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Paul Atkinson

Genre: Americana/Alt-Country, Folk/Singer-Songwriter, Rock

Location: Charlotte, NC

Bio

The music of Paul Atkinson has been on a continuing path of growth and change much like his life. Born and raised in Wilmington, NC Paul was born into a musical family. His mother and sister played piano, his father played guitar, and all three were gifted singers. Classical and folk music was always a part of the sounds and memories of his childhood. When he was twelve his father began to teach him the ins and outs of basic chord structure accompanied with some of the simplicities of folk artists such as John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, and Cat Stevens. Within a year Paul wanted to delve more into the guitar as his musical influences began to drift further and further into more complex music such as the Grateful Dead, Led Zepplin, and Jimi Hendrix. It wasn’t, however, that Paul was star-struck by the classic rock icons, it was the impact of the songwriting, the intense chord structures, and the history of sound that he heard in these artists that drove Paul to desire more out of the 6-stringed box that he was starting to play. Through high school, Paul continued to hone his skills through various bands, jazz ensembles, and multiple years of guitar lessons with the locally revered, JK Loftin. Though the impact of jam bands such as Widespread Panic played their role in Paul’s love for music into college, the introduction of a new era of singer/songwriters catapulted him into pursuing music as a serious career. Artists such as Counting Crows, Ryan Adams, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and David Gray proved to Paul that truth and meaning IS still within the lyrics of modern music. The inspiration found from artists such as these along with the freedoms and trials of being out on his own for the first time pushed Paul’s pen to fill journals, napkins, receipts, and pretty much anything that could hold ink as the lyrics began to flow. At age 19, Paul played his first solo gig at the Raw Bar at Wrightsville Beach “because my friends forced me to share this music that only their ears had heard.” During this show, Paul could see a reaction from the audience in his original songs that seemed to impact them as much - if not more - than his cover songs. That moment: the crowd, the mood, the sounds, Paul knew he had found his path. Gigs and his fan base around the Port City began to grow. By the time Paul was 22, he was supporting himself fully on his music. In 2002, Paul went into the studio and recorded a 12-track solo album entitled As You Imagine There. The 500 pressed LP’s sold quickly. Shortly after, Paul met his future wife, Kelly, and together they moved to Boulder, Colorado where he began work on his Masters in World Religion. Themes of love, searching, and spirituality naturally found their way into his songwriting. In 2003, Paul started a unique band called The Ripple; with the addition of a keyboard, drummer, and a violinist he could sense a change in his music. It began to broaden. He could hear a greater sound, thus, pushing him to record his next album with The Ripple entitled Into the Sun (2005), comprised of fourteen of Paul’s originals. Though Paul Atkinson and the Ripple achieved local success playing at coffee houses, bars, and festivals, he moved back to Charlotte, North Carolina and began playing solo again. Here, the emotions of change, returning home, and growing up found release within the confines of Paul’s songwriting. He soon started The Paul Atkinson Band and released Music for the Journey (2007) and The Attic Sessions (2008). While recording The Attic Sessions with studio musicians Mike Stuart (lead guitar) and brothers Mike Rosado (drums) and Dan Rosado (bass) in 2008, an immediate synergy of personalities and sounds was discovered. As a result, the four musicians formed Paul Atkinson and The Good Life. They can be heard at venues and festivals across the Carolinas and are slated to go back into the studio in early 2010 to record more of their tour-readied originals. Meanwhile, Paul continues to write new songs as well as play solo acoustic shows in Charlotte and beyond. So the question is, “Why?” Why in this time, in this era, in this economy? Why would someone still strive to achieve the life of music as an independent artist? Paul’s answer is found within his music. It’s the subtle simplistic lyrics that liken to John Denver, the meanings behind the lyrics that one can hear in Ryan Adams and Ray Lamontagne, the rhythmic riffs reflective of Dave Matthews and the Grateful Dead. Paul encompasses a century of music in his tune. But when one asks Paul, “Why?” he effortlessly says, “I do it because I love it. I do it because I have to. I couldn’t be fully happy or be the person I can be without it. My music and I are one in the same; constantly feeding off of each other. Where that leads, I have no idea…only forward I suppose. Lately I’ve been trying more and more to find the beauty in using music to make a local impact. I want to use music to make a difference.” - By Neil Cribbs