By Ken Paulson –
Singer-songwriters are plentiful these days. Have a guitar, smartphone and social media account? Suddenly you’re giving concerts.
There was a time, though, when anyone stepping on stage at a coffeehouse had to truly engage an audience with songs, stories and a sense of humor. If you wanted to work, you had to entertain.
Ellis Paul is old school in all the best ways. His Oct. 21 performance for the Americana Community Music Association had him demonstrating how an acoustic guitar can sub for drums and bass, explaining why he’ll be buried with that guitar and hopping off stage and into the audience for a touching encore of “Over the Rainbow.”
Paul is on his 30th anniversary tour and he reflected on the evolution of his songs. Early on, young songwriters tend to focus on romance and relationships, but over time, you need to expand your perspective, Paul explained.
That explained his raucous “Kick Out the Lights,” an account of the Man in Black losing his temper on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, with its refrain “Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash.”
Paul’s reflection on dysfunctional families led to a memory of his own family’s worst day, a reunion documented in “Five Alarm Fire on the 4th of July.”
Paul, whose most recent album 55 was inspired by his birthday of that number, also offered up “You’ll Never Be This Young Again,” a buoyant song about never giving up on your dreams.
And so the evening went: wildly diverse songs, entertaining stories, the occasional singalong and an absolute rapport with the audience. Talent and experience make all the difference.
Opening up the show was Gene Martin, an 84-year-old retired radiologist, living the lyrics to Paul’s song about dream-chasing. Miller’s brief set was warm and fun and featured the evening’s most memorable song “Prep Day.”
“That was the best song about a colonoscopy I’ve ever heard,” Paul proclaimed, beaming at his opening act sitting in the front row.