Paul Cauthen may not be a household name in various parts of the country, but don’t let that fool you. Cauthen first found success in the form of Americana band ‘Sons of Fathers,’ even having two albums land in the Top 10 Americana charts before taking the leap as a solo artist where in 2016 he released debut album, ‘My Gospel,’ and since then has been touring the country with some of the hottest artists outside of Music Row. In between nights touring with Margo Price, Paul found himself headlining the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den where New England Country Music got an exclusive look into the performers lifestyle, influences, and new music.
“I was raised in the church and gospel music was my first influence. Then I moved into Cash and Elvis, a lot of classical music. My granddad exposed me to really good music, my dad did too, he exposed me to the 70’s rock. I just remember my granddad singing Rodger Miller, ‘Dang Me.’ My grandmother and I would sing old folk songs and that’s how I learned to sing harmony. Just having a keen ear for music since I was little, at least knowing how to sing” First timers at his concerts are often blown away, how had they not heard of him before? That keen ear for music translated quickly into a budding talent. “I’ve been performing in front of family and friends since I was 7-8 years old, jokes and stories, that sort of thing. That’s also when I first picked up the guitar”
There’s no denying the strong presence that folk and outlaw ties have in new music coming out today, most notably what Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson have done in the past few years, but the new wave that is starting to emerge is taking and running with it, creating something that has outsiders to mainstream radio excited for the first time since hearing the songs of the hero’s from decades past. Cody Jinks, Whitey Morgan, Tyler Childers, Margo Price, Colter Wall, Sunny Sweeney, Ward Davis, and Cauthen are breaking through what was once thought only mainstream artists could accomplish, and filling halls and festival grounds across the country. “People are starting to come around to music that people actually write from their heart, rather than what is coming off of Music Row.” explained Cauthen. “Outlaw was created when Willie Nelson moved back to Austin, Merle and Waylon left Nashville, that’s where outlaw began, it’s the rebellion against the normal mainstream country. All those guys you mentioned write good songs and aren’t conformed in a box in Nashville. It’s like the wild west, we chose this way rather than the paved road.”
As far as Cauthen is concerned though, he and his peers don’t hold a candle to what was done decades before them by the legends of the 60’s and 70’s. “Songs nowadays just aren’t as good in my opinion. We’re all pretty good but we’re following footsteps from guys that were here before us. Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Willie, you’re not ever gonna top them. We were talking earlier about Jordan, about Tiger Woods, they are the rock stars, everybody will be compared to them, they were groundbreaking. It’s up to us to write songs that are honest, real, and meaningful.”
“I just helped finish up Cody Jink’s latest record, I wrote a couple of songs on it and kind of produced some of the background harmonies. He’s such a solid dude, one of the best in the business as far as being a real human being. He’s been down the road, worked hard for where he’s at. He first called me because he genuinely liked my record, we started talking on the phone about records, about my songs, and he just loved them. To be honest I wasn’t even sure of who he was, I’ve been in my own bubble the past decade, I don’t have time to listen to music so I instantly became a fan.” As well as helping wrap up Cody’s highly anticipated record, titled ‘Lifers,’ Paul has been on a tear of his own in the recording studio. When asked what to expect, Paul told us, “It’s not about genre, it’s about what my music sounds like. I just left Cowboy Jack Clement’s studio, The Sound Emporium in Nashville last week, and I am gonna be releasing a couple of albums in the next year, an EP in May/June which is going to be 6 songs, and in February of 2019 I’ll be releasing another full length record.”
“You know, Ricky Martin, Livin’ la Vida Loca, kind of like that with a Waylon Jennings vibe.” After a round of laughter, “Actually it’s gonna be called ‘Have Mercy,’ my EP. Six songs on it, and they’re all a bunch of burners. A lot of high energy, an Elvis, 70’s, Memphis kind of vibe in some of it, and it’s all cool. ‘My Cadillac’ is a song I really can’t wait for you all to hear. It’s just bad ass, good vibe all over. I really enjoy the musicianship, it’s gonna come in hot. This year I’ll be working on some duets too, one with Margo Price, it’ll be cool putting out some music, it’s about time.”