biography
If you ask Orange County, California-based singer-songwriter and piano man Rick Paul about his musical influences, he'll be happy to rattle off enough names to make even the most patient person wish he'd never asked. Growing up in Upstate New York in the 1970s, when the same radio station might play everything from Aerosmith to ABBA, Elton John to John Denver, and Styx to Jim Croce, Rick not only absorbed it all as a music fan, but learned to play songs by artists of most every stripe. Couple that with early exposure to traditional folk songs, the hymns and folk songs of the Catholic Church, and immersion in the musical theatre, where Rick always yearned to play the romantic lead, but inevitably ended up playing the villain or some equally colorful character, and you get a truly wide variety of influences. There is, however, a common thread to be found in the combination of melodies that stick in your head, lyrics with something to say, and performances that capture the soul of the songs' characters. These are the same sensibilities Rick imparts on his songs, recordings, and live performances.
Rick's 2006 Christmas EP, "That Time of Year", sits somewhere near the intersection of pop, rock, and country that is often referred to as Americana. The Mike Parker co-write "The Day After the Day After Christmas" is a redneck Christmas bargain hunter's tale that would make Jeff Foxworthy proud. "Santa's Best", Rick's tribute to Santa's hardworking reindeer, might have been a soft-shoe Broadway number. You might detect the influences of the Band and the Beach Boys on "Molly's Bar and Grill", a song Rick wrote with Canadian lyricist Vic Michener about loneliness and finding love on Christmas Eve. The EP's closing song, "It Started in a Manger" leans more toward the rock stylings of Tom Petty, with a lyric that paints a picture of a modern downtown Christmas scene while reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas. Put them together with Rick's unique vocal and production styles, though, and these disparate influences come together into a unified whole that won't easily be mistaken for any other artist.
"That Time of Year" is only Rick's second independent release as an artist, coming on the heels of his debut single, an original adaptation of "The Lord's Prayer". The EP was followed by another single, 2007's "Bubble Gum", which was recently featured in an animated video produced in China by Dr. Jinsong Guo, which gives new meaning to the phrase, "if pigs could fly..." Meanwhile Rick is already in production on his debut album, currently anticipated for Spring 2008 release, with songs sourced from Rick's decade plus career as an independent songwriter. That career has included upwards of a dozen cuts and other song usages by independent artists, nomination for a Just Plain Folks Celtic Song Award for "Portadown Rain", and top five radio and video airplay in Mongolia for teenage pop singer Nominjin's recording of "All I Need to Know".
As a new artist who happens to be a seasoned songwriter, singer, and musician, Rick Paul brings a mix of the fresh and the familiar to his recordings. While you might not want to sit through listening to a list of his many influences, you just might hear several of those influences in his music.
