The Paper Jets

Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t what it used to be, and rock bands that make it big are becoming about as rare as displays of humility by Kanye West, but that isn’t stopping the Paper Jets from rocking in the style of such bands as Cheap Trick, Weezer and Spoon.

The Princeton-based band recently released an EP, Almost Nine, and is embarking on a tour of clubs in the Northeast that kicked off with a show in Philadelphia and includes a concert at John & Peter’s in New Hope, Pennsylvania, July 11. The bill for that show also will feature Jesse Elliot, The Low Doses, and Wolfasaurus Rex.

The Paper Jets got their start in 2008, and their story started when guitarist-singer Brian Erickson and drummer Frank Lettieri Jr. met when they were students at Rider University.

”We quickly became friends,” Mr. Erickson says. “He played the drums, played guitar, he’s kind of a multi-instrumentalist, and I was just learning how to play guitar at the time.”

He says Mr. Lettieri took him under his wing and they started playing informally. That became more formal after graduation, leading to the band recording an album We Are All Strange Friends, which includes the single “Cook Up an Accident” that received airplay on Radio 104.5, Philadelphia’s alternative music station.

The group also features Scottie Maloney on bass, and the newest member is guitarist Mike Virok, who owns Bordentown Guitar Rescue. Mr. Virok was the group’s guitar tech and sat in on a few gigs in the spring before becoming a full-fledged member of the band.

The Paper Jets perform original songs, mostly written by Mr. Erickson.

”I’ve been the primary songwriter for the most part, but we’ve been employing a new method to sort of keep it fresh for everybody,” he says. “I’ll have half a song or two-thirds of a song and then bring it to everybody else and have everybody try to finish it together.”

That, he says, makes the writing process more fun for him because it brings in perspectives he didn’t consider before. “The songs sort of take on an unexpected turn or hue that I wasn’t capable of or wasn’t thinking of when I wrote it,” Mr. Erickson says.

He says he didn’t pick up a guitar until he was junior in college, and got more serious after graduating in 2005. He started playing so that he could join in his guitar-playing friends.

”I had friends in college who played and we were fussing around,” Mr. Erickson says. “And they would tell me to try things, and I’d hum something because I didn’t know how to play anything.” The next day he bought a guitar off eBay, and started playing from a chord sheet.

”To me, playing guitar, I knew I wouldn’t be a shredder,” Mr. Erickson says. “I wasn’t going to be a crazy lead player, like Slash, I knew I wanted it be a vehicle for writing. Within a couple of months, I had written a song (called ‘Joseph’), and the Paper Jets ended up putting it on our first album. That was cool, the very first song I had written ended up on a record. And it’s cool that it held up against the newer stuff.”

Mr. Erickson says the band decided to release the four-song Almost Nine in order to get some newer songs released. And after the summer tour, he expects the band record a full album.

”We wanted to have something new before we went on the road,” he says. “New guy, new tour, new tunes, new EP, and after the tour in August, we’re going to be going away to start recording another full-length album.”

The Paper Jets will perform at John & Peter’s, 96 S. Main St., New Hope, July 11. For more information, go to www.johnandpeters.com or call 215-862-5981. For more information on The Paper Jets, go to thepaperjets.com. - The Princeton Packet

Are The Paper Jets the best rock band to come out of Princeton since Saves The Day? On the strength of this sophomore EP, they're certainly heading in that direction. On the first three tracks here, the power trio echoes Cheap Trick, combustible glam rock, Fountains of Wayne's urbane cynicism, and Ted Leo's rallying dynamism. "Jo Don't Let Me" (and bonus track "As Long As I Can See The Light") are the obligatory ballads that earns extra points for sounding way more Paul McCartney than the might-be-expected Bon Jovi or Springsteen influences. The Paper Jets have brains, chops, hook, and soul. And as should be obvious, a very bright future. - Jersey Beat

The second studio effort from New Jersey born power pop band The Paper Jets comes in the form of a five track EP entitled Almost Nine. The trio set out to recreate the magic of their debut full length studio album We Are All Strange Friends, and even included recordings of fan favorites “Elizabeth Distressed” and “Of An Extrovert”.

The frenetic pace of openers “Elizabeth Distressed” and “Brand New Shoes” officially kicks off the EP, and it is here that I am formally introduced to the band. Defined by catchy riffs, strong power chords, and soulful vocals, it is evident they take care to foster a ‘feel good’ environment. The light-hearted nature of these tracks does not come at the expense of technical work as the instrumentation does not insist too heavily upon itself.

The EP shines in spots such as the “Jo Don’t Let Me”, a softly sung power ballad which breaks the uniformity of the previous tracks. It is here that vocalist Brian E. is given the platform to show off his captivating voice and versatile range. Coming across as though it were straight from a movie, this track proved to be their best effort.

Despite minor instances of repetition leading to segments of monotony The Paper Jets successfully crafted a record that is ultimately enjoyable. While its generally ‘vintage’ feeling atmosphere has high potential to be lost on today’s consumers that same criticism is also its greatest appeal, presenting a soundscape that is quite different from the dullness clogging modern music.

The Almost Nine EP is slated for release on May 26th via FDR Label. You can pre-order the album here and purchase concert tickets here. - Infectious Magazine

Infectious Magazine is thrilled to team up with alt-rock/powerpop trio The Paper Jets to premiere their brand new single “Elizabeth Distressed”, and you can stream it below!

“Elizabeth Distressed” will be the opening track on the band’s forthcoming EP, titled Almost Nine, which is set for release on May 26. It comes hot on the heels of The Paper Jets’ 2014 full-length album We Are All Strange Friends, which you can stream on Spotify. If you dig it as much as we do, you can purchase a CD here.

Almost Nine track list:

1) Elizabeth Distressed
2) Brand New Shoes
3) Of an Extrovert
4) Jo Don’t Let Me - Infectious Magazine

Flame hot new waving power surging soul pop from Jersey courtesy of The Paper Jets. Culled from a forthcoming EP release for the FDR imprint entitled ‘Almost Nine’ this is lead out track ‘Elizabeth Distressed’ – a sub-three-minute time hop back to the late '70s punching out the same kind of blistered ear candy pure pop swagger that the likes of The Knack, The Motors and The dB’s kicked out with furious frequency back in the day when some of us where so much younger whilst simultaneously hooking you in with a ridiculously infectious chorus line and the kind of acutely drilled three chord assault that’ll leave you jaw dropped in affection. https://soundcloud.com/thepaperjets/elizabethdistressed - The Sunday Experience

Hailing from the home of Einstein's brain, Princeton NJ, The Paper Jets have split the powerpop atom and created a fusion of guitar-heavy rock and infectious grooves garnering critical acclaim from NJ centric music publications. Following up their 2014 full length album We Are All Strange Friends, which you can stream on Spotify and you can purchase a CD here and supporting tour, Almost Nine EP is slated for release on May 26, 2015. They've shared the second tasty tidbit “Of an Extrovert,” a live concert favorite appearing in recorded form for the first time ever. It's rare to get an artist bio these days, let alone so extensive and interesting so I'll share the whole thing for you to read as you listen to “Of an Extrovert,” below.

Shortly after their Summer 2014 tour, The Paper Jets reconvened to begin work on the Almost Nine EP. Consisting of two previously unrecorded live-concert staples – “Elizabeth Distressed” and “Of an Extrovert” – along with the freshly written “Brand New Shoes” and the Tim Ryan cover “Jo Don’t Let Me” (which features harmonies from Ryan taken from an old demo of the song), the record is already receiving praise from critics, with Infectious Magazine premiering its first single, “Elizabeth Distressed,” and The Sunday Experience calling the song “ridiculously infectious.” During the recording process, the band also reconnected with Chorba and FDR Label, who signed the band to their first record deal after hearing the EP’s working demos.

The Paper Jets are here to prove that guitar-based powerpop is alive and well in a world ruled by electronics and auto-tune. Consisting of Brian E. (lead vocals/guitar), Scottie Maloney (bass), and Frank Lettieri Jr. (drums/vocals), the band has synthesized the sounds of musical forebears Cheap Trick, Big Star, Ben Folds, Spoon, and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists to create a new, modern take on a genre that is well overdue for a revival.

The Paper Jets began to take shape as far back as 2005, when Brian and Frank met and became fast friends while attending Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. In search of a topic for their senior theses, they decided to team up and record an album using only “consumer” level equipment. The project led to the formation of a band called The Invisible Solid, which toured throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania before disbanding.

Brian and Frank continued working together in a variety of configurations before uniting with Scottie and then-guitarist Bill Lambusta to form The Paper Jets in 2008. They soon recorded their debut mini-LP, Face Forward, and self-released it in June 2009. Recorded in a single weekend, the project featured songwriting contributions from all four members, and the ensuing tour took them further beyond their hometown to perform at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, and WE Fest in Wilmington, NC.

Following the tour, the group briefly grew to a five-piece with the addition of Kristen Leu on keyboards and backing vocals. Teaming with James Parker of Riverview Studios in Bordentown, NJ, and producer Scott Kammerer, the band captured this lineup in action on the concert DVD Bored in Town, which featured performances of many fan-favorite tracks from Face Forward as well as several songs that have yet to see the light of day on a Paper Jets studio album. The DVD was eventually released in November 2011 after the band had solidified into its current power trio roster following the departures of Lambusta and Leu. It was packaged with the odds-and-sods album Sorta Bored, which collected five tracks from Brian and Frank’s original senior thesis sessions as well as a variety of other recordings from their time together both before and after the formation of The Paper Jets.

The band celebrated the DVD’s release with a high-energy performance at New York City’s The Bitter End, then dove in to begin work on their debut full-length album, We Are All Strange Friends. After recording his guitar parts in his Hopewell, NJ, home, Brian brought in long-time friend Tim Ryan to play keyboard and synthesizer on the record. Recording then moved to MOSHI Productions in Bordentown, NJ, where Frank recorded his drum parts while Hurricane Irene raged outside, eventually flooding the studio. Tragically, Ryan was killed in an automobile accident shortly after finishing his parts, and the completed record is dedicated to his memory.

Prior to the album’s release, the band’s home state of New Jersey was dealt a harsh blow when Hurricane Sandy decimated the Jersey Shore. In an effort to contribute to their home state’s recovery, the band quickly released “It’s Only Talk” as a benefit single with all profits going to the American Red Cross. Later, they were given the opportunity to do even more after forging a strong relationship with Mick Chorba, owner of NJ-based indie FDR Label and member of bands The Successful Failures and Dipsomaniacs. After watching The Paper Jets perform their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” live, Chorba asked them to record a studio version for FDR’s compilation album My Hometown: A Tribute to NJ, with all profits going to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund. The group quickly convened at Frank’s house to fully self-record, self-produce, and self-master the track, which features drums recorded outdoors on Frank’s patio. The final result was included on the compilation, and the good karma would come back into play shortly thereafter.

In the lead-up to We Are All Strange Friends’ release, the band returned to the road, performing at a variety of college campuses; taking the stage at iconic Asbury Park, NJ, venue The Stone Pony; and touring the Midwest, highlighted by a performance at The Abbey Pub in Chicago. They also established a strong presence in Philadelphia, performing Strange Friends single “Set of Rules” live on-air at Philly alternative rock radio station Radio 104.5, earning airplay for subsequent single “Cooking Up an Accident” on the station’s New Music Show, and being named one of Philadelphia’s Top 25 Local Bands in 2014. During this time, the band also performed at World Café Live and Xfinity Live in Philadelphia, Sullivan Hall and Tammany Hall in New York City, and established a home base at Triumph Brewing Company in New Hope, PA, where they are known for their raucous homecoming shows that often end with the crowd mobbing the stage.

We Are All Strange Friends was officially released on January 28th, 2014, to critical acclaim from outlets such as The Aquarian Weekly, which called it “a terrifically entertaining record,” and Jersey Beat, which called it “damn good stuff” and included it on their Top NJ Releases of 2013 list. (A year early, but we’ll take it!) The band supported the record with a summer tour of the South that hit venues in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. They also recorded and released an official music video for “Set of Rules,” which was directed by Frank and shot at Hill Theatre Studios in Paulsboro, NJ. The clip, influenced strongly by underrated film Josie and the Pussycats, features the return of Invisible Solid bass player Drew Novelli as fictional TV pitchman Jimmy Soppressata, not to mention the first onscreen appearance of Brian’s pet birds. - Popa's Tunes

This alt-rock/power-pop band from Princeton, New Jersey picks colors from all across the rock and roll color palette (bands like Oasis, The Smithereens, Third Eye Blind) and then add a hefty amount of melodies and catchy hooks and lyrics. The Paper Jets somehow sound new and old simultaneously while never failing at delivering solid rock songs with a great lead singer. Their music can be heavy handed or emotional, yet retains an edge throughout. Details: 8 p.m. doors, 10 p.m. show, Saturday, 18+, 1612 Castle Street, Wilmington - Star News Online

Formerly known as The Invisible Solid, three-piece power pop group The Paper Jets formed in 2005 out of a senior thesis project undertaken by guitarist/vocalist Brian E. and drummer/vocalist Frank Lettieri at Rider University. The original goal was to record a full album using only “consumer” equipment, and after a few years, they added bassist Scott Maloney, adopted their current name, and released their debut, Face Forward (2009). Their latest full-length, We Are All Strange Friends, sounds somewhat like a far cleaner and more impactful follow-up to that freshman release.

The first track on the album, “Cooking Up An Accident,” isn’t exactly a “new” song, having been packaged as a standalone single in 2012, but it opens up the record brilliantly. Smart lyrics, great vocal control, light distortion and beautifully clean sounds are what you can expect from herein set forth by the opening track. “Friends Of Friends” and “Set Of Rules” give you that classic power pop taste, and will entice anyone who falls victim to catchy lyrics and snappy riffs.

In true fashion of the band’s style, a curveball is thrown almost immediately with “Lena Lena,” a much more emotionally heavy song that shows how far they can reach, getting down to depths of almost-bitterness and despair with their music while still sounding bright, upbeat, and favorable to the ear. Likewise, the next song, “It’s Only Talk,” has a bass solo opening and a feeling like danger creeping up through the speakers. Brian’s voice does well to keep the diversity flowing fluidly, and keeps everything on track and organized where it would be in danger of falling apart in its somewhat wild diversity.

With “Getaway Car,” the band closes off the album with one last heart-touching, semi-acoustic piece that’s emotionally charged and ready to fire. To be fair, “power pop” may be a slight mislabeling of genres when you look at it as a whole, but this musically diverse group definitely hit the nail on the head when it came to making a terrifically entertaining record. A great summer soundtrack for 2014.

In A Word: Fun - The Aquarian Weekly

This Princeton, Jew Jersey indie power pop trio cook up eleven songs worth of sheer sonic pow on their latest full length album. The robust vocals soar over an infectiously energetic array of ringing guitars, snappy basslines, and dynamic steamrolling drums. The quick tempos and full speed ahead charging beats whisk by at a remarkably ceaseless and lively clip. The songwriting hits the spot in a pleasingly smart and concise manner. Best of all, there’s a vitality and urgency evident throughout that’s a totally invigorating blast to hear. Damn good stuff. - Jersey Beat

We premiered this track last month and now local guys, The Paper Jets have officially released the music video for "Set of Rules".

This video is hilariously AWESOME. Remember the movie "Josie and the Pussycats"? That's all I can think about when I watch this one. Will The Paper Jets get to the studio in time before this new girl-group steals their song forever?! ...Well, you'll just have to watch below to find out! Well done, Gentlemen!

Don't forget to catch The Paper Jets January 17th for Live @ 5! - Radio 104.5

We are happy to bring you the the first listen of the new single from “We Are All Strange Friends,” the debut full-length album from The Paper Jets coming early 2013.

The Paper Jets are a three-piece indie rock/powerpop band based in Central New Jersey and featuring Brian E. on vocals and guitar, Scottie Maloney on bass, and Frank Lettieri on drums and vocals. The band draws their influence from bands such as Big Star, Ben Folds, Cheap Trick, Spoon, and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. - HITS Daily Double

From the first notes of the Paper Jets’ new single, “Cooking Up an Accident,” it’s clear that these local rockers are on a mission to see just how high they can fly.

After a false-start intro — a few stray piano notes and a laugh — the song’s melodic power-pop takes over, immersing listeners in a wash of charging guitars and crashing cymbals.

“You’re cooking up an accident to make it look intentional,” belts songwriter and guitarist Brian Erickson in the song’s soaring chorus, the frustration in his voice a sharp contrast to the playful bass and piano lines beneath.

Listeners will have a chance to see the Paper Jets play “Accident” and other songs from their forthcoming album, “We Are All Strange Friends,” when the band performs tonight at Triumph Brewing Company in New Hope, Pa.

“This record is a little different than what we were doing before,” Erickson says. “I feel like it’s the first time we’ve consciously set out to make an album.”

The band formed in 2008 when Erickson and fellow Rider University alumnus Frank Lettieri met multi-instrumentalist Scottie Maloney and asked him to join them in a new project.

“I would write stuff at home and make these really crude demos on tape recorders,” says Erickson of the band’s early days. “They had a knack for arranging things on the fly, which sort of transitioned into our first album.”

After the release of 2009’s “Face Forward,” the band continued to develop their sound, a pop-rock hybrid influenced by artists like Cheap Trick, Big Star, Ben Folds and Spoon.

The band followed up with 2011’s “Sorta Bored,” a collection of demos, covers and previously unreleased recordings.

That album and accompanying live concert DVD, “Bored in Town” (a nod to the band’s adopted hometown, Bordentown) marked a transition for the band, as the departure of two original band members left Erickson, Lettieri and Maloney as a trio.

“‘Bored in Town’ was like a signoff for that phase of the band,” notes Erickson.

As the band headed into the studio to record the songs that would become “We Are All Strange Friends,” they enlisted the help of keyboardist Tim Ryan, who supplied the percussive piano parts that enliven many of the album’s tracks.

In September 2011, Ryan was tragically killed in a car accident, casting a pall over the recording sessions.

“There’s no doubt that if he were with us today, he’d be the fourth member of the Paper Jets,” Erickson says of his late friend, whose piano and laughter open “Cooking Up an Accident,” the album’s first track and lead single.

“We wanted to make sure that his voice would be the first one people would hear.”

Though the songs on “We Are All Strange Friends” draw on feelings of loss and frustration, the pop energy and lively production remain front-and-center throughout the album, often in stark contrast to the songs’ introspective lyrics.

Second single “It’s Only Talk” highlights the band’s instrumental interplay, with slinky guitar and bass lines dancing around an insistent drum beat as Erickson’s confident vocals propel the song.

Though the full-length album won’t be available until early next year, “It’s Only Talk” was released as a charity single following Hurricane Sandy, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross.

The Paper Jets are planning a tour to coincide with the album’s release. For information, fans should keep an eye on the group’s website (thepaperjets.com) and Facebook page.

Tonight’s show at Triumph begins at 10, with an opening performance by local pop-punk band Run For It.

Tickets are available at the door for $5. For more information, call (215) 862-8300. - The Times of Trenton