If you haven’t heard of my buddy Brian E. Paulson, let me introduce you. Brian is one the most cosmically-aligned musicians I’ve ever heard, and THE best keys man I know personally. That would be enough, right, except he’s also a multi-instrumentalist familiar with a wide array of ethnic world instruments (and instruments he creates himself), which he uses to compliment his keyboard mastery in a dazzling display of virtuosity and prodigious output. The man releases fresh music the way you and I keep breathing… and I mean that quite literally, as the tranquil and harmonic textures of his music (which he calls Bio-sonic music) are designed specifically to be an aid in relaxation, reflection, and other inward journeys.
His latest release, an extended 27-minute excursion into bliss entitled Layers, is available on CD Baby for less than 3 bucks. Here’s a taste:
But this isn’t your typical drone-zone ambient stuff (which I confess to also listening to at night when I crash). Brian’s Bio-sonics, while “new-age” in a broad sense, is infused with a grounded yet dynamic, worldly and harmonically rich jazz underpinning that should appeal to anyone who appreciates awesome displays of chops and compositional prowess in their music. Think Yes in their heyday when Wakeman came on board and launched them to the moon — Paulson is that good. Brian’s head is firmly rooted in solid musicality, but his heart is found orbiting the stars, and he invites us to tag along for the ride.
And I might add that the man has a wickedly twisted sense of humor when he isn’t busy cranking out ethereal masterpieces, and has a talent for the digital visual arts, as well. And as keyboardist for Indy’s most deeply underground avant-garde band, Large Damaging Hail, Brian (along with guitarist Bob Stoner and crazed bohemian vocalist Allen Deck) exercises his more abstract side, creating improvised music so angular it can shave the hair off your ears.
Paulson’s probably as close to a renaissance man as I know personally, and some of my most outrageously fun jams have been with the guy. It’s been too long since we did that.
Click HERE to learn more about my buddy Brian E Paulson, check out his numerous releases, and BUY SOME!
Anybody that is in a band called Large Damaging Hail is OK by me, sound unheard. But I just downloaded the album, based on the clip.