Pay-per-frog is the sound of norwegian snow melting in the spring sun, evenings by the beach, red wine and bad jokes.
Very nice for sleeping, chilling in the sun and driving on open roads...
Programming, guitars, keys & sampling : Thomas Wang J. (YTO Solreiser, Rockebandet Ændal)
Percussion, vocals, keys & weird instruments : Arne K. Mathisen (Heroes&Zeros, Skrellet)
Saxophones, percussion, keys : Robin Sohrabi-Shiraz (YTO Solreiser, Leutenhaven, Captain & Me, Frank Znort ++)
Guitars & synth : Sigurd Thomassen (PowPow)
Bass & synth : Øystein Bendos Aune (Jay, Koèju)
Summer 2009 Pay-per-frog did their first ever live appearances in an old 2nd world war bunker (Bunker #19) at Hovefestivalen on an island outside Arendal. Improvised ambient music in a pitch black room twice a day. This was a part of the art-project "Mønsterundersøkelse av lyd" - Using only guitars with effects and an old piano with a woven light-screen (made by Elin Igland) hooked up to every key, making a nice light-show in the dark bunker, setting the mood for a relaxing break from the noise and the sun.
Our music has been widely used in documentaries, extreme-sport films, art projects and has been picked up by norwegian and european radio stations.
Arne, Thomas and Robin are also active and playing together in the grunge-jazz-metal group YTO Solreiser.
And not to forget the massive rock-trio Heroes&Zeros, with Arne on drums, keys and vocals and Thomas as live-sound engineer.
EARLY START :
Paye-per-frog started as a studio project with 2 guys from the south coast of Norway (Arendal / Lillesand), who teamed up at "Trøndertun Rock & Roll Academy" in Trondheim in 2001. After many sleepless nights we needed some new relaxing music. We used the school studio, and recorded a 40 minute long chillout jam (Paperfrog on acid part 1), that for 3 weeks served as sleeping medicine and painkiller. Later we recorded a 20 minute jam (Paperfrog on acid part 2), then a little more up-tempo with noise-samples and kitchen-ware percussion.
During our week-long "Study trip" to Paris in the spring of 2001, we quickly found that the french air, exquisit red whine and presence of the late Jim Morrison did us good. We were inspired. Luckily, Thomas managed to record some of the sounds and atmospheres of the city. Most of this ended up in the delightfully easy "Paris Air" which is still part of our live-set. The song became the soundtrack of springtime, and was played all the time over our outside stereo, while all the students were chilling in the spring sun, drinking tea and making out. While on holiday Thomas found an old MW-radio and spent 2 days sampling strange foreign radiochannels. Some very strange but uplifting words came out of it. listen to "End Of Time".
Something few people know is that Arne has a genuine taste for poetry, and wrote a few lines of bizarre poetry about cows and frogs which we ran through a vocoder. Thomas arranged a simple droomloop, and chopped up a few guitarbits from our first jam. The result is "Strange Sunny Days" which simply describes our last months at "Trøndertun Rock&Roll Academy"..
Later came came the more electronic hypnotical "Over Easy" which has been selected for 2 compilation CD's. After this Thomas went solo with the project for a while creating more electronic songs like "Ruby Red" and "Tambourine" with Marita Sørli (currently in "Bermuda Triangle") Another chapter is the quintrilogy of "Amoulette / Eternal Tornment / Horror Visions" which is an ambient work consisting of 5 different pieces knitted together.
RELEASES : :
We Are One (Compilation, 2010) - featured track : "Jupiter"
ISFIT Compilation (Worldwide release 2008) - featured track : "Don't Say a Word"
Digicoustic Sounds (Compilatoin, Norway 2008) - featured track : "Over Easy"
RARE DEMOS & PROMOS :
