July 7, 2010: Folk singer-songwriter Ellis Paul

IN THE EARLY 1990, ELLIS

PAUL WAS AMONG A GROUP OF

SINGER-SONGWRITERS IN

BOSTON WHO CHANGED THE

FOLK MUSIC.

THIS WEEK HE HAS RETURNED

TO THE AREA TO CELEBRATE

THE 20th ANNIVERSARY

WITH A SERIES OF CONCERTS

AT A CLUB.

JAR BEAU HAS MORE.

JARED BOWEN HAS MORE.

>> ELLIS PAUL KNOWS HE WAS

MADE FOR PLAYING MUSIC.

>> THE PLAYING OF THE

GUITAR, AND ALL OF THE

STRINGS -- IT IS LIKE

WEAVING AND POTTERY.

ßßß

>> THIS MARKS THE 20th

ANNIVERSARY OF PAUL'S

START IN MUSIC, WHEN HE

WAS BORN TO BOSTON'S FOLK

SCENE.

HE CELEBRATES THIS WEEK

WITH A SERIES OF SHOWS IN

CLUB HASINE IN HARBOR

SQUARE.

HE'LL PLAY ALL OF HIS

ADULT RECORDS IN

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.

HAVE YOU DONE THIS BEFORE?

>> NO.

AND HALF OF THEM I HAVEN'T

PLAYED IN YEARS.

IT'S GOING TO BE A

LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR

ME.

>> BY MANY ACCOUNTS, PAUL

WAS IN DEAN IN WHAT WAS

DUBBED THE BOSTON SCHOOL

OF SONGWRITING, A MORE

URBAN TYPE OF SONGWRITING

THAT POURED THROUGH IN THE

1990s.

>> THE BOSTON SONGWRITER

IS A LITTLE TOO HEADY FOR

POP MUSIC, AND A LITTLE

TOO SERIOUS FOR LIGHTER

FAIR COUNTRY MUSIC, THAT

KIND OF THING.

ß ON THE FLOOR OF A

TRAILER AT NIGHT ß

ß SHE'S WAITING ON FATE

TONIGHT ß

ßßß

>> PAUL EMERGED JUST AS

ANOTHER NOW FAMOUS FOLK

SINGERS DID, TRACY

CHAPMAN, AND MARTIN

SEXTON.

>> AND IT WAS A BETTER

SHOW THAN THE NATIONAL

HEADLINERS THAT WERE

COMING IN BECAUSE PEOPLE

WERE PLAYING THEIR BEST

MATERIAL AND THEY WERE

YOUNG AND EAGER AND FRESH.

AND EVERYONE WAS SETTING

OFF FIREWORKS WITH THEIR

LITTLE THREE, FOUR MINUTES

ON STAGE.

>> TODAY PAUL TOURS

EXTENSIVELY.

AND IS A FAVORITE OF THE

FILM MAKING FERRALY

BROTHERS.

>> WRITING A SONG IS AN

O.C.D. THING.

YOU ENTER THIS LOOP AND

FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS,

THAT'S ALMOST ALL YOU'RE

DOING.

>> WHEN WE SPOKE, THE OIL

WASHING UP ON THE GULF

COAST WAS HEAVY ON HIS

MIND.

SEED FOR A SONG.

>> IF I WANTED TO WORK ON

A SONG ABOUT OIL, IT

WOULDN'T BE PRETTY.

IT WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A

LITTLE BIT OF -- IT WOULD

HAVE TO HAVE...ßßß

>> IT HAS TO BE EARTHY

SOUNDING, AND THAT WOULD

DICTATE WHAT THE FLAVOR OF

THE GUITAR WAS.

>> IN MANY RESPECTS, THIS

IS AN END FOR ELLIS PAUL.

AFTER THIS WEEKEND'S

SHOWS, HE SAYS HE IS ONLY

LOOKING FORWARD, MAKING

SURE THE SECOND HALF OF

HIS LIFE IS, ARTISTICALLY

SPEAKING, THE BETTER HALF.

>> Rooney: AND JARED

BOWEN IS HERE.

I'M FAMILIAR WITH HIM.

HE IS ONE OF THESE GUYS

WHO GREW UP AROUND HERE,

BUT MADE HIS WAY UP

THROUGH THE CLUBS.

>> HE HAS A REALLY

INTERESTING STORY.

HE GREW UP IN MAINE AND

CAME HERE TO BOSTON ON A

TRACK SCHOLARSHIP AT B.C.

AND GOT A KNEE INJURY AND

THAT'S WHEN HE PICKED UP

THE GUITAR.

MOST KNEW IT FROM THE

GET-GO, BUT HE STARTED

MUCH LATER.

>> Rooney: FABULOUS

VOICE.

>> INCREDIBLE VOICE.

I COULDN'T STOP LISTENING

TO HIS MUSIC WHEN I WAS

PUTTING THE PIECE

TOGETHER.

I WENT TO EMERSON, AND I

WAS INVOLVED IN WERS,

WHERE THEY HAD A COFFEE

HOUSE, AND I WAS THERE IN

THE '90s, AND HE WAS A

HUGE PRESENCE.

I CAN REMEMBER THE FOLK

SCENE, AND TRACY CHAPMAN

WAS A LITTLE BEFORE ME,

AND I CAN REMEMBER ALL OF

THESE PEOPLE COMING

THROUGH, AND THERE WAS ALL

THIS BUZZ AND ENERGY.

AND ALL OF THESE PEOPLE

HAVE GONE WAY, WAY UP, OR

THEY'RE LIKE ELLIS PAUL

AND LIKE INSTITUTIONS

TRAVELLING ALL ACROSS THE

COUNTRY.

>> Rooney: THIS IS

INTERESTING, WHERE HE IS

GOING TO GO BACK AND PLAY

ALL OF HIS SONGS.

HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO

TAKE HIM TO DO THAT?

>> HE IS GOING TO DO IT IN

FOUR CONCERTS.

HE IS DOING ALL OF HIS

SONGS IN CHRONOLOGICAL

ORDER.

ALL OF HIS SHOWS ARE

NEARLY SOLD OUT.

EllisPaul.com.

>> Rooney: WHAT ELSE DID

HE TELL YOU ABOUT WRITING.

>> HE SAID HE GOES INTO

THAT SPIN WHERE HE IS

THINKING NON-STOP.

HE REALLY TRIES TO FIND

THE SMALL CHARACTERS,

CREATE THE SMALL

CHARACTERS, AND THAT'S HOW

HE TURNS IT INTO A LARGER

STORY.

AND HE SHARES THE SENSE OF

WOODY GUTHRY, AND HE HAS

HIS NAME TATTOOED ON HIS

ARM, AND HE SPENT A LOT OF

TIME PERFORMING WITH HIM

AND KNOWS THE FAMILY WELL,

AND HE CREATES THESE SMALL

STORIES AND BROADENING

THEM OUT INTO THESE -- NOT

POLITICAL STATEMENTS, BUT

AWARENESS.

>> Rooney: HE IS A

LITTLE YOUNG TO BE ON THE

RETIREMENT TRACK.

>> OH, THAT'S NOT IT.

PETE SEAGER IS STILL GOING

IN HIS 90s, AND HE IS

JUST SAYING THAT IS IT FOR

NOW AND I CAN MOVE

FORWARD.

>> Rooney: THAT'S IT FOR

"GREATER BOSTON."

TOMORROW, MY GUEST IS

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER

PHILLIP MARTIN WHO

DISCOVERED SOME NEW

ENGLAND SALONS ARE COVERS

FOR HUMAN SEX TRAFFICLY.

AND FOLLOWED BY CALLIE

CROSSLEY AT 1:00.

AND THE COUPON BILL, BUT

THERE IS PLENTY OF

OPPOSITION.

THAT IS TOMORROW AT 7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.