Paper Tongues plays for the people. Fusing massive rock n’ roll melodies with fiery hip hop beats, the Charlotte band conjures an infectious, incendiary sound on their A&M/Octone debut, due out this summer. Embracing elements of rock, funk, rap and soul, these seven individuals have created something you haven’t before. It’s music for dancing, crying, loving and living. Paper Tongues Aswan North, Devin Forbes, Cody Blackler, Joey Signa, Clayton Simon, Jordan Hardee and Danny Santell are a collective of artists, and this record is their first masterpiece.

Paper Tongues’ eclectic sound ranges from bombastic songs like “For the People” that can light up a packed arena or a dance floor, while the soulful electronica-infused “Trinity” is inspiring and invigorating. Guitarist Devin Forbes comments, “Our music is extremely eclectic because we’re all coming from different places. Aswan grew up with hip hop, Clayton grew up with electronica and I grew up with rock, but it all comes together fluidly in Paper Tongues.”

Paper Tongues was officially born in 2007 on the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina. Lead singer Aswan North, helped found the Inprov Music Experience, a weekly event where musicians played for the homeless at a main intersection in the middle of the city. The current band lineup congregated at uptown Charlotte weekly, slowly developing a bond. Aswan started cultivating his song writing and presence during those shows. He brought those street sounds and ideas to producers in Los Angeles. It didn’t take long for Aswan’s collaborators to feel the power and magnitude behind the ideas of his music. This caught Cody and Devin’s attention. They had been formally playing as Paper Tongues. With Cody, Devin, Jordan and Clayton’s help, Aswan quickly set out to find other members for this entity. As the songs sprung to life, Paper Tongues was reborn with the same vision to impact rock n’ roll with a new sound.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Aswan, who took a few moments out of his busy schedule to talk about their music, interests, and inspirations. You can check the interview out below.

How would you describe the sound of your music?

Club Rock – the best name we could think of. You can dance to our music without losing that rock edge. People can actually dance and get down to what we play.

How long have you been playing together, and how long did it take for you to break into the music industry?

We started playing in Charlotte as buddies and musicians over five years ago. As a band, 2.5 years. We came together in LA in a studio playing and recording music and went at it for over two months before committing because its what we all dreamed about. We posted our music on Myspace and within 30 days we were getting friend requests and messages and the momentum started to pick up.

You’re from the Charlotte NC area – which is known more so for the banking industry rather than music. Did that make it harder for you to break into the music industry? How does your fan base from Charlotte differ from everywhere else?

It actually made it easier. I’m originally from the Jacksonville NC area and moved up to Charlotte in 1999, the last year of the 1900′s and it was a good thing then. I gained lots of education and knowledge from meeting different people. Charlotte is a big part in getting our music quality to level. Our fan base are like brothers and sisters. They don’t feel like strangers to us. We love the city and playing live in the city. Its a community feel in the family sense, they don’t feel like just fans.

I noticed on your tour date calender that you guys have been traveling all over the US recently. What are some of your favorite cities that you’ve visited and why?

Boston, no doubt. Tuscon is the number one favorite city. Boston because when we played in Cambridge for the Harvard students it was just amazing. An incredible feeling. Tuscon because we’ve never gotten a response like we have in Tuscon. People were actually singing the words to our songs, and we don’t even know how they knew them because some of the songs we haven’t even released yet.

What is the hardest part of traveling and what do you miss the most from back home?

I’m a homebody. I love Charlotte. I’ve been to London, France, Peru, but I love Charlotte. I miss waking up in the morning and heading down to East Blvd. to get some coffee. I miss playing playstation with my buddies and smoking a cigar acting like we’re grownups. When I have a hard night on stage and get nervous I sometimes wish I could go back and smoke a cigar with my buddies. I miss being home but I love being on the road. Hardest part of being on the road is going on stage. That first inital step is hard and I battle anxiety like crazy. But once that first step is taken I get into a mindset and have a great time.

Who are some of your idols and most influential musical influences?

Steve Perry and Al Green by far. They put so much effort and thought vocally into their music. You can tell on their albums and dvds they focus on their voice in their preparation moments. And that is something I really appreciate. I am a lover of their voice. And Bono of U2. Its hard not to love what he does for humity and South Africa. I have a lot of love for him as a vocalist, too. If you listen to his earlier stuff, like say from the 90s, and you listen to him now you can tell he still has the power behind his voice. Aretha Franklin, too. She is amazing and so very soulful.

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