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.

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 this new project, The PJ's, and 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!

I was raised in Watertown, Wisconsin, a typical wholesome midwestern town. I grew up on a 10 acre hobby farm just north of town.

When I was five, my parents signed me up for piano lessons with a private instructor. For five years, I learned to play the piano by listening. Reading notes didn't happen until later. Through grade school and into high school I continued my piano lessons, and added playing the trumpet, tuba, guitar, bass, organ, drums and anything else I could get my hands on.

I started playing the bass out of necessity in high school when we didn't have a bass player to complete the jazz bands. It was a great fit and I never looked back. My first bass was a used, beat-up Charvel, I think I paid $35 for it. In high school I was very fortunate to have an abundance of opportunities to play in many different types of bands learning many different styles of music. Whether in the pit orchestra, the pep band or the marching band, music was my whole life. Each summer I would attend the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point band camp (yes, one time at band camp). My senior year, I received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and a scholarship for my trumpet playing which carried me into college.

My college career playing music was short and sweet. Played in the marching and jazz bands, but I didn't fit into their mold very well. Then I had a falling out with my instructor and stopped playing trumpet entirely until recently.

I didn't start singing until a vacation in Florida. My Aunt Laurie and late Uncle Bill (RIP) had a karaoke business and they had it set up and the house for a party. After a few shots I was encouraged to try singing. Since then, no one could shut me up.

Jeremys Band Timeline...

In high school, I would hang out at my friends' houses and we each taught ourselves our respective instruments to some extent. I had begun playing keyboards in a band called 'Rubber Soul', a group where we had some originals and covers. We were heavily influenced by Frank Zappa, The Velvet Underground, John Coltrane, the Monkees and Traffic to name a few. The band was more of a fun thing to do, and once I got to college, the band kept on going without me. Today they are still playing and go by the name Youngmen Grand.

Once in college, I got together with a group of my friends in the dorms and we starting playing popular covers at the time. We were called 'The Gymps'. We practiced in my roommate's grandmother's basement and played only two shows. One for our friends in the dorm basement and one for a campus battle of the bands. The project was short-lived, but it was fun at the time.

One day I got a phone call from my mom telling me about a band in Watertown looking for a bass player. I called and got the audition within the week. I joined 'Urban Decay', a cover-oriented band with a few original songs. I remained with Urban Decay from 1995 to 1997 playing numerous bars, events and even parades.

Our drummer at the time had to leave for family reasons and the remainder of us disbanded and went on to new projects. At the same time I was playing with Urban Decay I was also filling in as a bass player in another area band called 'Cannonball', a classic rock and country band. I remained with Cannonball until they disbanded at the end of the summer in 1997. I also was part of a forming another project in Watertown called 'Rezyn8'. We played one show, a pretty great show I might add, but the drummer in that band stole the equipment and the band disbanded shortly thereafter.

In the summer of 1998, I joined up with a band out of Madison, Wisconsin called 'Finger'. We played original music with a few covers thrown in to fill up long shows. When in Finger, we shared in many fortunate opportunities including regular airplay on 94.1 JJO as well as 101.5 WIBA-FM, two popular local rock stations. We won the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands in 1998 and earned our way to a show slot on the Warped Tour 98 bill at Milwaukee County Stadium. While playing with 'Finger', we were able to share the stage with national acts including: Econoline Crush, Sofa King (members of Tesla), Badfinger, No Use For a Name, Save Ferris, MXPX, Bad Religion, Supermint, along with many other bands participating on the Warped Tour bill that year.

In September, we flew to Denver to compete in the regional portion of the Ernie Ball Battle and we placed 4th, I think. In 1999, we attended the TAXI conference (an independent musicians guild) in Los Angeles and played a show on the Sunset Strip at The Crooked Bar (basement of Coconut Teasers). We released one album and shared much local success and by the winter of 2000, Finger disbanded because I moved from Madison to Milwaukee. During the same time I was with Finger, I played for a short time with a group based out of the Fox Valley called 'The Groove Pilots', a classic rock and blues band. We performed many open jam type shows in Oshkosh and Madison. Later they found a permanent bassist as my schedule got a little too busy.

Once I moved to Milwaukee, I began playing with the original line-up of Urban Decay now renamed as 'The Buzz Toyz'. We added new songs to our setlists and picked up where we left off for the next two years. Due to the long drives, late nights and personnel changes, I left the Buzz Toyz in 2002.

During the time I was playing with the Buzz Toyz, my dad, a musician himself, decided to start up a band after a thirty-some year hiatus. He formed 45 RPM, which is still playing out many shows around Wisconsin. I have filled in as rhythm guitar, bass and vocals ever since. I have even been flown home twice since I moved to Arizona to fill in for their shows.

After long tenures playing covers, my musical tastes were driving me for something different at this point and began playing in a start-up, progressive metal project called 'A Touch of Evil'. We wrote a few complex songs in a two year period and even were fortunate to grace the stages of Milwaukee Metalfest, a two-day music fest, in the summer of 2000 which for us being the heavy metal fans we are was like a metal pilgrimage. We played with bands like Arch Enemy, Exodus, Children of Bodom, November's Doom, along with around 120 other black, death and thrash metal artists from around the world. I had a major falling out with the group in 2003 which ended my tenure in the world of heavy metal.

Naturally, it just wouldn't be me if I didn't juggle more than one project at a time. While playing with A Touch of Evil, I also played with a fantastic goth-industrial band in Milwaukee called Killingtheoldman. The music was great but due to politics beyond my control, the band sadly disbanded in 2002. The band has reorganized and is now under the name Pauvre Maltea.

In late 2002, I answered an ad for a band in Milwaukee called Cynergy 67, in which I tried out and joined. The music we performed was techno-industrial and we had lots of fun and adventures while I was with them. My stage name was XiSYS, which stands for Xtreme Inertia System. We shared the stage with Martin Atkins (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), Orgy and a multitude of other local and regional talents. For a short time, we even toured to our shows in a big blue converted school bus. Ah, the memories. Hot tubs, naked deaf groups, stranded on the freeway, and jack-o-lantern smiles. I'm just trying to think of what it would be like now to try and afford gas for that thing now. The band still remains and gained more momentum even after I had parted ways in 2004 with my cyborg counterparts. They continue to play shows all around the U.S. and Canada.

At this point, I felt as though I have played in just about every kind of band you could think of... yet, I still managed to find something completely different. In the summer of 2004, I joined a Milwaukee-based band called 'Fatamorgana' which means Mirage. The band performed music all in the Serbian language which presented a whole new type of challenge. Essentially, we were a cover band, but to me, not having heard any of these songs in my life, it was more of an original project for me. We played one show in Chicago at a large banquet hall opening for a large touring band out of Serbia. The show was fantastic and it was fun learning all about a culture that I didn't know anything about. The musicians I played with were wonderful and didn't bat an eye at having a non-Serb in their group. I left the band in the late fall of 2004 only because I was moving to Phoenix.

Within a month or so of my arrival in the valley, I joined up with an original project that was just getting off the ground. We were called 'Citizen Broadcast' and played only two shows in the valley. I had left the band because I didn't want to commit to playing with a group that had their hearts set on touring and making it big. At this point, those days are long behind me and with the knowledge that I have of the music industry, I didn't feel like selling my soul to the perils of any record company. I had become quite content on sticking with the local scene audience.

After only a few weeks, I joined a band from the valley called 'Claire's Trick', a cover band with a wide-spread network of fans and clients. After a year, the group shifted around members and our name was changed to 'Zimis', who still plays around the valley today. During my tenure, we got to share the stage with artists like 'John Waite (Bad English), Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot), Jimmy Bain (Dio), Chas West (Bonham), Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath) and the wasted dude drummer from Lenny Kravitz's band that played a few songs with us and stunk it up. From the summer of 2005 to the summer of 2007 we played in numerous venues all over the state. I had to leave the group for personal reasons.

While playing with Zimis, I was also working with two 'Elvis' projects. I performed two shows with 'Memphis Bound', a tribute to Elvis Presley and another hybrid project called 'Metal Elvis' which are both still active in the valley.

At the beginning of this year, I answered an ad to try out as a bass player for a new start-up cover band project. After the first few weeks of figuring out which members are actually in the band we had begun practicing for a good two months. I can't refer to what the name of the band was because we had never decided on one. Due to the personality conflicts which arose, the band petered so Paul and I abandoned the sinking ship. I have to say though with much enthusiasm that I'm glad it panned out as it did because now that I'm working with Paul, the PJs is a dream come true for me. It's all the stuff I loved about playing and entertaining with none of the crappy stuff normally associated with a band.

To all my former bandmates: Ryan K, Jason R, Nate L, Nick P, Jeff C, Mick, Paul A, Chris S, Tara S, Dean L, Jimmy, Chuck, Steve, Jerry, Tracy V, John V, Bob Z, Bobby B (RIP), Tom, Doug, Mary Z, Mike O, Joe K, Peter S, Laura S, Jeremiah, Niko, Marius, Chris, Jeremy, Goran, Krstan, Marko, Nikola, Steve B, Luke, Chance T, Walter, Lou B, Drew P, Bogden, Shawna, Brad Z, Steve S, Paul J, Mike W and Randy K.... thanks for everything.

My life as a musician...

Although I never signed a multi-million dollar record deal, over the years I have been fortunate to learn the street-smarts of the music life along with a diverse selection of music. Bands are like marriages; some work out and some don't. I still get along with just about everyone I've played with which is amazing considering this business is full of egos. I have been blessed by the many friends and countless musicians that I have met through playing. My parents have always nurtured by desire to play music which I am beyond grateful for. I lost my mom this past October to a three-year battle with cancer but I will continue to play knowing she'll always be watching. She will always be my biggest fan.