Artist Information

Instrumentation
Jessica Paige - vocals/acoustic guitar
Peter "Robbo" Robertson - drums/percussion
Robb Murray - Acoustic electric & harmonies
Neil Tolantino- bass
and sometimes - violin/keys

Biography
Jessica Paige is a young Melbourne singer/songwriter with her own excellent band. If music is a gift, Jessica Paige received a major inheritance...music is in her blood, and Jessica plays it her way. Her style is alt/pop with a jazz twist and her music "steamrollers over existing genres and demands a new one".

Jessica has just learnt that she is one of the 3 Australian recipients of the generous JB Seed grant for promotion for her EP release and November tour from Melbourne to Brisbane including regional towns.

Jess & the Paige Boys recently featured at Manchester Lane, one of the premier live music venues in Melbourne, for the launch of the first compilation of favourite artists who have played there. Quite an honour!

Jessica's EP track "My Best Friend" has just been included on the AIR compilation bound for the world showcases like SxSW, Midem, CMJ and Popkomm. Other compilations are the Musicoz Winners Compilation and the new Manchester Lane Performers' Compilation "Then By Night..." FlyBy Records.
Jessica's band "Jess and the Paige Boys" are playing gigs and festivals around Melbourne and going further afield. Their style is a flavourful mix of alternative pop with jazz twists. The Paige Boys are recognised & talented musicians in their own rights and bring a huge range of expertise and experience to the band. New addition Rob Murray comes from Wycheproof iin country Victoria and he can actually play bass with his feet while playing guitar and singing..... he really wanted a band....
As Promoter, Neil Wedd, of the Jager Uprising said "Jess has surrounded herself with professional musicians who highlight her wonderful voice and songs. They were the highlight of the night".

Jessica released her EP, "Back of Our Minds", funded by a grant from The Australia Council, in September 2004. It gathered momentum and 6 song writing awards - national and international.

Songs have been charting on several net radio shows including the internationally syndicated Aussie Underground Music Show as well as www.mp3.com.au and www.artistlaunch.com.

Adam Johnston, Sound Vault Director, says " Jessica Paige plays from the heart. It has been a pleasure to listen to her songs.. she is totally unique and infectious".

Jessica's soon-to-be-released EP will have national distribution and tracks have been sought for Independent radio playlists and podcasts.

AWARDS
2006
Honourable Mention Singer/Songwriter Awards (UK) (Let it out)
Shortlisted for Nescafe Big Break
JBSeed grant for promotion
Soundheaven FBI Recording prize to "Jess and the Paige Boys" - Wentworth Falls, NSW.
Honorable Mention - Peace Driven Song Awards - (US) (Strength comes from the inside)
Honorable Mention- Singer/Songwriter Awards (UK) (Under my skin)

2005
Semi-finals of UK Song Competition (Dirty Secrets)
International Unisong Competition- Pop Ballad 4th place (Under my skin)
ASA (Australian Songwriters' Association) - Finalist Folk/Acoustic -(It's crazy baby).

2004
Musicoz - APRA Songwriter Award
Musicoz - Top 10 Finalist - Pop Category
Best New Artist - Sound Vault, Melbourne

2003
Winner - The Ranges Songsmith Award
Top 10 of Rock It (National Youth Week Competition)
Semi-finalist in Victoria Unearthed (Triple J Competition)
Winner - Hanging Rock Buskers' Festival Award.

Festival Appearances
The Basin Music festival, The Ranges Festival, Maldon Folk Festival, Frankston International Guitar Festival, The Budburst Festival, The Melbourne Fringe Festival, The Sustainable Living Festival, The Maroondah Youth Festival, The Yackandandah Folk Festival and The Mount Beauty Music Muster.

Gigs
Jessica has over 200 gigs under her belt and in the past year venues have included The Hi Fi Bar, The Espy in St Kilda, The Hard Rock Café, venues in Fitzroy and Brunswick (the Artists' Quarter of Melbourne), Manchester Lane, Club Acoustica, The Cape Lounge, The Big House, The Cornish Arms, The Rob Roy, Monash & Deakin Universities. Jess also played in Sydney at The Vanguard and at The Golden Vine in Bendigo.
Listen to 4 tracks on www.myspace.com/jessicapaigemuso

Website
http://www.jessicapaige.net

Discography
EP - "Back of Our Minds" released Sept 2004 - 6 tracks, 6 national and international awards. See reviews.
A second EP "Under My Skin" is about to be released in November. 6 tracks - Under my Skin, Buckley, Let it Out, My Best Friend, Pitter Pat and Dear Sweet Friend

Interview with Jessica Paige
By: Dennis M. Kelly

When did you realize that music was in your blood?
When I was about 6 I wanted to be a "Wok and Woll" star and so Mum took me to a singing teacher... It was obvious to everyone that I couldn't sing, and just didn't have it.... Luckily it didn't stop me and when I took up guitar at 14 it was obvious I had acquired musicality in the meantime....

From what your bio states, it sounds like music runs in your family. Is anyone else in your family musically inclined?
Well my father is a professional muso, has a fantastic voice, can do anything with any stringed instruments, play harmonica, whistle and just has the music in him... My 17 year old brother looks like he will be the same as
he sings all day and plays guitar and is starting to write, ...my older sister sings and has written songs too, but she realizes not everyone in the family has to be a musician and is following other talents.

When did you get your first guitar and what brand of guitar was it?
I had a nice new student guitar at 13 but the one I am really attached to is my Seagull acoustic - I spotted it in a second hand shop when I was 14 and so started busking every Friday afternoon and earnt the money to get it ..
It is greatly admired among my guitarist friends for its resonance and mellowness....

How did you come to forge your music style?
I always loved beautiful songs with evocative lyrics, like Elton John's Yellow Brick Road, Billy Joel's songs, Simon and Garfunkle, The Beatles.. I learned guitar from a jazz teacher, so luckily I had access to many jazz chords and I don't know any theory... so I have no rules of combinations and so on... My chord progressions are frequent and fascinating to other guitarists. I just do what I like and try not to be confined by what is commercial... Just how I would like to hear the songs done..

What influenced you as a child and even these days?
I always wanted to be funny and entertaining and I always had a lot of empathy for people. So now that I am a songwriter, I write quirky songs, I like to have clever lyrics and songs with a twist as well as songs that have a deep connection to people.

Where do you find your greatest satisfaction, writing? recording? or performing?
Writing is something I do frequently, almost everyday I write something or work on something...Recording is very satisfying .... Performing is great too... I love everything to do with music and I don't prefer one to another... They all have their place.

Tell me about "The Paige Boys", how did you come to assemble them?
The Paige Boys are all fabulous musicians in their own rights. My drummer, Peter "Robbo" Robertson, has played with other well-known bands and I am so happy he sticks with us. He loves the songs and the style and he is a real asset as well as a man with a laid-back nature and ready sense of humour. I spotted Robbo playing with another band and there was something so loveable about him, and his playing was exceptional and sensitive to the style of the music, and we really just gravitated towards each other. Our bass player, Neil, is a great happy calm guy and, thankfully, he is organised and responsible (I recommend that every band should have a "Neil"). He was playing with another band and when I heard that he had left, I rang to see if he would be interested in coming on board, as my bass player had just broken his arm.

Our new guitarist, Rob Murray, also does the most beautiful harmonies. He may be the only man in the world who can actually play bass with his feet at the same time as he sings and plays the guitar. It is a pretty amazing thing. He comes from a small country town and really wanted a band... :) He is doing a sound engineering course and invited me to play so he could record me,and so I heard what he could do and realized what a great addition he would be. (He is also really witty and can do sound which is a very useful thing!)

Has their playing influenced your playing style as well?
Not really... I think my own style lays down the sound for the band. I have a clear picture of what I want and ask the guys to play it in a certain way and we just practice it so it fits in.That doesn't mean I don't take advantage of their strengths as players, but if I don't keep a clear idea of where I want the songs to go my vision would be diluted and I wouldn't have
the same attachment to the songs as when I wrote them.

How has your EP entitled "Back of our Minds" been received by the press and your fans?
"Back of Our Minds" won 6 national and international awards for the songs, so that was great. It didn't have distribution though, I just sold it through my gigs. So the songs still have the potential to reach a much larger audience. One of them is licenced to be used on the popular "Neighbours" TV series.

Looking back two years now, how would you say your music has changed?
Since I released "Back of Our Minds" my singing has improved heaps - I was 17 when I recorded some of those vocals so now my voice has developed and my style of singing is more rounded. I am just becoming a better musician all the time. Experience is a wonderful thing :)

Where is your second EP at as far as production?
It is all ready to go - release is November 16th and soon after it will be on sale on CD Baby, and for download.

How long do you spend in the studio per day when you record?
Oh around 8 hours - start at midday ...time flies so fast in the studio... And it just depends what instruments you have to get down and so on... I am recording in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney in November and I will spend 8 hours there with the band. We won the studio time in a radio band compatition and the studio is so beautiful... perched on the side of a mountain and surrounded by bushland.

When performing, what percentage of acoustic to full band performances do you tend to do and do you have any preferences?
I have always done more solo performances, but now that the band is going so well it is increasingly the way I prefer to perform. But different spaces and audiences suit different things, sometimes I just play with Rob, the guitarist and harmonist and he does his foot bass thing. The full band is so much fun, it's a fantastic feeling to do my songs with all the layers and dynamics that the band brings to them.

How would you describe your concerts?
Ah, well it's always different from my side of the stage...but in all my concerts, gigs, shows I try to connect to the audience....which is different to entertaining... I don't do covers.. I want to convey something but I want the audience to interpret it themselves... So I have, for example, a song about abortion called "Little Fish"...but some people think it is about a little fish and that is OK.

Some gig reviewers have used phrases about our performances like "almost painful beauty", "she obviously loves what she does and we do too...", " Jessica Paige reached into my soul last night..", "exquisitely written and performed with the passion of Lucinda Williams and Sarah Mclachlan.." "Jessica gave me goosebumps, that voice, those beautiful melodies that stay with you...".

What are your future plans both musical and personal?
I am touring with the band from Melbourne to beyond Brisbane in November and December. Next year I will tour solo and with the band, keep writing songs, keep recording. I am also thinking of coming to the US, but I need to develop some more contacts there ... so if you are reading this and like my style... do let me know!! Maybe I can play at a venue neear you :)

Where do you find your greatest enjoyment in music as well as in life?
Chocolate. Belgian chocolate. Bringing chocolate to the less fortunate. As well as that.. I love meeting interesting people and talking about ideas and their passions, musical or otherwise.

What is your greatest achievement thus far and what would you still like to accomplish yet?
I was recently awarded a grant by generous well-known Aussie musicians - there were only three of these grants for presentation and promotion in Australia... It's called the JB Seed Grant. John Butler and Missy Higgins are two key contributors and it is a real honour to get the grant as well as a very practical helping hand. I also got an APRA Award for songwriting a while back and I am very pleased about that one as it is a coveted award and was chosen from around 2,000 entries.