:
Although age "ain't nothin but a number," I truly believe that years of experience
- in life, in love, in music, in any art - makes a huge difference. I used to
write very likeable pop songs that were cute, cuddly, and easy to listen to.
That was when I was fifteen. Now, lyrically and musically, my songs have shown
the maturity of the past 8 years of writing. I haven't had a bad life by any
means, I don't mean to imply that. It's just that you live and learn and mess
up and clean up over and over again. That gives your art another dimension that
wasn't there before. I still write pop songs, but they're not as bubble gum
as they used to be. I look forward to continue growing as a composer, and I
believe any artist will always improve -- we're never totally "done."
In
your own words, how would you describe your overall sound?
PAIGE:
We are pop. Plain and simple. You could say we're a rock and roll band, but
our aim is to go mainstream, so we try to keep things on a pop-level.
How
do you come up with the music and the lyrics?
PAIGE:
The lyrics, usually, come first. I have a cool phrase in my head, perhaps something
affected me a lot that day. Sometimes a melody floats around in my mind and
I've got to get it out, no matter what topic I decide to write about. I'm not
a political writer, I mostly write from emotions that I feel about other people.
I present the song to the band, and it's either a totally unanimous yea or nay.
I rarely have to convince Ang and Carmine to like a song. If it's good, we all
like it. If it doesn't work after 5 minutes of working on it together, then
it's gone and never heard from again.
What
inspires your music?
PAIGE:
The Beatles inspire me, first and foremost. I had a dream one night that I had
met Paul McCartney and he told me I was good. Just a dream, but inspiration
enough to keep on writing and working at what I do. Love inspires me also...love
that's lost, won, stolen, borrowed, etc.
What
is your opinion about the current Long Island music scene?
PAIGE:
I wasn't involved in the LI music scene for about a year because I was
working in the city and found myself in more venues there. But I work in Brooklyn
now so I'm back and forth between LI and NYC. I think the scene has got a lot
of cool things happening, a lot of bands breaking out that were LI bands and
are now playing in bigger clubs, touring and so forth. It's a great springboard
from which to reach the next level, meaning perhaps playing outside of New York
and all that.
How
can we improve the local rock scene?
PAIGE:
Definitely by having more venues to play in. It's hard to get something like
that started for original music, especially since LI is famous for awesome cover
bands. Don't get me wrong -- cover bands rock. But the original music scene
is tough to sell to club owners. I have a lot of respect for those who have
stepped up and brought original music to life again.
Where
do you think you guys fit in among the local music circuit?
PAIGE:
I don't consider myself a singer/songwriter type chick. I think of us as a band
more than an "introspective songstress" or whatever. I think we fit in with
other pop/rock groups doing their thing on the Island.
What
seperates your band from other rock acts on the local scene right now?
PAIGE:
We're probably the shortest band on the scene, height-wise! We're tiny people.
What
other local bands do you think rock?
PAIGE:
If I mention a whole bunch of bands and leave somebody out, I'd hate to offend
anyone. So to keep it short and sweet, I play with the Sara Brenner Band like
a religion, so I'll mention them and leave it at that.
Why
should someone go out and see you guys live?
PAIGE:
Because I look a hell of a lot better in black leather than some of the chicks
in the top 10 charts for signed artists.
What
can we expect to see at your live performance?
PAIGE:
A good (*&%#) show. You'll feel what I feel when I sing our songs. There's a
lot of energy between the three of us and I think that comes off on stage.
Favorite
place to play?
PAIGE:
We played the Hard Rock Cafe for our CD release party in January.
That was a blast.
Any
crazy club stories?
PAIGE:
Maybe not a crazy story, but we played Dartmouth college about a year and a
half ago. There was the worst storm this side of the millenium, and I was driving
in a different car than Angelo and Carmine. Well, their car went off the road
in a dead-cell-phone spot. I didn't hear from them until the next morning when
I found out they slid into a ditch and got stuck on the border of Vermont. I
went ahead with the show acoustically, but the boys had to share a tiny hotel
room and got a speeding ticket on the way home the following morning. It was
quite a weekend.
Any
rituals before you go onstage?
PAIGE:
I freak out, lose my mind, then have to convince myself I'm the greatest thing
since sliced bread. Everyone out there is watching you, critiquing you, so you
have to be ready for that. If you don't let your ego run away with itself, your
confidence melts and fear takes over. I am more a studio musician than a performer,
so I don't love the stage really. But Angelo and Carmine love performing, so
it all balances out.
Any
talks from labels or anything brewing?
PAIGE:
We signed a publishing deal in mid-January. Anything else I won't mention because
everything is always "in the works." I wouldn't want to jinx it.
What
are your ultimate goals?
PAIGE:
I want to have my lyrics quoted in a love letter from someone to someone
else that I don't know. I want my music to affect people and let them know that
they are not the only ones who have felt let down or been in love and lost.
The band's goals are to play more shows outside of New York, get some regular
airplay on the radio, and have our songs placed in films through the help of
our publisher. Then take a nap.
Whats
next?
PAIGE:
We want to record our second record sometime in the next year or so. We've got
so many songs, but not enough time and money to invest in recording them all.
We're experimenting with new instrumentation (Carmine just picked up the harmonica
and I'm dabbling with a violin), so we hope to keep things interesting and fresh,
no matter how long we're together.
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