Possessed by Paul James Announces First Album in 6 Years
It’s been a long, cold, barren winter of six years and counting since Possessed by Paul James graced us with new music. The one-man musical marvel and award-winning full-time public school special educator is considered in the highest amplitude by those who have witnessed what he’s capable of, equating his performances to more of a religious experience than a musical presentation. A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist proficient at fiddle, banjo, and guitar, it’s only his adherence to the grassroots philosophies of music making and his refusal to give up his passion of helping children with special needs that has kept him out of the top echelons of popularity.
There’s plenty of good reasons for the musical drought the fandom of Possessed By Paul James has endured. Along with with his full time teaching duties and raising a family, he needed to have two vocal surgeries since he was last in the studio making a record. “The nature of being a school teacher, a public speaker, and a musician, you know, any ear nose & throat specialist will tell you that’s like a hat trick for getting a vocal surgery,” he says. “So there was some time where I needed to really learn how to sing fluidly and in a healthy way while preserving the opportunity to continue as a teacher and articulate, speak, without duress.”
But he’s back now, and readying the release of his latest album entitled As We Go Wandering on January 31st, 2020. The record finds Possessed by Paul James combining his passions of music and teaching like never before.
“All across the nation teachers see the same needs, fill the same roles, and ask the same hard and troubling questions: Students who are hurting, families fighting for the rights of their children, passionate teachers who constantly bear burdens that can become crushing,” he says. “Most troubling and devastating are the increasing numbers of human beings that are falling to violence within our schools. ‘Be At Rest’ provides an open image and feeling to all those hurting: ‘Raise up your voices, lay down down your sword and shield, be at rest. Come together on the foundations of peace and justice so we may heal, so we may help, so we may learn in order to do better for our children.’”
Part and parcel to that, a film called When It Breaks produced and directed by Todd Tue of Milk Products Media has been participating in early screenings across the country. The film follows Possessed by Paul James in 2017 when he took a break from teaching, loaded up his family in an RV, and went on a tour playing music, and speaking to teachers and others about the struggles facing special education.
Named Konrad Wert at birth, Possessed by Paul James grew up in a Mennonite family in southwest Florida, and now lives in Kerrville, TX. “It’s partly just because of the way we play, maybe it’s due to anxiousness or anxiety, I don’t know, but just close the eyeballs and get it out,” he says about his stage name and wild performances. “But also, Paul was my grandfather, James is my dad’s middle name—so it’s a reference to something bigger than me, that there is something greater than ourselves, something that we’re in together. It’s important for us to acknowledge and be honest about that—the good, the bad, and the ugly. We are more than just ourselves.”
Even without major label or radio support, Possessed by Paul James has garnered a strong following in the United States and Europe, and his song “Hurricane” became a fan favorite after it was featured prominently on NPR.
TRACK LIST:
- Come Back In My Mind
- In The Dark Of Morning
- Your White Stained Dress
- I’m So Good At Absolutely Nothing
- I Come From Southwest Florida
- Be At Rest
- When It Breaks
- Dance With Me Tonight
- Don’t Tell Me
- I Didn’t Know You When
- Asleep With Both Eyes Open
- As We Go Wandering
Montana
November 5, 2019 @ 5:02 am
That’s good news, looking forward to it!
Daniele
November 5, 2019 @ 5:56 am
Never heard of him before, thanks again Trig for all these true artists you help to promote.
Crum
November 5, 2019 @ 7:00 am
Thanks for sharing! I work in special education as well, so I checked out the film trailer, and I can’t support this guy enough now that I know about him and what he’s doing!
Travis
November 5, 2019 @ 8:40 am
Thanks for the update. I was hoping you would address the film because I remember news a couple years ago but haven’t heard anything in a long time. I’ve only got to see him perform once live and it was amazing. I remember being at a hi-top table with a couple people who hadn’t heard of him and their jaws dropped to the floor as he went through his set. I forget the name of the other documentary that featured a lot of PBPJ in addition to some Biram and others and that film was weird. I loved the soundtrack they put with it but I only watched it once. A few of those performers were a little too spaced out or ‘arty’ which I wasn’t expecting.
Montana
November 5, 2019 @ 1:42 pm
I guess this must have been “The Folk Singer”…
Travis
November 5, 2019 @ 5:52 pm
That’s it. I ordered it, watched it once, and gave it to a friend/co-worker who also liked some of those guys. He came to the same conclusion…and we’re both weird extreme metal fans that like a lot of that old roots music as well.
Jack Williams
November 5, 2019 @ 10:09 am
Great news. Feed the Family was one of my first SCM inspired album purchases. Got to see him once at Hill Country BBQ in DC. Interesting crowd. Some hardcore fans (including one dude in a Farmageddon Records sweatshirt requesting what must have been pre- Feed the Family songs) and some twenty somethings who probably knew of him through NPR. Hey, they showed up and requested specific songs from There Will Be Nights When I’m Lonely, so good on them.
Not complaining, but can’t help but notice the dearth of comments on this article. Back in the Wild West days of SCM, there would have been a lot more. He was the man in this then small corner of the internet.
Trainwreck92
November 5, 2019 @ 3:38 pm
Yeah, the fact that so few people are excited about a new PPJ record really highlights the demographic shift this site has experienced in the last decade or so.
Gillian
November 5, 2019 @ 12:11 pm
I was one of the lucky members of the audience in 2011 when he played at Muddy Roots. After a brutal day of Tennessee heat he started to play these strong winds came and cooled us all off; it was one of the most powerful music experiences of my life. (And I’m always thankful to Trig here for being super diligent and pounding in those tent stakes extra good) https://youtu.be/oB7o_pI7fR8
I’m excited for this release because this man performs from his soul and everyone can feel it and experience it and be transformed by it. He will never release anything other than his soul’s song and we benefit from it.
If you’ve never heard his music, welcome. PPJ is an award-winning special education teacher, writer, performer, and a jack-of-all-trades. He’s one of those beautiful people inside and out who make a powerfully positive difference in all our lives. Kudos to him and I cannot wait for this.
Konrad Wert/PPJ
November 5, 2019 @ 5:38 pm
Much obliged Kyle and Saving Country Music family. We are eager to share these songs, especially as we’re highlighting 20 some musicians on these 12 tracks, with blended voices and varied instrumentation. All the best folks – Konrad
Lunchbox
November 5, 2019 @ 11:30 pm
hell yeah! this is going to be my birthday present to myself this year
Travis
November 6, 2019 @ 3:49 pm
I remember seeing Trig’s name with some production credits of the last album. Any chance any work on this and maybe some advanced tracks to be premiered on SCM 🙂
Trigger
November 6, 2019 @ 11:24 pm
No production credits on this album for me. Don’t do many premiers, but we’ll see. This time I don’t have to recuse myself from review coverage.