Think of the biggest thing in the whole world. Think hard. I want this thing to be BIG. OK, did you think of it? Take that thing and multiple it by nine bazillion and it still won’t be as big as PAPA frontman Darren Weiss’ passion for performing live music.
Upon the breakup of Girls in 2012, drummer Weiss was already knee deep in a new band, PAPA, with childhood friend, Danny Presant. After releasing an EP, A Good Woman is Hard to Find, the band went on to open for the likes Handsome Furs, Grouplove, Temper Trap, Lord Huron, and Girls (including a stop at Madison’s Majestic Theatre in 2011). The band is now off to begin their first headlining tour in support of their full-length album, Tender Madness, released last fall.
I had the opportunity to chat with Weiss hours before they departed on tour. As a longtime fan, I slapped him with a brief Fangirl warning before proceeding on (all squeals and high pitch noises have been redacted on behalf of the interviewer). I quickly learned that my love for the band paled in comparison to Weiss’ immense love for performing live.
You’re just about to kick off the tour supporting your first full-length album, Tender Madness. How would you explain the album to someone who has never heard of it?
“If you’re a fan, you already know that Tender Madness is not an album that fits easily into a genre or category. We wanted to make an album that reflected more the experiences and ethos that were happening while touring for several years as an unsuccessful band in America. It also deals a lot with feelings of insanity and heartbreak. All this has very much to do with the lives we were living at the time, and the nature of great sacrifices being made, to live our lives completely devoted to our craft and sharing it with the people who want to be a part of it.
“Musically, there are a wide range of influences going on, things that were heavily informed by Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash, and things that were informed by Talking Heads and The Clash, things that were informed by A Tribe Called Quest, informed by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.”
I’ve read that you guys like to mix it up with set lists night to night. Is there any song you especially love to play live?
“Personally, I love performing the songs from our EP. I wouldn’t perform any of these songs if I didn’t love performing. Off Tender Madness, the most standout track in terms of how it separates musically is ‘Put Me to Work’ because there’s so much energy in it. That song has been a guiding light as we’ve been writing songs for the next record.”
You have a handful of festival plays intercut into the tour. What would you say you’re most memorable festival play to date is?
“I think the favorite one we’ve done so far, which will hopefully change over the course of this next tour, is Outside Lands in San Francisco. It is a very unique and special festival. It’s smaller, more carefully curated, and the bands are treated well. We also got to play on the same bill as Neil Young, which was a great honor for us.”
I know that you don’t like categorizing your music into a genre, so much so that the genre listed on your Facebook page is ‘Sauce.’ Would you like to elaborate on what kind of sauce you guys are?
“Oh geez, that was written about six years ago when we started the band and made a Facebook profile. First, I should say, all my friends call me Sauce; that’s my nickname. But we’d definitely be some kind of hot sauce, probably a Chalupa or Sriracha.”
Any albums you plan on putting in high rotation in the tour van?
“Yes, there’s three albums I’ve been listening to on repeat lately. And that’s the Twin Peaks album, Nas’ first record, Illmatic, and Charles Bradley’s Victim of love.”
What is the first thing you think of when you hear you’re playing a show in Madison?
“This is our third time playing in Madison — and I’m not just saying this because you are there, but I actually love Madison. No joke. Capitol Square is what I think of, and I remember we stayed at a hotel right on the water and the next morning I had a really nice, beautiful time sitting out on the water and writing. I still have what I wrote in my notebook and I remember it very fondly.”
Can you tell us what we can expect from your upcoming show at The Frequency on May 30?
“It’s our first headlining show in Madison, or anywhere in Wisconsin. Every show is really, truly a new experience for us. The way we play, the way we speak, the way I sing has so much to do with the interaction with the people who are there with us. I wouldn’t be coming to Madison if I thought I was just coming to perform a rock ‘n’ roll show. We are coming to do something meaningful with the people of Madison and we hope they’re ready for it. Bring a bathing suit.”
Are we gonna sweat that much?!
“Maybe…”