TC Fleming
Audio By Carbonatix
Our immediate reaction to hearing Dallas-based troubadour Paul Schalda perform songs for his debut solo album, Lately, was that the blend of country, folk and super soulful harmonies, filtered through his tender voice, made us wanted to listen to the album during a trip to Big Bend.
Originally, he wrote the guitar parts, and then composed vocal melodies later. “I wanted to release them as it was. Bedroom demos, really rugged and raw. Intimate,” he said at a listening party for the album last week.
However, he didn’t remember what he had played on the guitar, a note that elicited a few laughs from the crowd at Rollertown Beerworks. After bringing in producer Robert Ellis, he and Skin Wade, the local music impresario, longtime Dallas Mavericks media member and radio host who released Lately through Skylark Soul Co., brought the album to life.
In the Lager Hall, the singer-songwriter had a merch table set up with hoodies and vinyl LPs. He, along with his band Kevin Howard (keyboard), Becki Howard (violin/background vocals), Andrew Moss (guitar), Camille Cortinas (background vocals) and Matt Trimble (percussion), performed an acoustic set. In between songs, he explained some of the tracks on the album.
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Schalda was humbled to be playing in front of a crowd who were open to hearing Lately’s A-side. He shared some things about himself that we might not have known, such as how he sang back-up for the late soul legend Charles Bradley during a tour. He told a story about parking the tour bus outside in Paris and catching the eye of a woman. He tried to call her over because he wanted to meet her. “We spoke and we got into this wonderful relationship, and we fell madly in love,” he said, priming us for his break-up song. “Things don’t work out, and that’s life. I’m so grateful to have that thing, to feel that way.”
Schalda is a Staten Island native who moved to Dallas eight years ago. You might know him for his soul-inflected Americana, produced by Thomas Brenneck under the name Paul & The Tall Trees and Sha La Das, or for his association with other Daptone acts, such as The Budos Band. With Lately, he took a different approach to the creative process, merging New York and Texas talents including Black Pumas guitarist Adrian Quesada, drummer Rich Terrana and Preet Patel (from the Frightnrs), Brooklyn’s Victor Axelrod (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings) on keys and returning Dallas luminaries Kevin and Becki Howard.
Schalda performed “Lately,” “Anything for Your Love,” “About the Robots” and “Stargazing.”
You can stream Lately below. If you need more convincing, here’s Wade’s elevator pitch:
“Here’s why people should listen to Lately. He’s a beautiful songwriter. He has a beautiful voice. And it’s all interconnected. He doesn’t make music for a product. He writes songs because he has a feeling and he needs to get it out in the world. Our goal is to bring together this beautiful, wonderful songwriter with a great voice and create those songs so people can hear, feel and connect with them. In the modern world, we are seeking something to connect with. All Paul is seeking is to find people he can connect with these beautiful songs that he writes.”
Midlake with Paul Schalda will perform on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. at Tulips, 112 St Louis Ave., Fort Worth. Tickets are available starting at $33.71 on wl.eventim.us.
