Paul K.
Stolen Gems The Anthology
By Geordie Pleathur
(SugarBuzz Nation)
SugarBuzz Magazine
It's not like Detroit born torch-singer, Paul K.'s music is so "out there" that it "defies categorization", because most any cheap label ("Americana", "Post-Punk") works fine. He has a significant jam-band oriented fan base, but most of his bands-the Johnsons, the Weathermen, the Prayers, have only been "jam-bands" in the sense that Royal Trux, or Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner era, 70's Lou Reed were jam-bands.
A large portion of his oeuvre is comprised of the sort of picturesque and sentimental anthems Bob Seger made famous, and that Dez Dickerson urged Prince to write, if he wanted to cross-over. Strangely, Paul K. has never successfully made the same transition. His sound was once described by a homeless drifter associate of mine, as, "gospel music for junkies", and his inventive, dream-pop guitar playing is evocative of Thee Hypnotics, These Immortal Souls, the navel-gazers, etc. A lot of his stuff is reminiscent of the Australian rock scene: Birthday Party, Rowland S. Howard, Beasts Of Bourbon. It's the 
country and western insurgents that buy his records on obscure labels, however. Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo fans.
His lyrical story-telling abilities can only be compared to the very best of the rock'n'roll and country music poets. This maverick creative fountain cut his teeth in seventies squats in downtown NYC, spent some time as a guest of the State, travelled non-stop, playing every cheap and filthy college dive that ever welcomed Bob Stinson, or Johnny Thunders to it's stage, and somehow, ended up in the haunted foot-hills of Kentucky, writing folksy songs about his tortured loves, lost liberty, and old friends gone to seed, along the way.
The people who follow Paul K. become strangely attached to the man and his music. It's like a strange religion, his audience gives a whole new meaning to the tired phrase, "cult-following". I've also heard him described as a "Jailhouse Jackson Browne", and "If Hunter S. Thompson was a Punk". The thing is, his music reaches in and touches your heart, gives melody to your memory, puts words to the nagging heartbreak we drink to blot out, seeking to forget; he brings it all home, and helps you to understand your own cheated desires, and wasted remnants of a dream.
His unforgettable ballads receive their fair share of air-play on public radio, and his catchy rock'n'roll, and blues-punk manifestoes end up on hundreds of people's best loved mix-tapes. This essential, two-cd hits package includes some upbeat eighties style pop, reminding you of Violent Femmes, or Dramarama, ("Mulletville", "Yellow Pills"...) as well as nearly forty classic Paul K. non-hits, like "High In The Air", "Poor
Man's Eyes", "Stop The Film", and his stirring version of, "When You Read This, I'll Be Gone". It came out on CoraZong Records. Look for it! A perfect introductory primer for beginners, or old die-hards.
(-Geordie Pleathur)