LATEST NEWS
SIMON PAPARO ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘SOLACE’
Folk Pop-Rock singer/songwriter Simon Paparo has today announced his second studio album “Solace”, a reflective and thought-provoking record, to be released May 14.
“Solace” starts with previously released single “Farm Of Our Soul” a track about the innocence and beauty of growing up as a child, with a Dean Lewis feel to it. Then it’s on to “Pirates”, a single from January this year which lands the listener in a pit of Simon’s introspection with a jungle of wonderfully laid out guitar hooks and powerful vocals. Enter track three, the title track “Solace” with it’s own beautiful gems, written about a conversation with his father. The album is in fact a dedication to his late father, Vince Paparo, who passed away in March, 2019. With a clear influence from the UK music scene this album’s hooks and melodies immediately draws in the listener. With bites of Snow Patrol, Coldplay, Keane and Lewis Capaldi, this album is a very easy listen.
As it folds into another well crafted track “Alchemy”, a song based on
‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, which has an uplifting energy and a great rhythm section featuring an African Djembe drum. Another album highlight being the feature of the incredible vocals of Tanya George on “These Streets”. A song about busking the streets of Melbourne.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the album, Simon says, “‘Solace was always going to be an album in remembrance of my father. He was a poet, philosopher and craftsman. He always looked directly into the heart of every matter he’d come across. He was never afraid to dive deep into the human psyche and look for solace. This collection of songs takes on a lot of this idea, searching and understanding that beauty is usually found buried in a pile of pain or discomfort and the acceptance of this makes life that little bit brighter and gives it more meaning.’”
Simon is set to launch “Solace” at an intimate gig at Melbourne’s
Northcote Social Club on May 26. Excited to bring the album to life for
fans, Simon enthuses, “Working with the band has been brilliant and the
musicians I’m performing with are hugely talented wonderful people.”
The band is comprised of:
Simon Paparo – guitars / lead vocals,
Jon Ritchie – drums / backing vocals,
Mark Knowles – bass guitar,
Gerry Kennedy – electric/12 string guitar / mandolin / backing vocals,
Thomas Byrne – keys / backing vocals,
Sarah Cusack / Violin
Tanya George / backing vocals Dan Richardson / Flute
With support from the incredibly talented Melbourne local act ‘Tanya
George, Ceylon Rose’, Simon Paparo’s album launch will be a show not
to be missed!
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SIMON PAPARO ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE ‘PIRATES’
Folk pop singer/songwriter Simon Paparo has today announced his introspective new single “Pirates” a song about looking inwards, to be released January 23.
“Pirates” starts with a gentle guitar piece and words provoking thought of looking to the inner self. Enter the chilled drum/percussion section and the song climbs further into its uplifting essence. Approaching to something bigger the music welcomes the belting of Paparo’s chorus vocal! With tinges of Snow Patrol and Coldplay, this track is easy to play on repeat.
With the chorus line “pirates are blind in one eye, we open our eyes from inside, pirates are blind in one eye” it portrays imagery of looking deeper into the self for love and not being tempted by surface level objects like the “pirates treasure”.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the track, Simon says, “‘Pirates is a song about introspection. It is a gentle reminder to continue looking inwards to nourish one’s soul so as to tread with love. In life we are always, as Tracy Chapman puts it, “tempted by the shiny apple”. As humans we can be swallowed whole by the temptations of greed, hate and wrongdoing. It is important we look constantly at the things that give us deeper purpose and meaning to find fulfilment, for example, love, kindness, generosity and care.”
Simon will celebrate the release with a live-streamed launch show on Sunday 24, live from his studio, Four Doors Studios (https://fourdoorsstudios.com.au). Excited to bring the track to life for fans, Simon enthuses, “I’ll be performing a stripped back version of the studio release. This will be a simple guitar and vocal show, live from Four Doors Studios.”
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SIMON PAPARO ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE ‘FARM OF OUR SOUL’
Folk pop singer/songwriter Simon Paparo has today announced his reminiscent new single “Farm Of Our Soul” a song about the joy and innocence of children, to be released December 11.
“Farm Of Our Soul” starts with a melodic guitar piece which flows into lyrics which describe the innocence we all start out with as young children. As the song continues, the smooth guitar chords and gentle driving kick drum fill the listener with a sense of ease. The track then opens into a flourish of textures including big drums and a wide piano hook. The simplicity and layering of the instrumentation could be what helps to create an uplifting atmosphere. With reflections of Vance Joy and Dean Lewis, the captivating vibe of this song can lure in the listener easily.
With the chorus line “and you fall from a star, and you call from the beauty of your heart” it gives the impression of the deep love parents would have for their children.
Speaking on the motivation behind the track, Simon says, “‘Farm Of Our Soul’ is a song about the wonderful nature, beauty and innocence children possess. Being an uncle to 9 nieces and 1 nephew and a godfather to 2 children I am always reminded of the beautiful learnings and teachings that children give to adults. It is inspired by these beautiful children in my life. I love their unhindered way of seeing things in the world and their uninhibited willingness to do anything without worrying about how they are perceived!”
Due to government guidelines on social distancing Simon will celebrate the release with a live-streamed launch show on December 11, live from his studio, Four Doors Studios (https://fourdoorsstudios.com.au). Excited to bring the track to life for fans, Simon enthuses, “I’ll be performing a stripped back version of the studio release. This will be a simple guitar and vocal show, live from Four Doors Studios.”
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SIMON PAPARO ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE ‘THESE STREETS’ FEATURING TANYA GEORGE
Folk pop singer/songwriter Simon Paparo has today announced his reflective new single “These Streets” a song about busking and perfroming on the streets, to be released November 8.
“These Streets” starts with the classic Melbourne atmosphere with the tram sounds you’d hear walking down Bourke St Mall, then diving into some picked acoustic guitar as Simon’s lyrics start to tell the story of the street. As the song continues, the verses merge into a chorus joined by smooth and flawless vocals of fellow busker and Indie songwriter Tanya George. This is where the songs honesty opens up with the joining of two buskers singing about why they perform on the streets!
Backed by the deep and heavy piano textures, huge drums and beautiful floating flute sounds, the listener gets drawn into the vibrant and chilled reflections of Simon’s experience performing on the streets! With sounds akin to Fleet Foxes and Birdtalker, you can get transported into a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon.
With the chorus line “We’re rolling out the carpet to cover this cold floor” it brings with it an idea that some people need street music for healing and connection to their fellow people.
Speaking on the motivation behind the track, Simon says, “‘These Streets’ is a song about busking. Having been a busker for many years and also featuring a close friend of mine, Tanya George, this is a song that is close to my heart. It is inspired by the vibrant people that we meet on the street as buskers. It’s also about why I am a busker and the reason why I love that connection through music it creates with people on the streets.”
Due to government guidelines on social distancing Simon will celebrate the release with a live-streamed launch show on November 8 live from his studio, Four Doors Studios (https://fourdoorsstudios.com.au). Excited to bring the track to life for fans, Simon enthuses, “I’ll be performing a stripped back version of the studio release. This will be a simple guitar and vocal show, live from Four Doors Studios.”
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SIMON PAPARO ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE ‘ALCHEMY’
Folk pop singer/songwriter Simon Paparo has today announced his uplifting new single “Alchemy” a song based on the book ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, to be released October 11.
“Alchemy” begins with a driving guitar rhythm that leaves the listener curious as to what comes next. The lyrics may emanate the inspiration Simon felt upon reading the book ‘The Alchemist’, particularly given the opening lines “Everybody follow your dreams, make em’ yours, yours to keep.” As the song continues, the guitar and vocals are joined by a charging bass drum as the song builds into an uplifting anthem of hope! With huge thundering drums and djembe/percussion plus the full scope of piano, bass guitar and backing vocals you can’t help but picture yourself at a world music festival! With touches of Vance Joy meets Coldplay, you can easily visualise this track in a stadium setting.
With lyrics such as “to live your dream is to live at peace” this high energy track will likely inspire listeners to follow their hearts and dreams. Speaking on the motivation behind the track, Simon says, “‘Alchemy’ is a way of capturing the joyous feelings I had after reading ‘The Alchemist’. The book made me feel empowered and instilled in me an ‘I can do anything I put my mind to’ kind of attitude. I wanted to write a song based on this in the hope that it can give people a similar feeling.”
Due to government guidelines on social distancing Simon will celebrate the release with a live-streamed launch show live from his studio, Four Doors Studios. Simon and special guests Ernest Aines and Indyana will perform via a live stream from their own homes on October 11. Excited to bring the track to life for fans, Simon enthuses, “I’ll be performing a stripped back version of the studio release. This will be a simple guitar and vocal show, live from Four Doors Studios. Sometime after lockdown I’d love to perform this track with a full band so stay tuned!”
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Debut album ‘More Like A Memory Than A Dream’ released!!
Simon’s work in the studio has payed off! The release of his debut record ‘More Like A Memory Than A Dream’ has been a huge success. In late April he released the first single “Gold At Midnight” and then in July the second single “Flesh & Bone” from the album! Check out the film clips for both tracks on the Music & Tours page! Check out the album review here:
Simon’s film clip of second single ‘Flesh & Bone’ from debut album ‘More Like A Memory Than A Dream’. Check it out below. Directed by the talented Clare Nica!
‘Gold At Midnight’
The debut single “Gold At Midnight” available on iTunes and Spotify. Check out all singles and film clips on the Music & Tours page.
