Paper Wings

media release: Personal and universal stories woven into songs with clawhammer banjo, fiddle, and guitar.

Sugar Maple Concert Series Featuring Paper Wings

The charm and mystique of Nashville folk duo Paper Wings lies in the striking harmonic rapport which shifts and shimmers like a silken banner between kindred spirits Emily Mann and Wila Frank. The long-time friends and co-writers weave stories personal and universal into their songs with a craftsmanlike steadiness delivered in two part radiance furnished with clawhammer banjo, fiddle, and guitar. Both instrumental and lyrical mavens in their own right, together they’ve formed a unique sound that echoes upon the bedrock of American folk while twisting the ear forward in moments of modern revelation. On their forthcoming album, ‘Mountains on the Moon’, Frank and Mann drive down the dusty backroads of troubles and triumphs with the resilience of two friends who have been through it all together.

With roots in Oregon and California respectively, Frank and Mann were raised over the turning century in rural post-back-to-the-land communities of the west coast. Sharing an adoration for the outdoors and playing the fiddle, they became friends at music camps and festivals growing up. They made their first demos as a band as young adults in 2015 which they sold on home-printed discs at various breweries, farmers markets, and house concerts along the pacific coast. Eventually, they made their way to Nashville where they recorded their debut album Paper Wings in 2017 and sophomore album Clementine in 2019 and garnered streaming success with their heartfelt track “Troubled Soul”.

After a few years apart prompted by a worldwide pandemic and other projects taking their focus, the duo reunited in 2024 to release their third critically acclaimed album Listen to the World Spin. 2025 brought them to venues and festivals around the US and Europe, sharing bills with folk icons such as Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, The Milk Carton Kids, and Watchhouse among others. They also found time to record their forthcoming album ‘Mountains on the Moon’ which is due to release on March 1st, 2026.