'Performers who forgo the full band and opt to create that fullness themselves through looping run the risk of sounding gimmicky, or having songs sound too samey-samey, but not Paul Woida'
Performers who forgo the full band and opt to create that fullness themselves through looping
run the risk of sounding gimmicky, or having songs sound too samey-samey, but not Paul
Woida. He flows from guitar, to keyboards, to percussion, to beat boxing with his mouth, to
layers of vocals like a virtuoso, and the effect is nothing short of fantastic. What makes it so
great is that he has the vocal ability and the musicianship to pull together, on the spot, something quality, whether performing his well-crafted originals or a bang-on covers like his beautiful, Jeff Buckley styled cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. His musical training shines through (he has diplomas for both composition and drum set from MacEwan University), but also the heart of a true songwriter and performer. He reveals over the course of the evening that 1) he is just getting
over being sick, and 2) some of these are very new songs, terribly under rehearsed, but,
apparently by the seat of his pants, he still pulls off a great show.
Paul Woida is on stage tonight planting seeds in the ears and hearts of his audience. Planting
Adam Levine-esque hooks with the infectious Robin Hood or Not Yours, probably the mostly
likely tunes to be hummed on the drive home. Planting hauntingly beautiful and moving personal songs, like Scars or My Life, (mostly likely to have left an imprint on your soul). And then there is the drum solo. A neon drum solo. In the dark. Yes it happened, and yes it was wonderful! Toward the end of the night, he is joined on stage by opener, Ainsley Elisa, for a lovely duet, Break My Heart.
He makes tonight feel like he is addressing us from his living room. Fittingly, his family is in the audience, and he receives a little heckling from his brother in very good humour. It has been a truly memorable evening of music from an artist who surely has big things ahead, and we reward him with a standing ovation.
Stay tuned for more from Paul Woida: he is working on a new EP to be released within the next year. His current EP, Not Yours, is available on iTunes.