It all started back when...

My father, Don, was a bass player/singer back in the service (Air Force) several years before I was born and he continued to play in bands until I was 'hatched' and a few years after. My mother, Karen, and her girlfriends used to follow Don and his bands. They loved music and I'm sure that is where my love of music spawned.

The family jokes that I played my first gig, on stage, with my father when I was 3 years old. Of course, my guitar was in the shape of a teddy bear, it was acoustic, and I certainly wasn't plugged in.

Later, my father bought me my first 'real' guitar (an Ovation acoustic/electric) when I was 9, and taught me my first chords.

While I always played around on the guitar, I never got too serious about it. That was until I was in 7th grade and saw a friend of mines' Uncle who was a drummer in a high school rock band. Once I saw him play, and saw that when he got off stage - he was talking to the prettiest girls - that was it, I wanted to be a drummer.

I asked my parents for a drum set as my buddy would start playing guitar and we would find others to start a band. Well, that was abruptly shut down...The parents weren't interested in me beating on the drums and giving everyone headaches. It looked like my music career was over before it started.

In the middle of 8th grade, we moved from a suburb of Minneapolis, MN (New Hope), to a farm even farther from the cities (Buffalo, MN). This is where I stumbled across my Fathers bass guitar and bass amp.

I knew this was my only chance at getting in a band, so I began playing endlessly and practicing daily (self-taught with a little help from my Dad) until I started my first band, Sweet Revenge, with some friends from back in New Hope MN.

Pauls Band Timeline...

Sweet Revenge played its first gig at Buffalo High School, where I was going to school at the time. I sang lead and played bass. We did mostly 80's covers such as Ratt, Van Halen, Motley Crue and the likes.

I suddenly was the cool guy in school and I was hooked on this rock n roll thing.

Later I got into another band and we called ourselves Sno-Wite. This band was playing in clubs (well before I was legal to be in the clubs) and the world just got bigger as I was quick to leave the confines of Buffalo, MN.

Sno-Wite traveled as well as played local clubs and was quite well received by places like Madison WI, Omaha NE to name just a couple. I was the bass player, while I still sang a couple covers per set.

A couple of years later, I got the chance to join one of the biggest cover bands in MN. A band called Straight Lace. The audience they drew was 2 to 3 times the crowd that Sno-Wite was drawing and was a great opportunity.

Straight Lace was a lot like a Guns N Roses-type band. We had the look and attitude of that band and we played songs from GnR and AC/DC as well as bands like the Sex Pistols, Skid Row, etc.

This band went through a change at singer after several years and we actually became a original band named DogHouse, fronted by ex-Cacophony singer, Peter Marino. We were still a great draw considering most in the MN area weren't real interested in original songs. But, we'd throw in a AC/DC song here and there to keep the people happy.

This band went to San Francisco CA to get a record contract and make it big. But, as with many band at that time, it wasn't meant to be. After about 6 months of living in CA, DogHouse disbanded.

Back to MN I went and got a call from an original band fronted by Tracy Silverman, who also played the electric violin and plugged that into a Marshall stack! This band GUTBUCKET was like no other. All of our music was off-time (not in 4/4) and we were a three-piece. Tracy singing and playing violin, Dave (the drummer) was playing his crazy drum set, and I played bass that was distorted to better mimic an electric guitar with only 4-strings and effects such as wa-wa peddles.

GutBucket released a couple recordings and while it was never our intention to 'make it', we were well received as we made our own mark in experimental music.

Meanwhile, I was also in another band called Sad Acid Scene. This was more of a traditional metal band but we still used some odd time structures and whatnot. This filled the gap of places the experimental project, GutBucket, couldn't go.

Yes, I was in one more band at the same time. Sort of a world beat band called Fable. This 6-piece unit, which included percussion and a Cello, was a departure for me, but I was so into experimenting and seeing where music could take me.

Fable was short lived, but had an original recording out that I am quite proud of even today.

Could this be the end?...

At this point, I decided to hang it up and go down the road of becoming a graphic designer and start my own business, Imagine Images Design Studios. While I was still very much 'into' music, I was a little tired of struggling financially had married my longtime girlfriend, Kristi, and we had plans of buying a house and continuing our life together.

I went to college for a couple years to study graphic design, I started my business, I taught graphic design at the college I had graduated, and was working for various businesses on a contract level.

Once my client base was large enough, and I was able to work from home on a daily basis, Kristi and I decided we could live anywhere in the world we wanted to, and chose Chandler, Arizona.

Once we had settled in the valley of the sun, I felt the itch to play music again. It actually happened at a golf league event. After playing a round of golf, all my golf buddies were sitting outside on a beautiful AZ night, and my golf buddy, Nate, brought out his acoustic guitar. My wife said "Did you know Paul plays guitar?", and Nate handed me his axe.

I played guitar for the golf folks for what seemed like hours and enjoyed making everyone smile and sing-along so much that I decided I could no longer withhold my talents from the masses. ;)

I looked around to try to get into bands, this time as a singer/guitarist. I finally found one that I thought might work. This unnamed project Peter'd out, but this is where I met my buddy, Jeremy. We left that outfit and struck out on our own to form The PJ's - an acoustic two-piece that is about the celebration of music and positive, creative people.

UPDATE: In October of '09, Paul and Jeremy split to work on new musical endeavors, but remain friends and will still jam from time to time.

My life as a musician...

I have met some great people in music, and I have met some shitty people in music. I've played with thousands of bands such as Accept, Kix, Warrant, Jackyl, Ace Frehley, etc. Played thousands of gigs in thousands of cities. I wouldn't go back and change a thing as I had the most wonderful, awful, fun, scary, great time with all of the people and places. I really experienced life, which I believe is meant to be all those things and more!

I have been so fortunate to have the support of my family: my Father Don, my Mother Karen, and my wife Kristi. They have always backed me 100% in whatever I do and their support continues today - of which I am eternally grateful.

Now, don't think this life is over for me. In fact, it's just beginning with whatever life brings from here on out. My hope is to meet even more of the great people in this world and to continue spreading my joy of music.

Rock on and Peace out!