Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Yu.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’m a guitar player, currently living in Somerville, but from “here and there” – born in Indiana, moved to the Merrimack Valley area as a child (Andover and Lowell), then moved slightly north of Boston (Malden). I’ve been in Somerville for the last five years.
I picked up the guitar at 10, attended music school at UNH for a few summers in high school, took private lessons, joined the high school jazz band for a year. Post-high school I mainly played with punk and hardcore bands (really the only scene in Lowell, where I went to university), although that kind of faded after I moved to Malden. From there, I played a lot in the Boston bar circuit, which was okay for a few years, but after I left Malden, I decided to focus on a different kind of songwriting (to me at least). I really got into the local “Americana” scene, which I credit with developing my “style” on the guitar. I feel like my style has always included elements of rock, funk, and jazz, but I find myself now adding in a tinge of country/folk style playing.
I’ve toured with Rick Barton (a founder of the dropkick murphies) for his band Continental, and I play a lot with a south shore artist, Meaghan Casey, and a young, new-to-Boston cat named Tom Wyatt (Virginia). I’m really into playing as a “sideman” guitarist for songwriters I like.
I’m also in the middle of putting out a solo record (full-length) of instrumental songs I’ve written over the years. I am really fortunate to have some incredible players and sound engineers help me with this. On this record, I was able to have my longtime buddy Gabe Fonseca on drums, Marcos Ferreiro on bass, Zack Showkeir on keyboard, Eric Gendron on synthesizers, and Katie Solomon (of Jakals) lending some vocal samples. And also incredibly important, I’m having Brian Charles (of Zippah studios) engineer it (with the help of Miranda Serra)! Zippah is an incredible studio, and I see that Boston Voyager has covered it!
Please tell us about your art.
My music is inspired by the millions of crazy thoughts that barrel through my head every day, as cliché as it sounds. I have a hard time sitting still, and people often wonder why I’m constantly pacing or looking like I’m in a “zone” – at the risk of sounding totally crazy, I have a lot of conversations going through my head that I need to release. I’m a cathartic person.
I don’t know why I create music. Clearly there’s something about the physics of frequencies that tingles my brain a certain way. I’m very prone to get shivers when I listen to good music. That’s not unique to me, I know. But for some reason it makes me want to get up and create some of my own. I think that’s why I like instrumental music a lot. Many people listen to music for lyrics and stories (which is great!), but for me, I’m really moved by tension/resolution in sound.
I don’t have a particular message for people. I have a contentious idea that music is not a great channel for doing that. It’s too abstract. Messages should be in material form, not in art. Too much can get lost in translation. I get into this debate a lot.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
Artists all have their own unique individual challenges, but on a macro level, they’re just like anyone else. They’re like any other person searching for acceptance and a stable “career”.
My challenges as an artist don’t have much to do with art at all. A lot of them are personal or economic. We’re human; no more special than anyone else.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My website is www.paulyumusic.com
Instagram is @pauledyu
My new record will be up for stream on the major distributors before 2019. Follow me on Instagram for updates on that.
Facebook is pretty much useless for small time artists like myself, so the only way to get me on there is to friend me. I may accept if you don’t look like a psycho.
Look up “Meaghan Casey” – I accompany her for many of her shows. I also occasionally play with “Tom Wyatt” – both are on Facebook.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.paulyumusic.com
- Email: admin@paulyumusic.com
- Instagram: @pauledyu
Image Credit:
Mike Morrissey
Joshua Goodman
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