Nick Starr Duarte – guitar, vocals
Amy Morgan – cello
Craig Babineau – drums
Phil Spencer – bass
Erik Babineau – guitar
If you’ve been hanging around the Northern Colorado rock scene for the past year or so, odds are you’ve heard about a band who has been taking venues by storm and amassing a generous buzz with the locals. With their innovative songwriting, unique instrumentation, and unforgettable live show, the cello-driven rock band Post Paradise is a fairly unmistakable outfit. Soaring vocals and guitar by frontman Nick Starr Duarte share the melodies of their indie rock compositions with the lead cello parts of Amy Morgan. Phil Spencer on bass and Craig Babineau on drums and percussion round out the lineup adding the energetic, yet tasteful rhythm section. Finally, the newest addition to the group, lead guitarist Erik Babineau, adds an element of excitement to the overall feel of the shows.
As of June 2010, the band is working on their first full length album. They have toned down their number of local live shows and even limited interviews while in preparation. Fans can definitely expect to hear new songs being debuted all summer. They even leaked two new songs, “Ghost in the Airwaves” and “Falling Apart” in demo form in May of 2010 on local college radio station KCSU 90.5FM.
“We really can’t wait to let people know what we’re up to. When you play shows all the time it’s easy to connect with people because you’re out there in front of them, whereas being in the studio you can really start to feel disconnected,” singer and guitarist Nick Duarte explains. “I’d like to even do some video blogs while in the studio just so we can let people in on the process.”
Since their first show in early 2009 Post Paradise has been finding its stride and gaining speed. In their first year they were able to rock Fort Collins’ two biggest festivals as well as playing with many local favorites such as Common Anomaly, Wire Faces and The Heyday, while finding the time to write and record their first release, a seven-song EP entitled, “From Here to Anywhere.” The name was very indicative of their whirlwind of a debut onto the scene.
“This town and its people have been very good to us,” remarks cellist Amy Morgan. “We had a lot of great opportunities in a very short amount of time. We really felt like once we’d gotten some of our music out into the world, the support of our friends and fans could help bring us even farther, we felt like the sky was the limit.”
Things haven’t slowed down for the Fort Collins five piece. Since then, the band has continued to gain audience attendance through Northern Colorado with their visceral stage presence. This year alone the band has had opportunities to drop jaws at festivals such as the Fort Collins Music Experiment and the Denver People’s Fair, as well as their sets at the Greeley Stampede and Bohemian Nights @ New West Fest.
“We had to keep to some of the higher profile gigs in town since we really want to focus on keeping ourselves sane and writing the best possible record we can,” says Duarte. “Our fans should definitely expect more experimentation this time around. We aren’t going to put ourselves in a box, we’re just going to let out whatever ideas want to come out, and hopefully the tape is running!”
Fans should be ready for a record full of complex orchestration not usually heard on a rock record. Rather than the stereotypical cello lines heard in the background of a ballad, or simply accompanying an acoustic track, Post Paradise features the cello in a central role, often as the lead instrument. This was a move that has been catching attention and will keep bringing their music to fresh ears as their buzz continues to grow.
Email us at PostParadiseRock@gmail.com
Press
“…we’re so impressed with their fantastic song writing, arrangements and musicality of their performance.” -Savvant Music
“The band, though unsigned, brings power to any audience…an excellent blend of instruments.” -The Voice, S. Watkins
