Origami Ghosts: “We’ve just been really trying to get people to have fun with our music and absurdism and fantasy.”

As my regular readers know, one of the occupational hardships (among many) of being a music journalist, is so often coming across a nearly-mind-blowing artist that I find out...

As my regular readers know, one of the occupational hardships (among many) of being a music journalist, is so often coming across a nearly-mind-blowing artist that I find out has actually been doing this, apparently under my own personal radar, for quite some time.  And Seattle’s Origami Ghosts are definitely one to add to that roster of mine…

Origami Ghosts have been making music for a decade now.  The band is the project of North West musician/artist/teacher/creator John Paul Scesniak, who has been writing and performing music for over two decades now… Origami Ghosts technically began in 2005 when Scesniak and friend Joel Hanson officially decided to form the musical project.  Over the past decade Origami Ghosts has included an ever-changing cast of friends/players from the NW; played open-mics, public parks, bowling alleys, houses, bars, and big-time, legit nightclubs throughout the US, Europe, and Asia; and drawn comparisons to proto-twee, ‘70s art rock, prog rock, anti-folk, the kings and queens of ‘80s and ‘90s alt rock, and even “Appalachian hip-hop”… whatever that entails…

This fall saw the release of Fruit & Animal, Origami Ghosts’ latest LP, which went on to take them to Europe and Thailand, on an extended tour.  But before leaving the states I got a chance to chat with JP Scesniak about Origami Ghosts and I ask him, in general, what have been some of the highlights of the past ten years of the project, to which he admits that it’s all been very inspiring: “Just looking back and remembering all the shows we’ve done and all the amalgamations of the band is really cool, memories of all the shows and just that people wanted to come out to see us, but also bonding with each other in the van and things like that.  I’m grateful to be able to do this for so long and hope to do it another 10 years.”

JP tells me that Fruit & Animal was something a bit different and new for Origami Ghosts.

“I feel like our sound kind of evolved a little bit.  It’s a bit more smoothed out on this recording.  We recorded in three different places, which is why there are three different drummers.  I think we’ve just been really trying to get people to have fun with our music and absurdism and fantasy.  We’ve been really getting into melody, like over the top melodies, but with classic songwriting.”

And Origami Ghosts are on their way back to the states in the near future and JP assures me that Philadelphia is on his radar: “Early Spring I’m hoping to get back out there and I’d love to finally play a proper show in Philly.  The last time we were in Philly we couldn’t book a gig, so we just went to Washington Square Park and did some busking for like frozen food from Trader Joe’s.”

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Band InterviewsMusic

During the day Izzy Cihak teaches transgression, subversion, and revolution at Temple University. At night he haunts Philthy's best venues to cover worthwhile acts for Philthy Mag. Morrissey is everything to him and, in their own heads, all of his friends see themselves as Zooey Deschanel.

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