All sounds captured at The Modern Hotel (themodernhotel.com) Room #242, Linen District, Boise, Idaho on May 7, 2015 from 5-10pm as part of the 8th Annual and penultimate Modern Art event. Modern Art was a multimedia & interactive exhibit & happening with different artists doing a thing in each room. Much art was to be had. It occurred every First Thursday in May from 2008-2016. All sounds recorded and engineered by Nate Agenbroad of Mixed Metaphor Recording, Boise, Idaho (mixedmetaphorrecording.com) Mixed and edited by Nate Agenbroad at Mixed Metaphor Recording Mastered by Gus Elg at Sky Onion, Portland, Oregon (skyonion.com) Photos by Thomas Paul and unknown. Layout and design by Nicolet Laursen (nicoletlaursen.com) CD Production by Brian Denney at Dreamwave Studios, Nampa/Boise, Idaho dreamwavestudio@gmail.com CAST Thomas Paul: guitars Bob Nagel: upright bass Todd Chavez: drum kit, cajon (chavezcajon.com) Eric Dewitt: saxophone, synthesizer Jonah Shue: violin (jonahshue.com) Jeffrey Barker: flute (jeffreybarker.com) HUGE THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEER CREW: Jen Wade-James, Jayson Bush, Annie Berical, Mike Rainey, Tom Burden without whom NONE of this would’ve happened. THANKS to Dan Costello for the generous use of his guitar amplifier and tuxedo for years on end, as well as his sage advice and encouragement. ALSO FOREVER THANKS TO: Heidi Kraay (heidikraay.com), Carl Mayer, Nissa Crawford-Nagel, Eric Daw (ericdaw.com), Lincoln Barr (redjacketmine.net), Jessica Evett, Wayne Birt, and ALL at KRBX RadioBoise (radioboise.us), Melissa Wilson, Gabe Dunn and all the V3ers, Todd Dunnigan at History of Boise Rock, Carl Scheider and KBSU, Dana Oland, Amy Atkins, Michael Deeds, Ben Schwartz, Bernie Reilly, Jill, Mike, JohnO, Brion and all at The Record Exchange (therecordexchange.com), Chad Dryden at Bandwagon PR (www.bandwagonpr.com), Louis McFarland, Eric, Lori and all at Treefort Music Fest (treefortmusicfest.com), Hyde Park Street Fair, Steve and Pat at Audio Lab Recording Studios (audiolab.org), Sean Hatton, JD Kindle and The Eastern Oregon Playboys (jamesdeankindle.com), Shane Cox, Roberta Lavadour and all at Pendleton Center for the Arts (pendletonarts.org), Ken, Carol, Addison and all at Great Pacific Wine and Coffee Co. (greatpacific.biz), Kathy and Doyle at Doyle’s Broadway Music, Mike Rundle, Jason and Chris at Tonic Room Recording Studios (tonicroomstudios.com), Dr. Jim Jirak, Paul Goldy and the Boise Philharmonic Master Chorale FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Chad Dryden, Bandwagon PR (208) 284-0355, chad@bandwagonpr.com Thomas Paul announces new album ‘Singalongs’ All-instrumental project, recorded live at 2015 Modern Art, to be released May 5 Album release party to be held First Thursday at The Record Exchange “East River Road” streaming now via Bandcamp April 13, 2016 Thomas Paul announces the release of “Singalongs,” an all-instrumental album recorded live at The Modern Hotel in Boise, Idaho, during the 2015 Modern Art, on First Thursday, May 5. Paul and his band will perform at an album release party on First Thursday (6pm) at The Record Exchange, 1105 W. Idaho St., Boise. “East River Road,” the album’s opening track and first single, is streaming now via Bandcamp. The winkingly-titled “Singalongs,” Paul’s first full instrumental album, was captured in Room 242 of The Modern Hotel on May 7, 2015 amid the hustle and bustle of Modern Art, the annual art happening where Boise artists and musicians transform rooms into galleries, installations, performance spaces or, in Paul’s case, a recording studio. Unlike traditional recording sessions, however, friends, fans and complete strangers were there to intimately observe Paul and his supporting cast (Bob Nagel, upright bass; Todd Chavez, drums and cajon; Eric Dewitt, saxophone and synthesizer; Jonah Shue, violin; Jeffrey Barker, flute). A team of volunteers at the door managed the crowd — once the tape was rolling on a song, the room was closed off until the recording was complete; the guests inside then were treated to a playback of the first 15 seconds of the finished song before they were escorted out and a new group entered for the next recording. The musicians operated in this fashion for five hours — the duration of Modern Art — “and then fell over,” Paul says. “The challenge was to make an album with several people milling in and out. For us, it was a way of taking the music off the 40-foot stage, so to speak, and literally rubbing elbows with the audience while we played. It was a fun experiment to watch people attempt to stand still in silence for 4 minutes at a time.” The concept was partially inspired by Beauty Pill, an arty Washington, D.C. band associated with the otherwise punk-infused Dischord Records scene that was commissioned to turn a D.C. arts center into an immersive recording studio/art exhibit. For two weeks, the public was invited to observe daily 10-hour recording sessions; the resulting album, “Beauty Pill Describes Things as They Are,” was released in April 2015, shortly before Paul’s “Singalongs” session at the Modern. Paul worked under much stricter time constraints and stressed “no overdubs” in the album’s final mixing and editing, which was overseen by Nate Agenbroad of Mixed Metaphor Recording, who also recorded and engineered the Modern Art session. “All sounds were captured at the Modern that night,” Paul says. Cinematic and tinged with noir moods, the “Singalongs” material was sonically influenced by several of Paul’s instrumental favorites, everything from film scores to Chicago post-rock to the wordless segments of ‘70s prog suites. Paul also drew from his previous experiences collaborating with filmmakers and theater groups. “I’ve always writing non-lyrical music, always had odd-duck musical ideas that weren’t verse-chorus-verse songs,” he says. “Playing and recording at home before I had a professional career, I started noticing how music was used in movies, or how even punk bands like Fugazi and Minutemen would include instrumentals on their albums. Lyrics are great, but they’re not always needed.” Paul also was intrigued by the idea of taking his impressive vocal range — which has drawn comparisons to Jeff Buckley, among others — completely out of the picture. “Some would consider my voice to be my best instrument, so the challenge was to take it away.” “Singalongs” will be available for purchase in person at The Record Exchange and Thomas Paul performances and online at Bandcamp, etc. etc. ABOUT THOMAS PAUL Thomas Paul is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter from Boise, Idaho. Regarded as one of the region’s most versatile, gifted musicians, Paul’s output as a bandleader/solo artist and in-demand sideman and session performer covers a wide range of genres, including garage rock, lounge blues, alt-country and folk. In baseball terms, Paul is both the big bat carrying the team and the utility player contributing everywhere on the field — in short, “a talented dude,” as Idaho Statesman critic Michael Deeds wrote. “He’s been in more Boise bands than any sane musician should, and he plays essentially any instrument with strings or keys plopped in front of him. He’s also eccentric. Can music be funky and ominous? Paul’s can.” Paul’s talents are demonstrated on vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard, mandolin and accordion in live performances and on his albums “Goodbye, Waterloo…” (2011) and “House On Fire” (2009) and EPs “Yours, Etc…” (2004) and “Interference” (2015). When he’s not leading his own band, Paul adds sounds to several established Northwest outfits, including Nick Jaina, aka Belle, New Transit, Andy Byron Band, The Country Club, eLDopamine, LarkSpur, Ryan Bayne, SFM-Steve Fulton Music, Tracy Morrison and others. Paul also has been a member of the Boise Philharmonic Master Chorale since 2013. Past contributions include work with Circle, RUNG, Wheel Of Fish, CLOCK, Mystery Date, Me & My Ego, MayerForceOne, Tim Andreae’s Gem State, Bill Coffey, Gizzard Stone and many more. Paul has shared the stage with dozens of musical luminaries, including Buddy Miles (RIP), John Hammond, Mike Watt, Built To Spill, Charlie Hunter, Royal Crown Revue, Michael Martin Murphey, Teddy Thompson, Q & Not U, Calobo and Pickwick. In addition to performing, Paul also shares his love of music as a DJ and radio host for Radio Boise’s V3 (9am-noon Fridays), private teacher at Old Boise Music Studios and instructor at Boise Rock School and TrICA (Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts). Thomas is currently at work on his third through fifth albums, in no particular order. For images, interviews or more information, contact Chad Dryden with Bandwagon PR, (208) 284-0355 or chad@bandwagonpr.com.