Page France
{{Short description|2000s American indie folk pop band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Page France
| background = group_or_band
| origin = Cumberland/Hagerstown, Maryland, United States
| genre = Indie folk{{cite web|title=Rock Picks: Rain Machine, Pearl Jam, Wallpaper, Bon Iver, Dodos|url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/rock-picks-rain-machine-pearl-jam-wallpaper-bon-iver-dodos-2161718|website=LA Weekly|date=23 September 2009 |accessdate=16 July 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716092320/http://www.laweekly.com/music/rock-picks-rain-machine-pearl-jam-wallpaper-bon-iver-dodos-2161718|archivedate=16 July 2017}}
Indie pop
| years_active = 2004-2008
| label = Suicide Squeeze Records
Fall Records
| spinoffs = Cotton Jones
| associated_acts = The Broadway Hush
Cotton Jones
| past_members = Clinton Jones
BJ Lewis
Bryan Martin
Whitney McGraw
Chris Morris
Michael Nau
Jasen Reeder
Matt Smith
David Tracy
}}
Page France was an American indie folk-pop band, fronted by Michael Nau. Active between 2004 and 2008, the band played mainly emotional melodic music.[https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14747-tall-hours-in-the-glowstream/ "Cotton Jones: Tall Hours in the Glowstream"]. Pitchfork, by Martin Douglas, October 18, 2010
History
The band was started as a solo project in 2004 by Michael Nau, but quickly evolved into a full-time project with a somewhat revolving lineup of friends and collaborators. The band self-released their debut album, Come, I'm A Lion, which was then picked up by Fall Records. Their second album, Hello, Dear Wind, was also released by Fall Records, then later re-released by Suicide Squeeze.{{cite book|author=CMJ Network, Inc.|title=CMJ New Music Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LysEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41|date=September 2006|publisher=CMJ Network, Inc.|page=41|issn=1074-6978}}
The band released a double-EP on Fall Records in 2006, entitled Pear and Sister Pinecone. Immediately thereafter, the EP was abandoned and declared a "limited release" of 1,000 copies.
A tour EP entitled Tomato Morning was sold on the band's tours in 2006.
Page France's last album and third full-length, ...and the Family Telephone, was released May 8, 2007 on Suicide Squeeze Records.
The songs "Chariot" and "Jesus", both from Page France's second album, Hello Dear Wind, were featured in the TV series Weeds.
The Broadway Hush, Michael Nau's other side project, released 2 colored 7" records on Velvet Blue Music, which had artwork created by Richard Swift. Their last record deal was with Suicide Squeeze Records, before the disbandment in 2008, because of band leader Michael Nau wanting to focus his full attention on Cotton Jones.{{cite book|author=SPIN Media LLC|title=SPIN|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vVuFBR96QRgC&pg=PA72|date=September 2010|publisher=SPIN Media LLC|page=72|issn=0886-3032}}
Influence
Page France is now considered by critics as one of the most influential indie folk-pop bands of the mid-2000s,{{cite web |url=http://www.youaintnopicasso.com/2006/03/02/an-interview-with-page-france/ |title=You Ain't No Picasso |website=www.youaintnopicasso.com |access-date=18 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718080132/http://www.youaintnopicasso.com/2006/03/02/an-interview-with-page-france/ |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web | url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/12498/Page-France-Hello-Dear-Wind/ | title=Page France - Hello, Dear Wind (Album review ) | Sputnikmusic }} with comparisons to Conor Oberst and Jeff Tweedy.{{cite web | url=https://indierockcafe.com/2009/02/baltimores-page-france-turns-a-page-calls-it-quits/ | title=Baltimore's Page France Turns a Page; Calls it Quits }} They're credited for inspiring future characteristics of indie folk-pop including “sing-songy” vocal work, percussive arrangements and strophic song forms.{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2007/05/08/10080794/page-france-youthful-pop-complete-with-horns | title=Page France: Youthful Pop, Complete with Horns | website=NPR.org }}{{cite web | url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/a-few-words-with-michael-nau/ | title=A few words with Michael Nau | date=20 September 2017 }}
Discography
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Label |
| 2004
| Come, I'm a Lion | self-released / Fall Records |
| 2005
| Fall Records / Suicide Squeeze Records |
| 2006
| Pear and Sister Pinecone (Double EP) | Fall Records |
| 2006
| Tomato Morning (Tour EP) | Suicide Squeeze Records |
| 2007
| Suicide Squeeze Records |
Notes
External links
- [http://www.myspace.com/pagefrance Page France @ Myspace]
- [http://www.suicidesqueeze.net Suicide Squeeze Records]
- [http://www.fallrecords.com Fall Records]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080919231708/http://www.theotherjournal.com/article.php?id=409 Michael Nau Interview - The Other Journal]
- [http://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/page-france Page France Interview - Tiny Mix Tapes]
- [http://stagehymns.blogspot.com/2006/05/interviews-come-in-all-different.html Page France Interview - Stage Hymns Music Blog]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080209225626/http://www.daytrotter.com/article/280/free-songs-page-france Daytrotter Session (Free Songs)]
{{Authority control}}