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When his new band wanted to play a show in their hometown of Chicago, guitarist Phil Kosch agreed, but said they’d have to perform under a pseudonym to prevent his old group (which included his brother among its members) from finding out. “I hadn’t told them I was quitting and the two bands knew each other from the local scene,” he explains. “I wanted to avoid any problems.” Kosch, a bit of a history buff, suggested Treaty Of Paris as a temporary moniker. “It had a nice ring to it,” he laughs. “Picking a band name is always tough, but that one seemed to go over really well.”
The name stuck, and within a few months Treaty of Paris (rounded out by vocalist Mike Chorvat, guitarist/vocalist Dan Wade, bassist/vocalist Brandon Capetillo and drummer Chris Insidioso) were generating staying power within the same competitive music scene that bred the likes of Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is and Rise Against.

The band hit the ground running in January 2005, recording demos and playing to  sold-out crowds at Schuba’s, Double Door, Metro, and other Chicago and Midwest venues with bands such as The New Amsterdams, Local H, Sum 41, Rise Against, Motion City Soundtrack, Lucky Boys Confusion, Lovedrug and Unwritten Law, among others.

When not onstage in front of awestruck audiences, the quintet spent time sharpening their songwriting skills, and by March had penned 20 complete songs, 6 of which were recorded for their Behind Our Calm Demeanors EP. The disc showcased Treaty Of Paris' love affair with anthemic, poppy songs and compact arrangements. They celebrated the EP’s release by headlining a sold-out show at The Metro, where they tore up the stage to the delight of over 1000 rabid fans.

A self-booked fall tour of the midwest and east coast followed, and as the band’s first-ever road jaunt, it was not only an adventure, but also a crash course in the ways of the road. Each day was spent learning how to deal with smelly bandmates on six-hour trips, taking turns driving and sleeping, and most importantly, learning how to deliver a great performance no matter what the situation.

 “It was amazing,” says Kosch. “We got to play in front of new audiences with every show. We’d play one venue in front of three people and then another for a few thousand, but we played each one like it was the most important gig of our lives.”

“And the fact that we booked it ourselves was important,” adds guitarist/vocalist Dan Wade. “We had a catchphrase—‘We’re Doing It!’—that we’d say over and over to keep ourselves motivated for the times when situations were less than ideal. For instance, playing a late night gig in New York and then having to drive all night to another city, only to find out the show had been canceled because the promoter decided to pull out at the last minute. But it was all part of the education process. After the final show of the tour, I remember all of us sitting in the van tired, sweaty and eating junk food. There was dead silence and I yelled out, ‘We did it!’ and we all started cheering and screaming. That was a great feeling.”

With their touring base growing exponentially and online awareness reaching a fever pitch, record labels began taking notice. In early 2007 the Demeanors EP and a handful of newly recorded acoustic demos were delivered to Jack’s Mannequin/Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon. Having recently started the imprint ATR (Airport Tapes and Records), he’d finally found what he’d been looking for: a band with fantastic songs and the work ethic necessary to build a grassroots following in today’s cutthroat indie scene.

Considering this newly forged partnership between Treaty and ATR as well as ATR’s parent company YMA (Your Music America), the future is looking undoubtedly bright for the Chicago band. “We’re really excited to be a part of the Airport Tapes & Records and Your Music America family,” says Wade. “They believed in our band and music from the start. Plus we’re all big fans of Andrew’s music, so the chance to work with him is a dream come true. We’re confident that his business sensibility and keen ears combined with the great staff at YMA will be instrumental in guiding us along this brand new chapter in the band’s career.”

They’re off to a breakneck pace with full-length debut Sweet Dreams, Sucker, a turbine-powered album that introduces Treaty Of Paris as a band that pens smart, taut arrangements catchy enough to make even the most tone-deaf sing along. The record is everything you’d expect from a band that cites influences ranging from the Beach Boys and Weezer to Jimmy Eat World and Queen: raw-nerved, pop-savvy and filled with one sumptuous hook after another. Produced by Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank), Sweet Dreams, Sucker opens with “Here Goes Nothing,” a fun, exhilarating track that Wade describes as the perfect song with which to announce the band. “It’s a song that basically says, ‘here we are, this is our music and we hope you like it. It seemed like the perfect way to kick off the album.”

Among the disc’s many highlights is lead single “Waking Up The Dead,” a propulsive, guitar-driven pop track that crackles with vim and vigor; the bouncy harmonies and mile-high chorus of “Rollerskates,” and the chiming, relentlessly catchy melody of “Quits.” About the latter, Kosch says, “We asked Andrew to play on the song and he did an amazing job. He sat down at the piano and wrote his part in only three takes. We videotaped the whole thing and were just geeking out.”

About the album title Sweet Dreams, Sucker, inspired by the song of the same name, Wade says, “The song is about having bad dreams about an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. You think you’re finally over that person, but their revenge is that they’re embedded in your subconscious.”

The midwesterners recorded the album at Sage & Sound studios in Los Angeles and admit that the disc’s sunlit power was amplified by their environment. “We all bought boogie boards,” laughs Wade. “Call time at the studio was around noon, so we’d get up at 8AM, drive down to Santa Monica and go surfing. Having grown up in the midwest, this was a whole different experience. Being in a great mood every day because of our surroundings was definitely conducive to recording. Plus it turns out that the Smashing Pumpkins had used the studio before us, so that was kinda inspiring, too.”

About the making of the album, Wade says, “It made me realize that I love the recording process. Being in the studio and thinking about which amp I wanted to use or taking the time to come up with cool background sounds are the kinds of things that the average music listener doesn’t think about, but it makes a huge difference. Previous recordings had always been low budget and rushed, so this was a nice change of pace.”