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Hometown: Chico, CA
Label: Vagabond Records
Management: paulsprawl
Website: www.paulsprawl.com
Sounds Like: Rainer Werner Fassbinderr, Mike Davis, Jean-Luc Godard, Jim Jarmusch, Art Ensemble of Chicago
Genre: Singer Songwriter
Paul Sprawl quit his day job in Sept. 1997 and got a record deal in 1999. He plays all over North America and several countries in Europe. He's made 13 full-length recordings of his own songs (so far), the first on a German label and the rest on his own. He's also produced three full-length cds for other artists. Born and raised in California, he and his dancer/choreographer wife built an off-grid refuge for artists near Big Bend National Park in the Chihuahuan Desert. In 2023 they sold it, moved overseas, now they're back touring the US again, playing a list of shows being booked now.
He's been playing guitar, singing and writing songs since he was a boy. His music uniquely combines percussive guitar techniques with bottleneck, tapping, harmonica and a baritone voice.
Whether documentaries of real world characters met traveling, flights of guitar fascination, or cinematic visions with visual detail, Paul Sprawl's songs come from a life long creative process reaching far, wide, and deep. His sensibility is that of a world traveler and a kid schooled in music and film in Southern California in the 60's and 70's. The scope of his songwriting delivers us from the everyday; breaking through barriers with complex, intricate sound, linking humanity with his thoughtfully crafted lyrics. He gives voice to the outsiders of the world and captures full, intimate moments reminding us with his poetic (yet incisive) style that we are connected through truth and beauty.
“...I attended the show and stayed until closing time. Several other musicians showed up, and we would occasionally look at each other and shake our heads in disbelief. It’s really hard to believe one man can make so much music.
Paul’s style is hard to describe- Imagine the technical mastery of Michael Hedges and the soulful wailing of John Hammond Junior… or just go see him.”
Pat O'Bryan - Terlingua Music
“Paul Sprawl walked into an open mic I was hosting in Black Mountain, NC about 10 years ago and after playing 3 songs proceeded to sell every person in the room a cd.
This guy is a prodigy. One of the best I've seen. There are no loops, no backing tracks, just Paul Sprawl using his voice, his hands, a guitar, a slide and a harmonica. And he's a road warrior too. In fact, he was living out of his van when I met him.”
Ed Anderson - Bloomington Rock School Facebook Page
“His vocal delivery had me leaning forward. His guitar accompaniment combining slide, picking, strumming and percussion simultaneously had the small audience slack-jawed...
Wildfires like Paul need but a slight breeze to spread. Local musicians take note. Music fans, have a listen. No need to step up your game. This ain’t no contest. This is American literature.”
Tom Ryan - Crossroads Currents
“Gorgeously laid out melodies and floating solo lines...”
Westward Blogs
“I don't make this distinction often, but I have encountered what appears to be the "BEST" guitarist I've ever seen. Paul Sprawl uses open tunings and percussive playing to present an entirely unique style”
Raffi Wartanian - Raffi's Blog
“One spectator who drove all the way from Brownsville, commented on his performance, "That was unique in the way that he thumped away at the body of his guitar to produce his own rhythm section."”
Charlie Hunter - The Siskiyou
“...the guy who turned del Bueno on to the biodiesel movement is Paul Sprawl, the winner of last year's Eddie's Attic Open-Mic Shootout. Sprawl, a blues/folk musician from California, won a thousand bucks cash and two days of free recording at Zero Return Studios.
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Michael Wall - Creative Loafing Oct. 3, 2003
"Paul Sprawl's approach to guitar is beyond musicianship, it is performance art. His hands dance across the guitar with abandonment, from body to neck, drawing out rhythms and beats that fuse with mesmerizing harmonies. There is no one else like Paul."
Tim Piazza - Indiana House Concert Presenter
