Artist description Up and coming artist, Paul Wright enters the building smoothly. His laid back demeanor is reflected in his wardrobe; surf shorts, a pair of flip-flops and a Curious George t-shirt that his sister bought him at a thrift store in Hawaii for his birthday. Without reservation he sees me sitting, sipping my coffee near the palm trees and approaches with a smile. Growing up in Eugene, Oregon didn't bring this kid as much sunshine as he deserves. Most of the months are blanketed by a thick layer of clouds, which dump a lot of rain in the Willamette Valley. But his city is home of the Oregon Ducks a rising college athletic program that has put his hometown on the map; at least on ESPN. And you can tell, his swimsuit still drying, has brought him a deeper appreciation for the sunny blue skies. That's something to write about. Possibly there's some inspiration in the horizon. "Ever since I was twelve I began writing songs," says the emerging artist. "I want to write, record and perform and to share my music with the world." The rising star spent his high school and college years juggling academics, music and basketball where he was tagged with his nickname Pauly Paul on the court. The college graduate spent his last semester on the island of Martha's Vineyard, MA at the Contemporary Music Center with industry professionals writing, recording, performing and studying how to market commercial music. "When I returned home I knew if I was going to make it I needed to move. So, I told everyone I was heading up to Seattle." It was a good plan but there was one bump in the road. His band in Eugene, full of potential had a huge show and so Paul stayed. "We just kept practicing and performing. And I approached the guys and said, 'We need to record a CD'." And so they did, with Chris Stevens of Fab Music. A five song EP enhanced with music videos and much more. Unfortunately, Nine months later the band broke up after a stellar performance at Creation West in the Gorge Ampitheater. The guitarist moved home to Southern Oregon and got married aspiring a teaching career. The bassist moved to Kelso, Washington taking a job at a bank. They were still making it work as a band but it got to a point where they were asked to go on tour and a couple of the members weren't able to do it. So they split. "Everything was going great too. We have an awesome CD, we're getting some radio play and performing at bigger and better venues. But the guys had different priorities and we are all at different parts in our lives." Moving on the 23-year old says, "I wanna do this. Nothing is holding me back and I want to pursue my dreams. I feel like I was born to do this." So, unsure of his next move he met with Chris Stevens and was encouraged to record a full-length CD, this time as a solo venture. That's all it took. The future is starting to look bright again for Paul. "One sun sets and another sun rises," Wright says. The two started an indie label, Hip Records, and began recording Paul's next project due out January 2003. Mixing funk, folk and hip-hop the two are creating an exciting blend of songs. "Fly Away", a song they just finished in the studio reminds me of a Jack Johnson/John Mayer combination. "Chris is great to work with. He is hands down the most talented, gifted and hardest working producer I've done a project with. I am confident we will put out a product that will compete world-wide and create a buzz in the industry unlike any other." And with that thought I finish my coffee and am more excited for the future of Paul Wright, Chris Stevens and Hip Records than he is about the sunny forecast tomorrow. And as we went our ways he smiled and said, "get ready for an explosion!" The sun will come out tomorrow.

Music Style acoustic rock/ hip-hop/ pop/ funk

Musical Influences hip-hop, acoustic rock, funk, reggae

Similar Artists john mayer, toby mac, jason mraz, jack johnson, g-love and special sauce, beck

Artist History It all started in the heart of a twelve year old... 11 years later you can see where he's at if you go to www.paulwrightmusic.com

Group Members Paul Wright - songwriter, vocals, guitars, ect.

Location Eugene, OR - USA

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