The Paperboys launch new Centre Stage Series season

The Empress Theatre welcomes Vancouver’s The Paperboys as the first show of the 2024-’25 Centre Stage Concert Series on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Musically complex, this globe-touring sextet can be counted on to stomp through Celtic reels, traditional Mexican folk, fiddle tunes, New Orleans brass band music, classic pop songcraft, bluegrass, and even a philosophical waltz or two, before bringing it all home with a Latino/West African sing-along.

This fearless, freewheeling band, sometimes referred to as the “Los Lobos of Canada,” are veterans of an estimated 4,300 shows since their 1992 formation.

Converting full concert halls of indifferent strangers into devoted fans for the last 30 years, The Paperboys are a musical collective of gifted songwriters and musicians.

Founder Tom Landa is the fedora-hatted vocalist, guitarist and bandleader who immigrated from Mexico to Canada in his teens.

Kalissa Landa, Tom’s wife, is a lifelong fiddler and vocalist with a preternatural command of melody; and Spirit of the West’s flautist, guitarist and vocalist Geoffrey Kelly was already a Canadian musical icon when he joined the band in 1997.

Though by no means a jam band, The Paperboys reinvent their show every time they step onstage.

Once the band agrees on the opening song, there is no set list. The song finishes, the crowd reacts, Landa reads the room, and the journey begins. Every night.

The world has changed seismically since 1992, but The Paperboys fan base has stuck with the band and grown.

“It goes beyond perseverance and into some kind of connectivity and resonance we have with people. We’ve created a community,” Landa said about the band’s legacy.

Though best known for their live show, The Paperboys also have another ace up their sleeve: A deep and impressive discography.

The band has released 10 recordings — including the Juno Award-winning Molinos — receiving accolades from MOJO Magazine and fRoots Magazine along the way.

They’ve been two-time recipients of the West Coast Music Award, composed scores for two films, and been nominated for a Leo Award for best original song in the Hong Kong-Canada film release, Lunch With Charles.

Although perennially adored and praised by alternative media and national radio networks NPR and CBC, commercial success has eluded the band.

Undaunted, The Paperboys have kept in perpetual motion, building a cult following through the impact of its incendiary live show and proud DIY spirit.

Tickets to see The Paperboys at the Empress are available at macleodempress.com, 403-553-4404 or at the Box Office on Main Street.