WALKING PAPERS

Self Titled

Seattle has always been a place for musical invention and musicians who push the high-water mark just a bit higher.  From Jimi Hendrix and The Sonics to Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam, Fleet Foxes and Death Cab For Cutie, the Northwest has yielded a variety of envelope-pushers and the area has remained a positive artistic caldron.  Walking Papers (Jeff Angell, Barrett Martin, Duff McKagan, Ben Anderson) are the latest group to follow the path of Northwest’s tradition.

Jeff Angell has long been Seattle’s hidden and well-kept secret. Angell is perhaps one of America’s best songwriter’s at this very moment, and Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Mad Season) saw an opportunity to collaborate with Jeff Angell in the studio in the spring of 2012; it became a science project of sorts. The songs that emanated from those initial sessions were grandiose and brazen and honest. The guys called some friends to join in on the experiment. Duff McKagan (Guns ‘N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver) was itching to play bass again, and he brought his visceral playing to the sessions. Keyboardist Ben Anderson (Rorschach Test, Missionary Position) showcased his musicality on these songs too. And finally, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready added his leads to this record, adding the final touches.

Last summer, both Duff and Ben joined The Walking Papers for some initial shows and McCready took time away from his busy Pearl Jam schedule to play some of those first gigs too. Gigs were selling out in Seattle, and The Walking Papers became the talk of the town.

The independent release of these initial sessions has brought much critical acclaim, and a rabid audience both in America, and in the UK and Europe.  The British Press came first. Classic Rock Magazine voted Walking Papers one of the Top 20 bands of the year. Not ‘Top 20 new bands’, no, Walking Papers were in there with Led Zeppelin, Rush and Black Sabbath. Not bad.

And touring is in these gentlemen’s blood. A successful UK/Europe run last fall culminated with the band being asked to play the first televised (Sky TV) Classic Rock Awards show in London in mid-November. A successful West Coast run followed.  

 

PRESS BLURBS:

 

“Dark, alternately sensual and sinister.“ - Rolling Stone Magazine

 

“A masterpiece of mood and tension” - Classic Rock Magazine

 

“the best rock band in Seattle right now.” - Charles Cross

 

“If Rock n Roll has a future its roots are found in the compositions of Jeff Angell.” 

Sebastien Bourdon - Sounds Magazine

 

“Sometimes an album sounds nothing like you expect yet still blows you away. That’s the case with the self-titled debut from Seattle-based Walking Papers.” - Brian Mansfield USA Today