aaamusic | On 25, Apr 2018

Who are you and where are you from?

Paul McDonald. I’m a singer/songwriter from Huntsville, AL but splitting time from East Nashville, Tennessee and Los Angeles, CA.

What inspired you to get into music?

My parents raised me on great singer songwriters. Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Jackson Browne, etc so I know that they were a big inspiration.

What have you done? 

I’ve toured and made records for the past 10 years and have got to travel the word, meet some amazing people, and experience some amazing things through my music. I know that music has the ability to help and inspire. That’s the reason I keep making it.

What are you like live?

It all depends on the gig. The band shows tend to be a real fun time. Big band and a lot of moving around and crowd interaction. I also play solo shows as well and those tend to be a bit more storytellers vibe. Over the years I’ve shared the stage with a bunch of great artists. Stevie Wonder, Zac Brown, Father John Misty, Emmylou Harris to name a few. The last proper solo tour I did as support was with Hanson. We did most of the US and a few dates in Jamaica.

What makes you different?

It’s honest and real. I make music because I have to. It’s how I’ve always expressed myself.

Physical vs Downloading vs Streaming…How do you listen to music?

In all honesty, I listen to most music via streaming because it’s always right in front of me, but I do love vinyl records. I’ve got a pretty hefty collection at home.

What have you been listening to?

The new albums/ music from Kacey Musgraves, Bahamas, Ethan Gruska, Father John Misty, Phoebe Bridgers, Nathaniel Ratelieff & The Night Sweats, and Leon Bridges are a few that I’ve been listening to lately.

What are your aspirations for the future?

The plan is to release the album this summer and ideally I’d like to be touring most of the year and start doing more shows overseas as well. Fingers crossed people will relate to this album and it will find it’s way with all the music that’s getting put out right now. The goal is to keep moving forward and be financially able to keep creating more art. Even though I’ve been in bands for almost a decade, the solo project is brand new, so really i’m just excited to see where this new music takes me.

Questions answered by: Paul McDonald…