The Papaws set to debut their new EP at the First Draft Theater
Full disclosure, there is a special place in my heart for acoustic duos. My own band, which has hovered somewhere between four and twenty-eight members for years now, started as an acoustic duo and there’s a lot to be said for that approach.
The musicians in any band ideally have a “connection,” a rapport that may go several levels deeper than is obvious to the observer. When there are only two of you, that rapport can be downright spooky, preternatural even. The bonds formed from such deep mutual reliance are virtually unbreakable (unless you’re Simon and Garfunkel, which most people aren’t.)
So, yeah, a lot of love and respect for duos and the latest to hit the scene here in town are the Papaws, Logan Wilson and K.J. Bostian. It’s a classic story, really. Two guys with a shared love for music (folk, in this case) get together in school to play for the fun of it and wind up forming an act. That’s the short version, anyway.
In the case of the Papaws, there wasn’t really any impetus or intent to be an act. They just genuinely loved making music and even their upcoming debut EP was meant to be for themselves, at least until pressure from friends and loved ones convinced them to go ahead and release it publicly.
Recorded with Mitch Wood at SoundScapes Studios, the five original tunes are based on their experiences as young adults here in Chattanooga. Granted, it’s been a long, long time since I was a young adult anywhere, but that doesn’t prevent their writing from being relatable, poignant to the younger audience, nostalgic to us older types.
Nuts and bolts-wise, Logan provides vocals, guitar and mandolin, while K.J. handles vocals, guitar, banjo and harmonica. The fellas certainly have an ear for combining these instruments for maximum effect. The song “Tiftonia” is absolutely lush in its instrumentation and it’s easy to forget that there are only two guys playing all that music. The lyrics on the tune (and all the rest for that matter) are sweetly written, honest and sincere.
That’s not always a given, even in acoustic folk where you’d think it would be a basic requirement. Years ago I was tasked with reviewing a folk act who, though technically as proficient as anyone I’ve heard, lacked, to my ears anyway, substance of any kind. It was a paint-by-numbers approach to music that I absolutely loathed and it was one of the hardest pieces I’ve ever had to write. The Papaws, conversely, are the exact opposite of that.
Their music is full of warmth and soul, heartfelt to the core, and I suspect the duo’s origin story has a lot to do with that. They didn’t set out to be a band, they merely sat down and made music for the love of making music, the rest came afterwards.
The band has been extremely tight-lipped about their music. At this point I would venture to guess that outside of their recording engineer and close friends, I may be the first person to hear it and they were emphatic about keeping the tunes under wraps until the EP’s debut which is this Sunday, May 6th at First Draft Theater (otherwise known as Improv Chattanooga.)
More info about the gig and links to some of their other music on YouTube can be found at thePapaws.com.
The show promises to be hugely rewarding to attendees who can look forward to being treated to some of the most sincere, unpretentious and lovingly crafted acoustic tunes to come around in quite a while and I strongly urge you to stop by and treat yourself to some beautiful music about life in the Scenic City.