Written by: Michael Stegner
The Papadosio experience. It is impossible to describe to somebody who has not seen the Ashville-based quintet perform live, as with many other bands, the complete package can only be digested once you’ve seen them in person. Fortunately, for those who have not made their way to a Papadosio show yet, the band just released the next best thing- a collection of live recordings taken from their Fall 2018 tour in support of their new album, Content Coma. Now the experience of seeing Papadosio perform live can be brought to your living room, bedroom, office, car, or wherever you have the time to jam out.
The album is called “Live Selections- Fall 2018”, and features 23 live songs spanning the band’s 12 year discography. The catalog was personally selected by the band to include some of their favorite jams and noteworthy songs from their entire tour, so you can expect excellent choices from start to finish.
“We hope you have as much fun listening to these songs as we did playing them,” the band stated on their social media accounts when they released the album.
For the music festival maniacs, this album should serve as your preview for the upcoming summer. It gives a glimpse of what you can expect to see if you catch the boys anywhere around the country soon. My problem with Papadosio is that as soon as I am done witnessing one of their live shows, I begin anxiously awaiting their next concert within a two hour distance from my hometown.
While Papadosio is consistently releasing their live soundboard recordings to music websites like nugs.net and Bandcamp during their tours, they wanted to give their Spotify subscribers (and any potential new listeners) the opportunity to see what types of things they have been doing live. With a band as fluid and ever-evolving as Papadosio, the difference between hearing “The Bionic Man Meets His Past” from 2015 and 2019 is incredible!
The fact that it is a collection from their entire tour means that it is simply the best of the best. It has everything a fan could ask for — some of their more rare songs that hit you in the feels like “Fuse” and “Dream Estate,” plenty of Content Coma tracks to let you see how the new music sounds live, as well as two different versions of “Snorkel
One noteworthy track from this collection is the nearly 20 minute long improv jam from Resonance’s PA set, a unique type of Papadosio show in which the entire set is improvised from start to finish. These PA sets are a good place to get to know Papadosio’s style and sound, without the structure of any particular songs. The track on this album is called “The Chicago Bridge Incident”, a goofy name assigned to that particular jam by the band. It even features Dopapod’s guitarist, Rob Compa, for some extra heavy shredding. If you enjoyed that particular improv track, check out their entire PA album on Spotify- 12.18.16 Live from Park Street Salon.
One thing that amazes me when listening to these tracks is the difference it makes when one of the band members uses a tone that is different than the studio version. Something as simple as changing the tone of Anthony’s guitar during “Advocate of Change” can result in an impressionable difference between the live version and its original. Hearing the boys experiment with their tones gives even experienced Dosio fans something to look forward to when they think they’ve heard the band do everything already.
As I listen to these live recordings, I can’t help but think that they are masters at controlling and manipulating the time within their jams. While other bands may try to impress the listeners with insane solos during the peak of one of their jams, Papadosio is just as much about the notes that aren’t getting played as they are the notes that you hear. Similar to a technique mastered by jamtronica founding fathers Pink Floyd, they are capable of toying with your emotions by holding notes longer than you would expect them to be held, making your brain long for the music to take on a new direction. The fact that they can make you anticipate and desire the next notes of a melody is not only impressive, but down right magical.
If you have checked the new collection out and like what you hear, I cannot shout it from the rooftops loud enough: GO OUT AND SEE PAPADOSIO LIVE! They are hitting several cities this spring in support of their newest studio album, and will be all over the country this festival season as well. As this live album shows us, Papadosio’s music is as good or better than it’s ever been, and the fans are as loving and amazing as any fanbase. Now what are you waiting for? Go get yourself some tickets to their next show near you!