Press Information and EPK for Paragon Cause
EMAIL - To contact us for anything, please write to music <at> Paragoncause <dot> com
EPK and Information for Paragon Cause and the LP ‘ What We Started’
Images and Photography of Paragon Cause for Media
For Images of Paragon Cause and Paragon Cause Albums Click Here (Dropbox Folder)
Links to Interviews with Paragon Cause
Paragon Cause Full Interview on CKCU (March 27, 2019)
Paragon Cause Interview with Irregular Dreams
Paragon Cause Interview with Sometimes Always
Reviews of Paragon Cause Music
CBC Radio One Review of Paragon Cause Drop me In
Divide and Conquer Review of Escape
Best Release Award for Escape
Review of Paragon Cause - Consequence in Come Here Floyd
Review of Paragon Cause - Escape in Ottawa Life Magazine
Social Media Contacts and Links
Paragon Cause on Facebook
Paragon Cause on Twitter
Paragon Cause on YouTube
Paragon Cause on Instagram
Links To Music
Paragon Cause Music on Bandcamp
Paragon Cause Music on Spotify
Paragon Cause on Apple Music
Short Paragon Cause Bio
Ottawa / Gatineau band Paragon are a musical duo who take an eclectic approach to their music influences, fusing disparate sounds including hip-hop, jazz, 80's synthesizers and 50's guitars to deliver their personal brand of atmospheric rock-tinged electronica. The duo’s history is one of mystery, sadness, hope and inspiration.
Medium Bio
Ottawa / Gatineau band Paragon Cause have transcended national and genre boundaries with a set of stunning releases. The songwriting, production and musical duo take an eclectic approach to their music influences, fusing disparate sounds including hip-hop, jazz piano, 80's synthesizers and 50's guitars to deliver their personal brand of atmospheric rock-tinged electronica. The duo’s history is one of mystery, sadness, hope and inspiration.
Lead singer/songwritter Michelle had her creativity and talent trapped for years under a haze of emotional and physical control, until she was able to see the light and escape into a world of art, music and culture. Her female power, confidence and talent allow her to be an inspiration and role model for other women who need to escape and become who they are.
Guitarist and songwriter Jay provides a perfect counterpoint to Michelle’s influences: a bit more rock in the mix, urban percussive rhythms, shimmering 50s melodrama and gothic undertones that invoke comparisons with Ry Cooder and Lana Del Rey’s more reflective moments. After pursuing a career in medicine, his love, commitment and dedication to the world of the arts eventually took over and in an epiphany, he realize that he was in a haze of normality and his true talent and passion was as a songwriter and artist. He traded his scalpel blades for 11 gauge strings on a Fender Jazzmaster and so began his return to music.
The various strands are all drawn together in a production style that serves up arrangements that are dense, sometimes dark, instinctually expansive but always open to making an emotional connection with the listener. They lean into the darkness, exploring every corner of a darkened room discovering new shades of black and color with the hues of oblivion and vast emptiness. They embrace complicated topics and find comfort in them.
The Extended Cut (Long Paragon Cause Bio)
Ottawa / Gatineau band Paragon Cause have transcended national and genre boundaries with a set of stunning releases. The songwriting, production and musical duo take an eclectic approach to their music influences, fusing disparate sounds including hip-hop, jazz piano, 80's synthesizers and 50's guitars to deliver their personal brand of atmospheric rock-tinged electronica.
Singer Michelle, from southern Ontario, Canada is a trained jazz singer however her voice defies placing in any one genre as it effortlessly captures qualities both modern and timeless. Her history is one of mystery, sadness, hope and inspiration. She grew up and was raised in a small evangelical religious community that often stereotyped women and female roles. Her creativity and talent remained trapped for years under a haze of emotional and physical control, until she was able to see the light and escape into a world of art, music and culture. Her female power, confidence and talent allow her to be an inspiration and role model for other women who need to escape and become who they are. The control that took over her life was released and her incredible talent is now available to share.
Subtle colours abound: from achingly heartfelt blues to the emotive rock tones of fellow Canadian Ann Wilson of Heart, whispers of Beth Gibbons and Eva Cassidy all combine in a voice that is as magical as it is mystical. The vocalist is also the main lyricist, she uses her considerable creative prowess to discuss topics that are often thought-provoking, encouraging the listener to embrace the deeper meaning and emotion in both the lyrics and also their own lives. Musically, she cites artists such as Mamma Cass, The Beatles and Beethoven as influences, lending the band’s music that classic, familiar aspect of their overall duality.
Fellow band member and co-producer Jay, is originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He absorbed by osmosis his home’s natural Celtic musical roots. As he grew older, he explored the wider musical world and added influences such as Tribe Called Quest, Digible Planets, as well as his love for the more brooding sounds of The Cure, Janes Addiction and The Raveonettes to his musical palette. Although he was a member of a number of many successful Halifax bands, he eventually left music and pursued a career in science and eventually surgery. His love, commitment and dedication to the world of the medical arts eventually took over and in an Epiphany, he realize that he was in a haze of normality and his true talent and passion was as a songwriter and artist. He traded his scalpel blades for 11 gauge strings on a Fender Jazzmaster and so began his return to music.
The result is a perfect counterpoint to Marine’s influences: a bit more rock in the mix, urban percussive rhythms, shimmering 50s melodrama and gothic undertones that invoke comparisons with Ry Cooder and Lana Del Rey’s more reflective moments.
The various strands are all drawn together in a production style that serves up arrangements that are dense, sometimes dark, instinctually expansive but always open to making an emotional connection with the listener. They lean into the darkness, exploring every corner of a darkened room discovering new shades of black and color with the hues of oblivion and vast emptiness. They embrace complicated topics and find comfort in them.
Their meeting almost never happened. But in todays media and online world, it was all meant to be.
You’ll not have heard many bands that sound like Paragon Cause.
Individualistic, with well-crafted songs, enriched with emotionally literate lyrics and a cinematic musical style that complements the work of directors like Wim Wenders, the band intoxicate and delight with equal measure.
The duo is know for their penchant to lean into the darkness, exploring every corner of a darkened room. They somehow discover new shades of black and color with the hues of oblivion and vast emptiness. They take these daunting concepts and make them comforting and relaxing. They call to embrace complicated topics and find comfort in them.
Quotes and Reviews of Paragon Cause
CBC Radio - 3 Songs you Need to Hear this Week 2019
”Paragon Cause's newest track Drop Me In is a little subversive, just for how understated it initially feels. It starts slow, but continuously builds throughout. There are also some seriously gorgeous harmonies here.”
Divide and Conquer Review of Paragon Cause - Escape 2019
”Paragon Cause has given me a lot to chew with their dreamy and ambient album Escape. They are a duo act based in Ottawa that had a very classic meeting of bumping into one another fatefully and deciding to make music together. Sometimes when you know, you know. This is one of those albums that frolics in experimentation especially when it comes to song structure. They are unafraid of being loose and unpredictable. While primarily what I would consider to be a trip-hop or shoegaze flavor, there are some fabulous notes of jazz and even grunge. There is a thick lining of smokey mystery that gives this album a signature sound. “
Divide and Conquer Reivew of Paragon Cause - Next Time 2018
”The intro had me nervous and I can't explain why. There was an interesting selection of sounds that made me think I might hate it but it quickly unfurled into a massively cool and complex masterpiece. Everything in my mind began to unwind as the guitar and drums hit. The drums were key to this song. They pushed a very cool jazzy vibe. Marnie Kheul reaches max cool factor with her vocals on this track. This song reached number seven on college radio charts over the summer and it's not hard to hear why. It is distinctive and cool and trendsetting. It calls back to the very beginning of the trip-hop movement but keeps a modern undertone.“
Spill Magazine Review of Away From Me by Paragon Cause 2018
”Paragon Cause’s new dream pop single, “Away from Me” represents the sonically optimistic daydream coda to their dark and cheerfully pessimistic debut album Escape. The genre bending song equips an array of dreamy rhythm guitar with tastefully executed vocal harmonies, resulting in a unique sound that is both optimistic and immersive enough to get lost in.”
Ottawa Life Review of Escape - Paragon Cause 2018
”Sometime in the 90s alternative hit upon some amazing and startling electronic landscapes that have rarely been taken foreword. For Paragon Cause, they manage to tap into this sound with endless ambition for an album that will inspire and invigorate. With a tempered crawl the album opens on the silky vocals and deep bass of "Next Time" as Paragon Cause mix Lynchian atmosphere with a rock grime. "Fear" mixes a little bit of ominous vocal delivery with a haunting guitar line that lets every harmony within the song feel like some remnant of what once was. They tap into a fiery and smoky energy on "Consequence" as their Western guitar riffs kick out to create a dangerous sense of tension within the song. "Sunny" brings something a little brighter however as their drums become a little more synthetic to let them focus on an angelic push of vocals that makes the track soar. “
Come Here Floyd review of Consequence by Paragon Cause 2018
”‘Consequence’ is a single that combines multiple angles of different genre elements, including pulp, rock, surf, and pop to make linear the sound of the dark and the hidden. The bluesy theme of a single comes at us with the malaise of the summer heat, coupled with the un-atoneable detriment to the highlight of a nice iced tea after a thought – your moment in celebrity. “
Paragon Cause Sounds Like
We have heard our music described as sounding like everyone below, but we just think we sound like us….its rare that people can place our music
Portishead
Massive Attack
The Raveonettes
The Cocteau Twins
Lana Del Ray
Nine Inch Nails
Scary Folk Music
Fleetwood Mac
Nancy Sinatra
David Lynch