Origami Ghosts

 Seattle band Origami Ghosts is the musical project of John Paul Scesniak -- traveler, teacher, artist, and musician. Since 2004 “JP” has surrounded himself with some of Seattle’s finest and most creative musicians to produce highly entertaining performances and unique recordings, all under the Origami Ghosts moniker. Origami Ghosts make warm and soulful folk-rock music, with a priority on melody. A huge fan of folk, pop, R & B, hip-hop, and rock music, Scesniak began writing "bedroom pop" songs in the early 90’s and began studying the guitar at the University of Washington in 1996. Throughout the following decade, Scesniak performed his songs at open-mics, house parties, artist lofts, art galleries, cafes, bars, and clubs around Seattle, Japan, and France – under the names: John Scesniak, Paper People, and Jean-Paul de Bellevue. When Scesniak collaborated some of his songs with friend and Hammered Dulcimer player Joel Hanson (first in 2000 but later more seriously in 2004) the two formed a duo and had a show lined up at Seattle's Neumo's venue -- where Origami Ghosts were born in March of 2005.Now consisting of a revolving cast of players, Origami Ghosts is a musical vehicle for the songs of J.P. Scesniak and the talented friends whom he surrounds himself with. JPS is constantly reshaping and recreating his voice and style, and has written and produced hundreds of songs and recordings -- with only a chosen few documented on Origami Ghosts releases. Origami Ghosts has performed at artist lofts, open mics, dive bars, street corners, prestigious clubs, bowling alleys, squats, living rooms, and college auditoriums across the US, Europe, Japan, and China for more than a decade. Scesniak’s style drives the Origami Ghosts engine -- finger picked, jangly and angular guitar playing (often with a swinging tempo) coupled with soulful, personal and heartfelt vocal melodies and lyrical content. Origami Ghosts can be one -- Scesniak -- or many, the latter currently combines the songwriting of Scesniak with the intricate accordion playing and singing of Kara Wiggert, cello that warms the heart, and bass and drums which power and move the music to a danceable groove. The band has an "indie" folk-rock sound with a strong diy ethos. The current Origami Ghosts lineup has Scesniak (guitar/vocals), Wiggert (accordion/vocals), Kelly Viergutz (drums), Amir Estakhrian (drums), Shivani Patel (cello), Jim Smith (bass). These are some bands that people have compared OG to through the years and some words that people have come up with describing the sound: Built to Spill, Pavement, Modest Mouse, Pinback, Band of Horses, the Shins, the Beach Boys, David Byrne, Blonde Redhead, singer-songwriter, anti-folk, post-punk, Americana, irreverent pop, Appalachian hip-hop, and urban.On their 3rd release -- “it don’t exist” -- Seattle’s Origami Ghosts broaden their brushstroke of poppy alt-folk-rock. The album is a lo-fi home recording of 14 songs inspired by various musical genres, drawing from: Russian and European classical pieces, 50’s rock-n-roll, 60’s psychedelic, 80’s and 90’s alternative, and possibly even reggae. Singer-songwriter/guitarist John Paul Scesniak assembles a large crew of mostly new musicians to the band. Accompanied by Kara Wiggert (accordion/vocals/songwriting), Shivani Patel (cello), Jim Smith (bass), Kelly Viergutz (drums), and original members Amir Estakhrian (drums/bass/guitar), and Ki Johnsen (cello), “it don’t exist” has a certain charm to it. Scesniak and Wiggert’s vocals are layered warmly on top of fingerpicked and jangly guitars and guitar-banjo, accordion, cello, bass, drums, body percussion, tap dancing, and cat meows. The album is at once epic and minimalistic, big and cozy, and song subjects range from hats, cats, and ski men, and are drawn from such philosophers and writers as Jean-Paul Sartre and Wallace Stegner. The album was recorded/engineered by Scesniak, mixed by Kevin Suggs (Cat Power), and mastered by Rick Fisher (Pearl Jam, SubPop).Sounds like: Modest Mouse, Pinback, the Shins, Anti-Folk, Indie-folk, alternative rock.Release Date: 7.7.12

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