Folk implosion

Ellis Paul is in the right place at the right time

by Bob Gulla

With the Cambridge folk music renaissance now in full swing it's time for performers like Ellis Paul, Vance Gilbert, and Catie Curtis to start getting their due. Together, they represent the best of folk music's new breed, combining modern writing with traditional homespun sensibilities in establishing a high-quality standard for all who have been unfortunate enough to follow.

In many ways, Ellis Paul, who plays Providence for the first time this Saturday, is the quintessential Cambridge folksinger. His fusion of urbane commentary, literate observation, and dark romanticism is prototypically urban in a smart, funny kind of way. The seven-time winner of the Boston Music Award in the folk category as well as national winner of the Kerrville "Best New Folk Artist Award," Paul's been oft-decorated for his art. He was even cited by USA Today -- for what that's worth -- as a "Best Bet for Stardom."

"Things are actually going great," says Paul with some surprise. "It's just happening for me right now. I got a couple of lucky breaks, which is unusual in this business."

A windfall is more like it. Paul placed one of his songs in the new Farrelly Brothers movie starring Jim Carrey. The June film, Me, Myself and Irene, about a schizophrenic state trooper whose numerous personalities fall in love with a prisoner he's transporting from Providence to Vermont, is typically zany Farrelly. The song, off his recent disc Translucent Soul (Philo), is featured in the movie's intro and reprised later. "It's more money than any folksinger should ever see. It's, like, a house," Ellis says, describing the soundtrack slot as his first commercial attempt to stick his head above water. "I've been working my ass off for seven years and this is the first non-grassroots thing that's happened to me."

Lucky? "Luck is when opportunity meets preparation," he says, sounding like a sage. "I think I've put myself in the right place for something like this to happen . . . But, yeah, it's lucky."

These days, Paul finds himself at a career crossroads. He plans on releasing a live album in March to follow up his acclaimed Translucent Soul. With that release, his contract with Rounder expires. Whether he'll renew remains to be seen. "I feel like I should shoot for something more commercial, but Rounder's been pretty good to me. They run their label the smart way, but it's not exactly a risk-taking venture. That's why they've been around for so long. They put in a little money and the artist does the work."

Paul does much of that work around the Boston area. "I could literally make a living playing within the 495 loop," he says. "Commercial radio and college radio have been really good to me, so I'd say there are a good 60- to 70,000 people who know me now. I'd love for that to grow into a national thing."

Slowly but surely, Paul is getting his wish. He was the only American performer filmed in Billy Bragg's BBC/PBS documentary on the "Woody Guthrie Legacy" and the only artist asked to play all three nights at the Woody Guthrie Free Folk Festival in Guthrie's hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma. Word is definitely getting out.

One of the reason why Paul's been able to make a name for himself has to do with the breeding ground of success Boston's been for himself and others. "I owe everything to Boston," he admits. "You need the competition around you to excel. You have to surround yourself with the right people and learn the trade."

Paul did a great deal of learning at the hands of his local favorites, Patty Larkin and Bill Morrissey. "They taught me how to hold a crowd and entertain. They taught me how to be funny and pointed in your stage patter, and, best of all, they write songs that transport you. When you see great folk performers, it's like watching a movie in a place that's different from where you're sitting. They craft songs, paint scenes, and bring you places."

For Paul, the best way to learn to sing and tell stories is to tour, and that includes thinking time during the long car rides between gigs. "If something hits me when I'm traveling, I'll bring it up that night, so it sounds fresh. The bad thing is when you do the exact same story. You can keep it spontaneous when you're playing to new people, but when you've been around as much as I have you've got to be careful what stories you use more than once."  

At one time, Paul played nearly 200 shows a year. Now he's down to 150 and looking to decrease that number to an ideal 125. With that many shows, what compels him to be a performer? "It used to be that the fear of failing forced me up onstage every night, which made it difficult. Now there's no fear involved. Now it's like I'm cooking dinner for my friends and I'm a pretty good cook and they're all gonna have to eat up what I serve 'em!"

Ellis Paul plays at Stone Soup (in the Undercroft of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 15 Hayes Street, Providence) on Saturday, January 15 at 8 p.m. Admission is $10. Special guests will be longtime local favorites Chris and Meredith Thompson.