Paris Green was an alternative rock band formed just north of Pittsburgh, active from 1987 to 1995. Their music was characterized by a guitar-heavy sound, blending post-punk, new wave, psychedelic rock, shoegaze, and indie influences into a distinctive style.
The band began when schoolmates Jonathan Bagamery and Stephen McMillen met in a creative writing class and quickly bonded over music. The addition of Jonathan’s younger brother, Michael Bagamery, solidified the group’s core. After a brief period with a rotating drummer, Bill Merante joined, completing the classic lineup.
“Seeing these guys monthly at the Monaca VFW when I was in high school was a highlight for me. My best friends, Don Anderson and Ken Cunnard are the ones that exposed me to this great band.” exclaims Distortion owner Jim Semonik. “I can never repay these guys for the love and community that they fostered in my hometown area. It’s where I first learned how important it is to respect artists and musicians and formed my earliest dreams of one day having my own record label where I could work with like minded folks. It’s an absolute honor to get to release a full length CD by these guys as it had never happened back in the day.”
In their early years, Paris Green recorded a substantial body of work at Jeree’s Records in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, while building a dedicated regional following through live performances across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. In November 1993, the band entered Audiomation Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, producing material that would later be released on two 7-inch vinyl singles.
The following year, in October 1994, they recorded with producer Kramer at Noise New Jersey in Demarest, New Jersey. These sessions were intended to become the band’s long-awaited full-length album and a potential breakthrough. However, mounting frustrations and communication breakdowns led to the band’s dissolution in 1995.
In the years since, members of Paris Green have remained active in the Pittsburgh music scene, going on to form and contribute to projects such as Voice in the Wire, Teddy DuChamp’s Army, Cancel the Prom, Life in Bed, Irwin, and Murder for Girls.
The self titled Paris Green disc as well as a digital release will drop July 10th on Distortion Productions.