Is Paris Burning isn’t under pressure

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If local rock band Is Paris Burning has anything in common with the 1965 book and 1966 film of the same name, it’s a flair for the dramatic. The trio’s untitled EP, set for release in January, is a soaring, riff-heavy collection of heart-shaking anthems, the kind that modern filmmakers often pair with gritty battle scenes. These songs would have given René Clément’s Is Paris Burning? a boldness and passion that the sprawling, three-hour, World War II–themed film lacked.

But even that imaginary harmony of rock band and black-and-white war film is a stretch. The three members of Is Paris Burning — lead singer and bassist Neal Dyrkcaz, guitarist and singer Matt Cole and drummer Brian Jewell — haven’t read the book and have seen only snippets of the film. The band name was inspired by Dyrkcaz’s admiration for the French film star Jean-Paul Belmondo, who appears in it.

“He just looked so cool, you know — ruggedly handsome, cigarette hanging out of his mouth,” Dyrkcaz says of Belmondo. “No one wanted to be called the Belmondos, though.”

On a windy weeknight at the Belfry, Dyrkcaz laughs good-naturedly while Cole and Jewell roll their eyes. It’s a little hard to believe that these guys belong to the same band. In a distressed leather jacket and knit cap, Dyrkcaz looks like he might have rolled up on a motorbike. Cole keeps his smart, gray-wool trench coat on indoors, the collar popped, looking vaguely like a J.Crew model. By process of elimination, the bespectacled Jewell must be the most responsible band member.

I’m mostly right. Jewell, a former member of popular pop-punk band Beautiful Bodies, joined up with Dyrkcaz and Cole three years ago. His influence took the band from loose jam sessions to tight, practical rehearsals.

“One of the major factors in this band has been Brian’s work ethic,” Dyrkcaz says. “When we jam, Matt and I are like” — Dyrkcaz dumbs down his tone — “‘Dude, awesome! Do that again!’ But then Brian is like” — Dyrkcaz affects a dad voice — “‘Guys: one, two … no. One, two, three.'”

“Part of that is probably thanks to the Beautiful Bodies,” Jewell says and laughs. He left Beautiful Bodies in 2011, he says, because the demands of that band’s ambitions were too great.

“The Beautiful Bodies had very strict schedules and practices,” Jewell says. “I was there on the incline [of the band], and I departed mainly because I had a full-time job and a mortgage and I couldn’t commit to the time they needed. This band is so chill. It allows us to be creative without the stress and the pressure.”

Without pressure, Is Paris Burning has made slow progress in its three years. This is somewhat surprising, given the band’s natural talent for spirited, good old-fashioned rock. The chord progressions might be ripped from a rock-and-roll cookbook, but they’re no less effective. When you hear one song from Is Paris Burning, you immediately want to hear more.

Last year, the band released its first recordings, a two-song single featuring “Wild” and “This City,” which carried the garage-pop charm of the Smiths. Dyrkcaz can sound a hell of a lot like Morrissey when he wants to, and on the forthcoming EP, the energy is jacked up even higher. The shift in sound, Cole says wryly, is due to Dyrkcaz’s ADD.

“The problem with Neal is that he wants to change things all the time,” Cole says, mocking irritation. “He always wants to try something new. But it’s been good. We’ve evolved because he hasn’t been happy.”

These men, all in their early 30s, share a tight bond. They’re comfortable around one another, joking and teasing. (I imagine the scene is much the same when guitarist Corey Vitt, formerly of Beautiful Bodies, is part of the company; Vitt is in the process of becoming Is Paris Burning’s fourth member.) But I find myself thinking that it’s almost a shame they all have full-time jobs and commitments — that Is Paris Burning is just, as they view it, a really cool hobby, one that they never want to give up, they assure me.

“We’re not the most awesome musicians ever,” Dyrkcaz says, and the tone of his voice says he isn’t bothered about this. “We have fun, though. This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s rewarding.”

“It [this band] is what I look forward to doing,” Jewell adds. “This band helps me keep my sanity. It puts me in a good mood with a good group of friends.”