by Robin Linn
I saw Paul Chensne Band at Bobby Furst's private venue in Joshua
Tree last year at Furst Wulrd Theater and I fell in love with them. They
played until the wee hours of the morning to an enthusiastic crowd and
we all danced til we dropped....literally! For the life of me, I can't
come up with a better description of their music than the one they came
up with themselves....whiskey soaked rock and roll. The band is a
tightly oiled honkey-tonk machine driven by songwriter and frontman Paul
Chesne. When it comes to lyrics, Paul is a poet! He sings about the
trappings of man and the road. Songs about leaving your woman, getting
too high, feeling lousy, and making a living playing rock and roll. He
is an absolute wordsmith. The rhyme and rhythm of his words make you
listen attentively as he tackles sinful subject matter with humor. There
is a lot of poetic justice within his lyrics. His soulful vocals and
melodic guitar work win you over instantly. The way he allows his own
material to live and breathe in the live setting could earn him jam band
status. On Friday, February 21st, he will be rocking Pappy &
Harriets for a free show and you can come see for yourself why I love
this group!
The newest record. Downright, Up & Left Paul won my heart over and
over again. He sent me my copy on Valentines Day and listening to
it...alone, is how I spent my holiday. My own guitar playing boyfriend
was away at work and rather than returning to a lonely woman, he came
home to a delighted girl dancing around the living room in her high
heels, beaming with a huge smile on her face. I listened to it all over
again with him late that night and we both agreed, DU&L will be
welcomed by a huge cross-over audience. There is something for everybody
on this record, a dash of country rooted in folk doused in rock and
roll. Each of the selections on this record are chalked full of
wonderful guitar work backed by a beautiful band. I found refuge that
night in the song "Pessimist", which seemed as if it was written for the
woman alone on Valentines day! Within the lyrics are lines such as, "I
have a half empty flask, and a pain in my ass, that won't go away",
"Let's get high til it burns, we can all take turns", "Sorry I ruined
your Valentines week". Every song on the record is special.
I asked Paul to tell me about where he came from and his creative
influences to get a deeper understanding of what drives this uniquely
creative and super talented musician. Here is what Paul had to say.
PAUL CHESNE (On his early years and his creative influences): "I was
born & raised in Los Angeles at the Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital
across the street from the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood. I grew up
watching the Magic Johnson dish out no look passes on my daddy's knee.
Now, I live near the beach in Venice. Like 100 yards from the sand. I
haven't seen the ocean in 3 weeks."
" I saw my good friend Willie Chambers last night at the Kibitz Room. He
is a national treasure. Chambers Brothers. My friends the Vacation who
are a big part of the PCB collective taught me a lot. The singer Ben
Tegel is like looney tunes Iggy Pop."
(On his band) The
PCB Collective includes approximately 75 musicians. The official band is
the boys. Jon Niemann, Josh Norton, Jason Chesney, Richard Berardi.
They love me and they hate me.
Here is the link to purchase your copy of DOWNRIGHT UP & LEFT. I
really believe it doesn't matter what kind of music floats your boat,
you will find pleasure within the songs created by master songwriter
Paul Chesne. When you are home alone, or spending the evening with your
significant other, you will be happy to have this record in your
personal collection.
Pappy & Harriet's Event Calendar: http://pappyandharriets.com/
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