This will not come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, but I am a giant dork. I actually find textbooks interesting, I listen to educational podcasts for fun, and I willingly read in French and Spanish to keep my skills up. When it comes to music, I am no different. I may not play an instrument, but I love learning about how and why music is made, the science behind music, and the people who make music. Thanks to this, and an ethnomusicology class I took last year, I have a ton of fun facts and random knowledge floating around in my head. When I first listened to Paul Cauthen, this nerdy part of me wanted to jump up and down. He has a beautiful bel canto voice, which (fun fact) is a style of singing commonly used in música norteña of south Texas and north Mexico. When I talked to him last week, it took everything in me to not just blurt that out. I’m openly a nerd, but sometimes I try to play it a little bit cool. (Credit: Sierra Brown) Beyond my geeky enjoyment of the technical aspects of his music, I really enjoy it simply as a fan. My Gospel, his album, is easily one of my favorites of all time. Paul combines intricate lyrical storytelling with rich instrumentals and put out a really solid country album. It’s the kind of music that belongs in a car, going way too fast down a backroad. (Personally, I like listening to it on 165 between Henley and Blanco. It goes really well with the sweeping views of the hill country!) (Credit: Sierra Brown) I’ve now seen Paul live 3 times. The first 2 times were in Dallas, and both were incredible. This time, I got to see and interview him in New Braunfels. Every time I see him, I get a slightly different show. He rotates through several very talented musicians for his band, which brings a personal touch to each show. He also does variations on harmonies when he performs songs off his album, which keeps me on my toes even when listening to songs I’ve heard a million times. This may be me being a dork again, but I think it’s so cool how I get to see so many different sides to the same songs. He doesn’t just play his own oldies though, he also plays new tunes and covers. Between songs, he weaves in funny commentary and neat little tidbits, like a poem about east Texas and the fantastic one-liner “I break strings like Tupac broke the law!” (Credit: Sierra Brown) As fun as Paul is on stage, he’s even more fun when he’s not performing. He’s also a lot taller in person. I can tell he has some height when he’s on stage, but I was still caught off guard when I walked up to him and had to look up. He’s a huge goofball and brings the party wherever he goes. I had a great time talking with him before the show. Listen to the interview below to get a little taste! [audio m4a="http://kanm.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Paul-Cauthen.m4a"][/audio] Keep up with Paul on social media! And, in his words, “Let’s party, alright, come on!” Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cauthenmusic/ Instagram: @paulcauthen Twitter: @cauthenmusic Article and photos by Sierra Brown.