Sig Paulson

Artist Information

Biography

Biography:
Sig Paulson was born in San Jose, California in 1952. He was left to kill time in an old panel truck while his dad estimated floor-covering jobs or had a drink with the boys after work, so Sig listened to the radio a lot. He grew up on country music in the late fifties & early sixties listening to the likes of Johnny Cash, Buck Owens & Hank Williams. The old time honky-tonk hillbilly rockers were imbedded in his memory, and along with the country-rockers of the early seventies like The Flying Burrito Brothers, John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker are the inspiration and foundation of his writing today. He calls his music “Hippiebilly”, a form of original Americana.
Sig picked up the guitar at age 10, started writing songs at 13, & somewhere along the line taught him-self to play harmonica. He joined a Jug Band in high school that played local Coffee Houses. After graduation & a stint in the Air force, he moved to Wisconsin & started playing professionally. He joined the "Tingler Band” which traveled the mid-west & Great Plains playing country rock music. It’s a time he says he’ll always remember: “We traveled eight states & lived the road life, made a good living & it was a band I was really proud of.” However, the end of the line came in Deadwood South Dakota in the summer of 1979, so Sig headed back to the west coast.
In 1980 he formed "Sig & the Sahibs", an R&B band that played originals & soul and Motown hits. Later he would replace Canned Heat’s original lead guitarist Henry Vestine in "James T. & the Tough" out of Eugene. When James & Henry left to tour with Canned Heat Sig began performing solo regularly, incorporating even more original material into his shows. The years blew past & he continued working in “roots music” bands & solo at venues throughout the N.W. The focus now became more on writing, & writing a good song in the style of music, he loved to listen to in that old panel truck years ago.
In 2001, Sig attended the Alaska Songwriters workshop. One of the instructors was Steve Forbert whose song "Romeo's Tune" made the top twenty in 1980. Forbert helped rewrite two songs & offered invaluable insight into the songwriting process. In 2002, Sig teamed with producer Julian Snow to release "Movies & Magazines". Although produced & mixed with an “edgy” sound there was no disguising its “Hippiebilly” roots & it set Sig back firmly on the Americana path. In 2004, he was a finalist in the Mary Hill Winery Songwriter’s Competition & in July 2005, he completed his second solo album “Tangled In My Roots”. Co-produced by Don “Fuzzy” Purcell, it featured some of the best musicians in the Pacific N.W. including Patrick Lamb, Orvil Ivie, Dan Wetzel, and Kristen Grainger and is now receiving international attention & sales.
Most recently Sig placed second in the Gig Harbor Folk Festival 2006 songwriting competition and is currently a finalist in the 2006 Portland Songwriters association Songwriter of the year competition. Thirty-five years & still rollin’ down a country road!
www.sigpaulson.com To purchase CDs online try CDbaby.com.

Instrumentation

I normally perform solo. I mainly play acoustic guitar and harmonica on a holder. I'm not so "Layed back". My act has positive energy. Currently I'm working on incorporating lap steel guitar and banjo into my act. However, if the money is there I have many fine musicians in the area to pull together a back-up band.

Discography

1985... I'm So Shy" by Sig and the Sahibs.
1994... "Thank My Lucky Stars" (Children's Music)
1995... "Greetings From Christmasville"
2002... "Movies and Magazines"
2005... "Tangled In My Roots"
"Movies and Magazines" and "Tangled In My Roots" are available with listening samples at WWW.Sigpaulson.com
and have received radio airply in Europe and The U.S.
Also.. for the movie trailer for the independent film "The Memorial Counselor" please check out

http://www.sharkle.com/video/110764/

and/or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHbGPADvUJY

Audio

• Gone To Galveston (For Townes Van Zandt)
  Listen   Download
• Rust And Roses Track01
  Listen   Download
• Here I Come
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Fish In A Fryin' Pan
• Gone To Galveston
• Rust And Roses
• Here I Come

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Local CD collections expand choices. [+ Show ]
  

  Thursday, April 4th 2002. Local CD collections expand choices. Besides playing at local venues, ar...Thursday, April 4th 2002.
  Local CD collections expand choices.
  Besides playing at local venues, area musicians put their music on CD.
  By Angela Yeager
  Statesman Journal
  Ask any local music fan, and they will tell you there's a dearth of venues to see live music in the mid-valley.
  But that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of local bands creating original music. It just may be that it's only avilable at the local record store. Kit Close, owner of Ranch records in downtown Salem, said he has seen a huge increase in local bands releasing CDs recently. He estimates that he is getting twice as many sent to him than he did just three years ago.
  "It's so easy and inexpensive to record now," he said. "Just about any band playing in the local bars now has a CD."
  
  Sig Paulson
  Sig Paulson is a bit of a musical legend in Salem.
  He's played in the area since the '60s, when he was a fixture in local coffee shops.
  Since then, he has continued writing his own songs and building his craft. Paulson names Bob Dylan and Steve Forbert, whom he worked with at a songwriting workshop, as his influences.
  About four years ago, Paulson finally took the plunge and started work on his first solo album. "Movies and Magazines" was released in January.
  "I write in so many different veins and styles," he said. "that I was worried about it not having cohesive feel," he said. "And I ended up getting the Americana roots thing out of it."
  With his acoustic guitar and harmonica in hand, Paulson hired Salem musician Julian Snow to produce the album. Together they selected 12 songs from Paulson's extensive body of work. And though there is everything from a little honky tonk to blues and folk on the album, it all comes together as a collection of Paulson's memories and travels.
  So far, he has sold about 130 copies of the album and has playes in Boise, Idaho, and Portland. And he isn't waiting so long this time to head back into the studio: Paulson is hoping to start work on the next album this year.
  "I'm feeling really good about having the album," he said. "I'm feeling like I've got more power behind me for going and getting gigs. And people are starting to get to know me better."
  Upcoming show:
  .8 p.m. April 12, Rock Creek Tavern, 10000 Old Cornelius Pass, Hillsboro; no cover; call: (503) 645-3822.
  Where to find the CDs:
  .Ranch Records, 170 Liberty St. NE, Salem
  .Uptown Music, 5065 River Road N, keizer
  .Rosebud and Fish, 524 State St., Salem
  Angela Yeager - Statesman Journal

• Tangled In His Roots Sig Pauslon CD Review [+ Show ]
  

  According to my understanding, the 53 year old Sig Paulson, is an opponent of the "Generationspact"...According to my understanding, the 53 year old Sig Paulson, is an opponent of the
  "Generationspact" (My comment: this appears to be some sort of Belgian
  government proposal to put more people to work for a longer time).
  
  Apparently the man from San Jose, California is already busy limiting his
  working hours, because only now we see the sequel to his 2001 album "Movies
  and Magazines".
  But, the good man already has a 35 year career behind him and most people
  would be thinking about taking it a bit easier. A long career, that mainly
  consisted of country/rock and rhythm & blues bands, but that took a
  different course when he came in contact with Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart,
  Chris Smither and Steve Forbert.
  The whole bunch had been asked to be teachers at a songwriters workshop in
  Palmer, Alaska and when Forbert personally took charge of Paulson, the birth
  of a "new" singer/songwriter was a fact. With success too, because he
  immediately became one of the finalists of the Mary Hill Winery Songwriter's
  Competition.
  He proves that the fact was no fluke, with 12 self written songs of
  which the opener "Hillbilly Mystic"(The hillbilly mystic don’t travel alone, his wife’s a gypsy palm reader plays the saxophone, got a band of disciples called the celestial stars, they only play the big shows no coffee houses or bars.) and the finale "Don't Say Goodbye", (I remember what you said this morning, don’t say goodbye, say see you later.) are the 2 best.
  
  It’s a nice start to 40 minutes of Roots (time) music. With "Hot Tamale" Paulson
  digs up a bit of Tex Mex, the sing along "Fish in a Fryin' Pan" invokes a cute
  little hillbilly waltz, and the songs "Danger Girl" and "Vaguely Familiar"
  (with saxophone by Patrick Lamb) belong in a calypso/swing jazz
  cabaret. However, the man's talents are varied and his admiration for Bob Dylan
  is evident in the songs "I Don't Think I Wanna Think", "Jaded Buddha", and
  "Broken Pride"... mandolin and harmonica included!
  But he is no stranger to 'the blues' because in a past life he was
  good friends with Canned Heat members Henry Vestine & James Thornebury, and
  he does a great job on the rhythm & blues number 'with a message' "Givin 'Em
  Hell". (She dig a boogie-woogie baby and she don’t take it slow .With her spiked high heels and her top down low. The boys all think they know her but they don’t know her well Looks like she’s from heaven but she’s givin’ ‘em hell!).
  
  Once you've been involved in this crazy business for this long, you can only survive with a certain sense of humor, and with "Everybody wants to drive my car" ("Everybody wants to finish my sentence, but I don’t really like what they say. // Everybody wants to paint my house, but the colors they choose just scream. // Everybody wants to drive my car, but nobody wants to pay for the gas." obvious.
  Sig makes that wonderfully
  It's obvious Sig Paulson is not yet ready to retire, and he will keep us supplied with good songs. With "Tangled In My Roots" he has definitely succeeded in that.
  
  François Braeken ( reporter Euro Americana chart )
  Rootstime.be e-line magazine Belgium
  Fransois Braeken - Rootstime E-line magazine
  

• Moisture and Sunshine [+ Show ]
  

  Sig Paulson’s songs are a bit like a walk in a dry Oregon forest, after a rainy winter. The colors... Sig Paulson’s songs are a bit like a walk in a dry Oregon forest, after a rainy winter. The colors and images are sharp and well defined, as are the characters in the songs; it seems that combination of moisture and sunshine bring everything into focus. Sig's voice is clean and expressive, and he sings with conviction. There are a many truths in Paulson's songs, but there is also a lot of whimsy, which helps make his compositions interesting over repeated listening.
  Tom May www.tommayfolk.com
  Producer, "River City Folk"
  nationally syndicated radio broadcast since 1991
  WFMT Radio Network
  

Setlist

I play any and all songs off of "Movies and Magazines" and "Tangled In My Roots" and songs off my forthcoming album as well as songs by other artists from the N.W. such as Dave Carter... "Frank To Valentino" and "Grand Prairie Texas", Danny O'keefe... "In Northern California Where The Palm Tree Meets The Pine" and "Steel Guitar", Todd Snider... "Tillamook County Jail", Woody Guthrie... "Roll On Columbia". I also do some Johnny Cash... "Get Rhythm", Fabulous Thunderbirds... "Why Get Up?"and Bob Dylan "Silvio".

I usually do about 12 songs a set and end up at about 45 minutes each. The following are 3 example...

1. Gurus In The Meadow
2. Boogie-Woogie Country Girl
3. Fish In A Fryin’ Pan
4. Parking Lot Ponies
5. Shelly
6. Why Get Up?
7. Dirty Names
8. Hot Tamale
9. If The Castle Burns
10. When That Evening Sun Goes Down
11. Everybody Wants To Drive My Car
12. Tillamook County Jail

1. Danger Girl
2. Cheap To Keep
3. Whatcha Got Up Yer Sleeve?
4. Jaded Buddha
5. Surrender
6. We Got Rain
7. Ya Knows I Loves Ya!
8. 26 Second Song
9. Get Rhythm
10. Silvio
11. ‘Til God Comes Down
12. Givin’ ‘Em Hell

1. Hillbilly Mystic
2. Gunshy
3. Broken Pride
4. Frank To Valentino
5. Call me up in Dreamland
6. Backyard Tourists
7. Michelle’s Closet
8. I Don’t Think I Wanna Think
9. Vaguely Familiar
10. Two Souvenirs
11. Domino
12. Half Out Of The Middle

Basic Requirements

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