Possessed by Paul James-Folk from the Texas Hill Country

Now maybe if I had caught this quote in No Depression back in 2010

“If I were to make a list of the 20 most important singer/songwriters of our time, Konrad Wert / Possessed by Paul James, would undoubtedly be among those at the very top.”

or this one from The Onion ??? back in 2007…..

“One-man band Konrad Wert grew up in a Mennonite family, raised by preacher father and a piano player mother, which accounts for both the baptized-in-fire-soul and musical versatility heard in his gritty Old World music. Wert’s mix of blues and vintage folk howls with a sense of explosive freedom and latent rage-not unlike an Amish kid emerging from the wilderness to discover America that instills his simple guitar/fiddle/stomp-box arrangements with unusual passion.” – The Onion 2007

If only I had paid more attention to who was touring with one of my wife’s favorite performers Frank Turner, or read the list of winners at the 2011 Independent Music Awards where he won “BEST ALT. COUNTRY ALBUM of 2011 for “ I Feed the Family”.

It wouldn’t have taken 8 years and four albums before, I found out about Possessed by Paul James a fantastic one-man band from Austin, Texas.

Discovering Possessed By Paul James

I discovered the latest release There Will Be Nights When I’m Lonely from Possessed by Paul James aka Konrad Wert in his non-professional music life, where he is a teacher in the Texas Hill Country.

Wert teaches children with intellectual disabilities in an elementary school special education classroom. And like his music making he is good at teaching! At the end of the 2012 school year was awarded “Teacher of the Year honors at the school in his first year at his new school!

Possessed by Paul James was recognized again on September 12, 2013, when Wert was:

….presented with the “Golden Apple” by SACU’s ExCEL Program set up to give recognition to teachers and to encourage collaboration and sharing of best practices, improving the quality of education for our children. From Saving Country Music Read Full Post

Final Thoughts

Anyway, I know about him now and that’s what’s important. He is a terrific songwriter, banjo player, violinist and stompbox stomper.

This morning I started listening to the album and heard the opening track “Hurricane.” Before the song was even over, I was already singing the chorus. That’s usually a pretty good sign.

So if you haven’t discovered Possessed by Paul James yet, maybe it’s time.

As for me, I think tomorrow belongs to Feed the Family.