The forming of The Paps at 2003 hailed the start of a … Read Full Bio ↴Story of The Paps
The forming of The Paps at 2003 hailed the start of a reggae revival in Indonesia following the end of the Bandung City ska scene in the early 2000's, at which time the underground scene in the city was lacking a reggae presence with almost no other bands representing the Jamaican sounds in Bandung at the time. Underground scene gave birth to today's Indonesian Reggae scene.
Dave was approached to form a band by bassist Eric, a sculpture student in art school. The other members of band at its outset were drummer Ganjar, guitarist Aii from an anarcho punk band Keparat, and guitarist Sarjana from a local Rock and Roll Band. Eric and Dave came up with the name 'The Paps', which is an Indonesian slang term for rolling papers, whilst hanging loose outside a mall in the city.
Lead guitarist Sagiet joined the band along with Dimas when Sarjana returned to this original band and Aiii stepped out of music.
In 2004, their first single “Life Is A Big Joke” was released on Bandung Miller Time Compilation, a compilation album containing local bands of various genres. Following this, the band was later asked to be involved in IRR (Indonesian Reggae Revolution) the first ever Indonesian reggae compilation, in which the band's second single “Hang Loose Baby” was released in 2005, under 267records.
The band started recording their first album “Hang Loose Baby” (Zyape O Zyure Records) in 2006, combining reggae with psychedelic dub and a touch of soul jazz. The album was officially released in 2007.
In early 2008 when Eric and Dimas decide to quit from the band, Andri a fellow musician joined to fill the position on bass and Daniel the former manager of the band fill the position on guitar.
Over more than a decade of their journey, The Paps, have performed countless times in collaboration with friends and 'Jamaican sound' community making collective gigs in Bandung and have been performing regularly across Indonesia and have attracted an increasingly broad fan base.
The Paps second album is currently due to be released in 2014.
Cerita The Paps
Terbentuknya The Paps pada tahun 2003 menjadi angin segar bagi perkembangan musik reggae di Indonesia setelah berakhirnya era musik ska di kota Bandung pada awal tahun 2000-an, dimana kala itu perkembangan scene underground sangat minim dihuni oleh musisi-musisi yang mendendangkan irama ala jamaika. Scene underground di kota bandung memang menjadi naungan awal lahir dan berkembangnya musik reggae di Indonesia.
Saat itu Dave (vocal) yang kenal dekat dengan Erik (bass), mahasiswa seni patung suatu kampus di tengah kota Bandung, memutuskan untuk memainkan musik reggae bersama-sama untuk turut meramaikan acara musik yang sering diadakan di bandung dengan sentuhan yang agak berbeda dari musisi-musisi yang sebelumnya ada. Memiliki ketertarikan yang serupa, maka merapatlah kemudian Ganjar (drum) yang juga berasal dari kampus yang sama dengan Erik, Aii (guitar) yang juga merupakan pemain gitar dari Keparat, salah band anarcho punk kenamaan di Bandung, dan Sarjana a.k.a azan, yang sebelumnya kerap mengisi gitar di band bernuansakan rock n roll. Erik dan Dave kemudian menyebut band ini dengan nama The Paps, yang diambil dari bahasa slank anak-anak kota Bandung bila menyingung kertas pahpir yang biasa mereka gunakan untuk membuat lintingan rokok.
Tak berapa lama kemudian posisi aii dan azan pada gitar digantikan oleh sagiet dan dimas saat azan(sarjana) memutuskan untuk lebih memfokuskan diri pada band rock n roll-nya dan Aii memutuskan untuk keluar dari dunia musik.
Pada tahun 2004, single pertama mereka yang berjudul “Life is a big joke” disertakan dalam kompilasi Bandung Miller Time Compilation. Sebuah kompilasi yang diikuti oleh banyak genre yang berbeda oleh musisi-musisi indie kota Bandung. Semakin dikenalnya karya single pertama mereka menarik perhatian dari musisi-musisi reggae lain yang berada diluarkota. Setahun kemudian The paps diminta untuk mengirim single mereka yang kedua, berjudul “Hang loose Baby” untuk dimasukan dalam kompilasi Indonesia Reggae Revolution yang diprakarsai oleh Steven dkk dibawah naungan 267records.
The Paps mulai masuk studio rekaman untuk menggarap album pertama mereka yang juga dinamai Hang loose Baby, seperti single kedua mereka, pada tahun 2007 dibawah label Zyape O Zyure Records. Album yang memberi warna baru di belantika musik indonesia saat didalamnya The Paps melahirkan kombinasi musik reggae,psychedelic dub, soul dan jazz.
Setelah dimas dan erik memutuskan untuk keluar dari band pada pertengahan tahun 2008 karena mendesaknya keperluan hidup yang harus mereka perjuangankan diluar band, Andri seorang musisi yang sudah dikenal dan diakui kemampuan bermusiknya oleh semua personil masuk mengantikan posisi erik pada bass, sementara posisi dimas diisi oleh daniel yang pada tahun-tahun sebelumnya mengurusi keperluan manajemen The Paps.
Setelah lebih dari satu dekade berkecimpung di belantika dunia musik Indonesia, selain meramaikan scene underground bandung dan gigs-gigs lokal, The paps telah mengisi banyak sekali agenda-agenda acara yang digelar di berbagai penjuru tempat di Indonesia, antara lain Makasar, Surabaya, Jakarta dan banyak kota lainnya.
Sementara itu album kedua mereka masih dalam proses akhir untuk segera diluncurkan tahun 2014 ini.
Excuse Me
The Paps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so lonely as lonely as lonely can be
Everything's so dark, no
I don't know my self anymore
Blinded by the light that I didn't choose
It's all just simply so bad
When the time has come to scratch my head
There was a time I destroyed myself
Just to have a little shut down time
I won't be sorry, baby
I won't feel sorry for the shit I've done
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
Go, go, go away from all this misery
And go go go!
I want everything in life I do
I want it now, it is true
I won't break down and cry
And see my self lay down and die
There's no truth there are no lies
Everybody's still got friends to anybody else
And so what else?
I believe in the new beginning
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
Excuse me for being in your life
I still got a long way to go
I gotta go
I gotta go
I gotta go
I gotta go
The Paps's song "Excuse Me" is a reflection on loneliness and the desire for something more in life, even when things seem bleak. The opening lines describe the singer as being in the "middle of nowhere" with no sense of self left. The following lyrics suggest that the singer may have made some bad choices in life or gone down a destructive path in order to escape their surroundings. Yet, the singer is unapologetic for their actions, saying "I won't be sorry...for the sh*t I've done."
Despite the bleakness of the opening verses, there is a sense of hope in the chorus. The singer is asking for forgiveness for being in someone's life but affirming that they still have a "long way to go." This suggests that the singer is taking responsibility for their actions and is committed to improving themselves, even when it is difficult. Furthermore, the final verses are an affirmation of life, wanting everything that life has to offer and refusing to give up or give in to despair: "I won't break down and cry / And see my self lay down and die."
Overall, "Excuse Me" is a song about the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, even when things seem hopeless or lost. It's a message of personal responsibility and a call to never give up on one's dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
In the middle of nowhere
I am in a desolate and isolated location.
I'm so lonely as lonely as lonely can be
I am incredibly lonely and have no one to turn to.
Everything's so dark, no
My surroundings are bleak and unpleasant.
I don't know my self anymore
I have lost my sense of identity.
Blinded by the light that I didn't choose
I am overwhelmed and disoriented by circumstances beyond my control.
It's all just simply so bad
Everything seems to be going wrong.
When the time has come to scratch my head
When I need to figure things out for myself.
I feel that I'm already dead
I am emotionally or spiritually depleted.
There was a time I destroyed myself
I have previously engaged in self-destructive behavior.
Just to have a little shut down time
In order to take a break from the stresses of life.
I won't be sorry, baby
I refuse to feel remorse for my actions.
I won't feel sorry for the shit I've done
I will not apologize for the negative consequences of my behavior.
Excuse me for being in your life
I apologize for being a burden or annoyance to you.
I still got a long way to go
I have a lot of progress to make in my personal journey.
Go, go, go away from all this misery
I want to escape from the suffering and pain I am experiencing.
I want everything in life I do
I am ambitious and desire success in all aspects of life.
I want it now, it is true
I do not want to wait or delay gratification in achieving my goals.
I won't break down and cry
I am determined to persevere in the face of adversity.
And see my self lay down and die
I refuse to give up and accept defeat.
There's no truth there are no lies
The concept of truth and falsehood may not exist in all situations.
Everybody's still got friends to anybody else
Everyone has the potential to form meaningful connections with others.
And so what else?
What other explanation or conclusion can be drawn?
I believe in the new beginning
I hold hope for a fresh start and a better future.
I gotta go
I need to leave or move on.
Writer(s): The Paps
Contributed by Nora N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.