It’s not often that an artist cuts a record solely for the good of humanity, but by golly, that’s just the case with Paul Thorn’s latest, Are You With Me? (BackPorch).  

That might’ve been a joke, but if you know Paul Thorn or his music, you know there’s at least a grain of truth in all his funny story songs, if not complete truth about a serious subject merely told in a funny way. But on Are You With Me? , Thorn gets serious.

“The reason I did an album of relationship songs is that I hear a lot of love songs that give advice that is really stupid,” says the 40-year-old father of two. “I want to say things about love that are useful ! I’d never call any names -- but these so-called masculine singers…they’re singing stuff that’s gonna get people killed! ”

Okay, so maybe he’s not completely serious.

From his critically acclaimed debut Hammer and Nail in 1997, to 2000’s Ain’t Love Strange , up through his last, Mission Temple Fireworks Stand , Thorn is known for offering up wise and witty story songs firmly entrenched in the roots rock genre. Are You With Me? , however, produced by Thorn and his longtime mentor/writing partner Billy Maddox, is more adult -- softer, jazzier. More refined . But don’t think it’s stuffy or staid. It is still, after all, Paul Thorn.

From the beautiful ballad, “If You Can’t Love Me Forever,” about former lovers offering themselves one more time even though the aftermath will bring agony, to “Love Will Find You,” which says you’ve got to let go of the old to find the new, Thorn does indeed show us that serious, wise side. Of course, there are also numbers imbued with that hallmark humor, like “She Won’t Cheat On Us,” about two men who discover they’re seeing the same woman, and “That’s a Lie,” about someone who tries to befriend you while he’s chasing your lover. Thorn is most effective, though -- and a bit surprising -- in the exquisite straight-up pain of “Almost What You Need.”

With the new subject matter and the new sound, which includes a palpably sensuous nuance, achieved, quips Thorn, by “a new ‘sexy’ button in the studio,” Thorn is adding a whole new audience to his legion of fans. He toured with Huey Lewis this summer, finding great favor with Lewis’s 30- and 40-something fans, and revealing more of himself to long-term devotees.]]> 2004-12-15T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233854 Artists, Camp, Shawn, Keen, Robert Earl, Lambert, Miranda, Ritter, Josh, Smith, Mindy, Thorn, Paul, Van Zandt, J.T., Warden, Monte, Musical Styles, Country, Dance  

The 2nd Annual Austin City Limits Music Festival was bigger and better in every way: more music, more stages, greater attendance - even one more day. The event, produced by Capital Sports & Entertainment, was held September 19-21 across 15 acres in Zilker Park, and drew nearly 150,000 music fans total during the long weekend.

BMI sponsored a Singer/Songwriter stage which featured Pauline Reese, Shawn Camp, Robert Earl Keen, J.T. Van Zandt, Alexi Murdoch, Corn Mo, Jeff Klein, Justin King, Mason Jennings, Bruce Robison, Josh Ritter, Monte Warden, Paul Thorn, Kaki King, Tim Easton, Mindy Smith and Miranda Lambert.

The ACL Festival focuses on alternative country and roots music and presented more than 130 bands on eight stages over three days. The Festival takes its name from the award-winning PBS series that has been showcasing live music for almost 30 years. This year's title sponsor was communications giant SBC; stage sponsors in addition to BMI were HEB, Heineken, Cingular Wireless, Austin Ventures LP, Jackson Walker LLP, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Blackstone Winery.

Sunset at the festival

Robert Earl Keen

Miranda Lambert

Other BMI artists performing throughout the three-day music fest are Pat Green, REM, Lucinda Williams, The Gourds, Al Green, Bright Eyes, Patrice Pike, Spoon, Steve Winwood, Yo La Tengo, Tift Merritt, Rosanne Cash and Dwight Yoakam.

Mason Jennings

Corn Mo

Justin King

The ACL Festival focuses on alternative country and roots music and will present more than 130 bands on eight stages over three days. The Festival takes its name from the award-winning PBS series that has been showcasing live music for almost 30 years. Produced by Capital Sports & Entertainment, this year's title sponsor is communications giant SBC; other stage sponsors include HEB, Heineken, Cingular Wireless, Austin Ventures LP, Jackson Walker LLP, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Blackstone Winery.

Pauline Reese

Kaki King

Mindy Smith

BMI Singer/Songwriter Stage Schedule:

Friday, September 19
1:45 - 2:30 Pauline Reese
3:00 - 3:45 Shawn Camp
4:15 - 5:00 Robert Earl Keen
5:30 - 6:15 J.T. Van Zandt
6:45 - 7:30 Alexi Murdoch

Saturday, September 20
12:30 - 1:15 Corn Mo
1:45 - 2:30 Jeff Klein
3:00 - 3:45 Justin King
4:15 - 5:00 Mason Jennings
5:30 - 6:15 Bruce Robison
6:45 - 7:30 Josh Ritter

Sunday, September 21
12:30 - 1:15 Monte Warden
1:45 - 2:30 Paul Thorn
3:00 - 3:45 Kaki King
4:15 - 5:00 Tim Easton
5:30 - 6:15 Mindy Smith
6:45 - 7:30 Miranda Lambert]]> 2003-09-16T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233067 Artists, Taylor, Chip, Thorn, Paul, Musical Styles, Country The second Americana Music Association Conference, held November 1-3 in Nashville, brought together a knockout triple-bill of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Chip Taylor and Paul Thorn for an opening night reception and concert hosted by BMI. Among the highlights at the Belcourt Theatre were presentations to Taylor from BMI (a six Million-Air certificate for "Angel Of The Morning") and from EMI Music Publishing (a plaque for 10 million units of Shaggy's Hotshot album featuring the smash single "Angel").

BMI's David Preston, EMI Music's Bruce Burch and Chip Taylor

A few days later as the AMA Conference segued into Country Music Week, Welch and Rawlings celebrated the Album of the Year win of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, on which they performed.

BMI's David Preston, Chip Taylor, EMI Music's Gary Overton and Bruce Burch, and Americana Music Association's JD May

BMI's David Preston, David Rawlings, Gillian Welch and BMI's Paul Corbin

Chip Taylor, Paul Thorn and BMI's David Preston

photos by Alan Mayor