If there were ever such a month where picking the artist to spotlight was an easy decision it would definitely be the month of March. By far, Paper Route has shown brighter than any other artist this month… well, for me at least. I’m not saying they are superior to any other artists I’ve noticed this year. I’m just saying that they have been hanging out with me a lot more than others.

I’ve been hearing them more on the radio. I know we recently added a couple new songs into the rotation. They put out a music video for their song “Gutter” which I feel is an amazing feat of Do It Yourself work. Not to mention they just released a Remix album of “Absence” called “Additions” in which artists like Passion Pit, Son Lux and Darren King remix songs.

So here’s the low down on Paper Route. Their music is amazing. Their style is awesome. Their faith is best. They are down right inspiring to listen to.

They were deemed as an artist to watch by Paste Magazinie’s website in 2007. They’ve had music featured on television, and their major debut album Absence released under Universal Records was the #13 album on Billboards Heatseakers chart. They’ve toured with Paramore, Owl City and Lights, but I’m sure we have more to see.

From what I’ve read, it all began when Chad Howat would wrestle with insomnia and spend late nights (or all nighters) on his laptop. His creativity came to him at night, where as his fellow band mates found inspiration during the day. (I can relate… but those are different stories for another day.) What I loved was, in reading their biography online, Chad said, “In between working day jobs and appeasing complaining neighbors, we wrote songs, d e c o n s t r u c t e d them, then reassembled them together in new ways. Nothing was sacred.” This process is a novel concept to me. “Nothing was sacred.” I feel like musicians might make so piece of work and look at it as being perfect as it is… or at least part of it is just how it needs to be. Not Paper Route. They look at their music and they break it up and put it back, break it up and reform it. I love the paradox of the way to perfection is to first break it.

“‘Being honest is probably the most important thing when creating art,’ Howat says. ‘You can hide it or disguise it, or even write from someone else’s perspective, but regardless, it has to come from an honest place. We try to live lives that are completely reflective of our faith, but honestly, I can only speak for myself and say that I am quite inconsistent. So wrestling with these inconsistencies, fighting internal wars with ourselves, knowing that this world isn’t supposed to be the way it is … these are all things that come out in our songwriting. When we personally have an eternal perspective on our lives, that comes out in our songs. At the same time, when we are overwhelmed with the day that we’ve barely made it through, that will come out in our writing.’ (Relevant Magazine)”

Their music is seriously some of the best stuff I’ve heard (and probably will hear) all year. You should really swing by their myspace or website. Also, check out their videos on youtube.

Some videos for the lovely people:
Gutter
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A Blog By Elisha Guido