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Taking it personally
Folk singers to perform benefit in Princeton

By Derek Beres
Time Off Staff Writer
Thursday, May 7, 1998

    Don't be surprised if Ellis Paul stops over for dinner on May 8. The folk singer likes to make friends when he tours around the country, and often finds himself asked to be a guest at dinner tables before and after shows.
    But when he plays a benefit concert for Tibet at the Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton with folk diva Catie Curtis he won't be looking for just a quick nod and a smile; Mr. Paul is searching for more personal connections.
    "It's really important for me to connect with people in a deeper way than just saying 'Hi, thanks for the sandwich, bye,'" he says. "I'm getting to have some great friendships in a lot of towns; my goal is to have good friends everywhere I go within four or five years."
    Growing up in tiny Presque Isle, Maine, Mr. Paul was a member of a tight-knit community which lived off the lumber industry. He resided there until he traveled to Boston College on a track scholarship when he was 18.
    "I was wide-eyed in the city," he says. "My town was confining, and I was one of those high school kids who was constantly looking for a way out. I wanted to explore the world."
    Mr. Paul first picked up a guitar in college, when a knee injury ended his athletic career. He was 21-years-old and his only previous experience was singing in his high school chorus. This was also the time when he was introduced to folk music.
    "I didn't discover Dylan until I was 21," he says. "Dylan, Springsteen, Mitchell, they all changed my life. The main thing I discovered is how important that music is to me. It's very important to my DNA to have that music in my life."
    Mr. Paul got involved with the folk circuit in Boston. He would perform with the same musicians at open mics every week, with the likes of Dar Williams and Vance Gilbert. In 1992 he released a compilation CD with three other musicians, and within one year he was a full-time musician.
    "Before picking up the guitar, I had thought I might be an artist, I just didn't know what kind," he says. "It's become an evolving biography of where I am."
    His music is autobiographical, describing the experiences he's had and the people he's met. His latest release, A Carnival of Voices (Philo/Rounder), deals with everything from his journey around Paris to New Year's Eve in the city. The track, "All My Heroes Were Junkies," is written about a friend he met who was recovering from heroin.
    "He had amazing stories, amazing insight," Mr. Paul says of his friend. "It's funny to see how trapped as a society we are, constantly watching people self-destruct."
    On that track, Mr. Paul sings: "He says 'All my heroes were junkies/ Now all my heroes are dead'/ I say 'Hey, Tony, consider yourself lucky/ To be a junkie in a hospital bed.'"
    Mr. Paul's forthcoming album, Translucent Soul (Philo/Rounder), will be out in August. This effort is much different than the previous, as he is currently going through a "separation and probably divorce," which has been the source of his latest songwriting endeavors.
    Now driving across the country in a 1992 Honda Civic, which he dubs "the official car of the American folk singer," Mr. Paul is looking forward to relaxing in Boston after finishing up his tour. He says he's trying to find a balance between settling down and touring the country, but has not yet been successful.
    "The amount of travel has been eating away at my creativity," he says. "Driving takes a lot of fun out of it, but I know I have a couple of more years to pay my dues before I can settle down. When I was in high school I just wanted to leave; now I want to find a small town to be safe in and hide for a while."
    Ellis Paul will be playing at a benefit concert for Tibet with Catie Curtis at the Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton, on May 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance, $18 at the door and $11 for students. For tickets and information, call (609) 924-0455.

Copyright © 1998, 1997, 1996 Packet Publications, Inc.