“For me, it’s kind of like— you can’t replace the feeling. You can’t really describe it to somebody that hasn’t played live and hasn’t played well. It’s kind of a weird euphoria that kind of transcends you.” —Miles Hintz, The Electric Paper Clips
Since the beginning of Miles Hintz (‘25) and John Koozer’s (‘25) friendship there has always been music. From the fourth grade the two dreamed of the stage, a guitar in hand, and a crowd below. Their work began on old guitars found stuffed in attics, bought by their parents years ago. Motivated by their heroes, George Lynch, The Beatles, and Queen, Koozer and Hintz persevered through callouses and awkward mistakes to become the musicians they are today.
Once they had finally committed to putting their efforts together and creating the music they’ve always dreamed of, they were set with the task of assembling the band. Over the years the members of The Electric Paper Clips have varied. At the creation of the band, Koozer was not the lead singer. After a prior member decided to resign, Koozer stepped up for the group, having no previous singing experience. Most recently, bass player Max Burrier (‘25) left the band, choosing to focus on alternative future goals.
Additionally, the band struggled to keep a drummer, going through several over the course of a few years. Leading into Koozer and Hintz’s Junior year, current drummer Kaden Peterson, who graduated in 2024, joined The Electric Paper Clips. Koozer remarked on Peterson’s talent saying “…He can really play. I mean he’s brought out the best in us, like the energy like we could play before but like, it just wasn’t the same before.”
This newfound dedication inspired them to create original music; Hintz described his process working with Koozer saying, “Sometimes John comes in with fully-formed songs and it just needs a bass or a drum part…. Another guitar part. But then there’s sometimes where I come in with mostly finished instrumentals that he’ll put lyrics and a melody over.”
When describing their creative process, they attribute their writing to all sorts of different inspirations. However, Koozer shared one specific instance when dealing with a classmate who made fun of his appearance “I found out the name of his mom and I made a sad break-up ballad to kind of troll him.” The band’s song titled ‘Jenny’s Gone’ is a beautiful slow ballad featuring lyrics such as: “Jenny’s gone, I was wrong, ‘cause I thought it was funny to cheat.” Koozer and his fellow band members laughed as they recalled it to us, remembering how hard it was to keep a straight face while playing it for their first performance at Jamesty.
Jamesty 2023 was an important pillar for The Electric Paper Clips in their journey as a band. For the first time, they had gone out in front of a live audience, allowing themselves to be vulnerable in the spotlight as a new band, surrounded by their peers. Filled with nerves, the band members were statue-like during their first performance, with Koozer recalling literally throwing up before they took the stage. While critiques could be made of the performance, the feeling of performing on stage and having support from their peers encouraged them to continue. Koozer described the experience saying, “I mean, overtime we looked back on it and were like ‘…We’ve done that better so many times’ but the first time…really is incredible. Because you kind of know what it’s like for people to… You know… View you as a musician and actually like what you’re doing. That was really special and really cool.”
Fresh off the stage, with their first performance in the books, the band was surprised by the overwhelming support shown by the student body. Having seen them at Jamnesty 2023, Aaron Butikofer (‘25) reflects on his perception of their show, commenting on how impressive it is “…that high schoolers are able to organize a band and actually make it sound good.”
Koozer relays the feeling of gaining such support from peers, explaining that “…you kind of notice when people tell you or they treat you a bit differently that they’re into the music. Which is really cool, because if it’s not already obvious I’m freaking quiet during class. I’m only really talkative like this with these guys around… so music, for us, is that moment for us to show people that we’re more than just ‘the quiet kids.’”
No longer “just the quiet kids,” the band continued to follow their passion for sharing music. “Playing live really— we knew we wanted to do stuff, but that was what really pushed us over the edge like “yeah, let’s do this” because people seemed to like us,” John Koozer explained, recalling what fueled their inspiration to take another step forward as a band. Beating their initial stage fright and gaining support from their peers led to the eventual recording of their own four-tack EP titled “The Self-Titled EP.” Combining the lyricism of the band’s lead singer John Koozer and the instrumental sounds delivered by guitarists Miles Hintz, former member Max Burrier, and new drummer Kaden Peterson, the band was able to create a well-written, fresh, yet nostalgic body of work.
While the members of The Electric Paper Clips have experienced great success and support, they also reflected on the difficulties of being in a band in high school. Hintz explains that one of the hardest things is “…balancing your time with school work… [and] getting that time to write and play in between.”
Along with large amounts of school work came performances that didn’t match the band’s expectations. One particular show that came to mind was the homecoming bonfire in 2023, Koozer recalled that they were the opening band, remarking, “And the problem with the opening band is nobody’s over there! Because everybody’s at the parade!” He continued, “…we were kind of questioning ourselves like, ‘What did we do wrong?’”
Weighed down by the ‘unsuccessful’ performance and general life commitments, The Electric Paper Clips decided to take a hiatus during their Junior year. Koozer touched on the tensions of the band saying, “We had done some shows and they went pretty well, but then work was piling up, we were all getting kind of stressed out, and we didn’t have a clear dynamic. We were getting— we were kind of snapping at each other and finally we were like, “Okay, we’ve got to take a break.”
Layne Sheetz, former guitarist of Happy Go Lovely and current teacher at Washington High School, commented on the difficulties of band life explaining, “…You’re balancing your work, and your school, and this thing that you actually love more than both of those things sometimes. It can be really hard and discouraging when that doesn’t actually pay and you lose money.” He also cited the numerous reasons why it’s hard to jump start a band, specifically in high school, noting that most venues in Cedar Rapids are bars requiring performers to be 21 in order to use the space. This can mean that it often requires knowing someone to get your foot in the door. Additionally, recording equipment is tough to come by, making sharing music even more of a challenge. Sheetz applauded the band’s achievements, articulating that their progress is incredibly impressive despite the odds.
By Fall 2024, the band had reformed. Koozer discussed how they’ve grown from previous mistakes, explaining, “…We weren’t talking about our problems and sorting it out properly. That’s the one thing that we’ve done really well after coming back, is when we have a problem we nip it in the bud right away…We weren’t doing that before— we were just letting everything pile up until it all became unmanageable and that was sort of our big mistake. But luckily we got past it…we’re not doing that again!
Their repaired connection as a band helped to catapult their success even further, Hintz explained “good chemistry between members” is most important when it comes to becoming a ‘good band.’ Koozer agrees, diving deeper saying “That can matter sometimes more than talent, because…the band is more than just the sum of the parts…That’s really when you’re like “wow,” when you see a band [and] they’re all…working together and…making something bigger than themselves. [That] is a lot more than what you can do just by trying to do everything yourself.”
Over the last year, The Electric Paper Clips have performed at numerous events, opening for Patrick the Gathering, a band that features Mr. Patrick Tecklenburg, a staff member at Wash, at CSPS Hall, also performing as the main act at 2024 homecoming bonfire, and competing as a finalist in the 2024 Iowa Rocks Talent Contest in Okoboji. Tecklenburg voiced his appreciation for the band saying, “ I’ve really enjoyed watching them…It’s good music. There’s a lot of talent there, there’s a lot of potential, and I try to tell them, ‘You don’t have to reach for some sort of milestone with like popularity or money, or making the greatest thing that’s ever been made. It’s just about continuing to do it consistently and continuing to love doing it. Ride the wave and see where it takes you.’”
Looking to the future, as Koozer and Hintz approach graduation, and as Peterson nears the end of his Freshman year in college, they all plan to continue to pursue music. While their dream is for The Electric Paper Clips to take off, they understand how ruthless the music industry can be. Regardless of the future success of their band, they all plan to remain true to their passion for music, and keep it a central part of their lives onward. “I hope to still be playing music,” explains Hintz, “Trying to take up a job as an audio engineer, trying to keep up with that music theme. …It might not be my main gig, but I’ll still want to do it regardless.” Likewise, Koozer adds, “I really just want a job that I can do that will pay my bills but won’t take away from my passion to make music.”
As of now, all three of The Electric Paper Clips members hope to keep the band alive and see it grow. While talking with the band, they teased an album in the works, with new songs in various stages of development that they are excited to share with the world. Throughout the entire interview, all three emphasized how incredibly lucky they are that they have had the opportunity to not only create music, but to share it with an audience who not only accepts, but appreciates their work. Additionally, they find great value in the connection they’ve achieved by working together. Koozer shares, “I think what’s so nice about it [the band] right now is that we’re all friends. So when you do a good show not only do you get that rush of doing a good show, but you’re also like, ‘I’m doing this with people that you’re like, I’ve got their back and they’ve got my back’..And there’s nothing like it.”
“…[it] made me find myself a little bit. Where I’m like ‘this is what I’m good at’, this is what I want to do, this is what motivates me to get out of bed in the morning. – John Koozer, The Electric Paper Clips ” —John Koozer, The Electric Paper Clips