Paul David is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based musician with a day job. With a smile that brightens any room, Paul David works as a multi-instrumental performer and composer and can often be found sitting in a pit orchestra for local theater productions. Paul David is a communicator, healer, teacher who can move the energy of a place—bringing order where there was chaos. Working for Taher, Inc. as their Director of Employee Development by day, Paul David works out of his home studio creating music that challenges the negativity we encounter in the world and offers us a glimpse of the light. We caught up with him to discuss his music
Paul, thank you for agreeing to catch up with us. Please tell us about your background and what drew you to a career in music.
Thank you so much for this opportunity! I grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota where the Mall of America resides. My dad was a draftsman and my mother worked for the high school my sister and I attended. My dad instilled us with a strong work ethic and a drive for perfection, while my mom balanced that with an understanding that it is OK to sit back, relax and read a book. I thank her for my appetite to read.
We were a happy family who got along with each other. Our cousin’s lived on a 50-acre horse ranch in Stillwater, Minnesota, and weekends and summers were spent playing with our cousins—riding horses, running through the forest playing our made-up game of “Logan’s Run” (based upon the ‘70’s movie and TV series) or using $1000 of my uncle’s precious lumber to build forts in the forest.
My sister, my cousins, and I would spend time inside writing books that were self-published well before that was a thing: “publishing” them by gluing the typed pages into a piece of folded cardboard covered in old wallpaper. My cousin, Anna, and I were close in age, and we have a cooking show and would combine things we found in the kitchen and make our younger sisters try our creations then clean up our mess.
I started piano lessons in elementary school and drums in the 6th grade. I sang in our church choir and in the high school swing choir…. I was drum major for the marching band when not playing snare drum. I did all the school plays and competed on the speech team. All those experiences have informed who I am and how I do what I do in this life.
When it came time to go to college, the only thing I could think to do was music. I applied to several colleges and Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, gave me an impressive scholarship. So, I set my sights on being a school music teacher.
While at school, I was one of the only drummers at the time and kept getting pulled to all the ensembles to play—and I found I really didn’t like kids much—so I changed my major from education to performance.
I fell in love with a large cousin of the xylophone, the marimba, and spent hours perfecting my craft. I was going to be the first world-class marimbaists with a purple mohawk. It was the 1980’s, and I loved messing with my hair. For my junior percussion recital, I had finished directing my church choir for the morning, went to the mall, and had them shave my hair into a mohawk and color it purple. I walked on stage with a purple mohawk in a black tuxedo—I thought it was stunning. It was a good thing I could play because the classically focused faculty was not thrilled with the theatrics. The jazz and pop teachers were more supportive.
During college, I shed my protected, suburban background and began to discover who Paul David was—or was supposed to be. I, quite by accident, discovered my sexuality was not what I thought it was going to be. At college, I met my soul mate and tussled with my queerness bouncing from girlfriend to boyfriend as I discovered who, and how, I loved.
I truly loved my college experience. It was everything college should be. However, when I graduated, I found not everyone was beating down my door for a purple-mohawked classical marimbaist.
So I got a day job and made music on the side—mostly in church settings, where I was very comfortable. I also found I had something to say. And in my heart, I was really a rock and roll baby. While working for the Metropolitan Community Church in Minneapolis, I sold my marimba and bought an electric keyboard that I could program with percussion, bass, horns—all the things I needed to take the music ministry I was working with to a higher level. In fact, that is still my main keyboard 25 years later in my home studio.
While working with the church, I got to write and arrange a lot—and work with volunteers. I polished my skills in not just composition and performance, but team building. That career path resonated with my soul.
However, the universe decided it was time for Paul David to grow. I left that role for financial reasons and over the next two years, all I knew in my personal life was to be torn down to make a new creation. I ended a 15-year relationship when my partner got into drugs. That adventure ended up with losing not only my relationship but my home. The music went dormant for a while too. I was playing in a few pit orchestras, but the personal music creating was put on hold until I was asked by the local LGBT orchestra to write something for them. 2006 saw the birth and world premiere of “Emergence”—a tone poem inspired by the coming out process written specifically for the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra. Shortly after that, I met the man who I would marry, Tom.
As we put our life together, I began writing again and took a role with another church in their music department. When the pandemic hit, I had a lot of time to work in my studio and began churning out the music I am releasing today.
Who were your early influences and how did they impact your career?
A lot of my music is reminiscent of the styles I grew up listening to. My dad was really into 1940’s swing—Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman—so I have a strong influence of that swing band horn sound. My mom was really into The Carpenters and the “Easy Listening” sounds of the 1970s, so that finds its way in. I RARELY heard what we call “classic rock” when I was growing up—that didn’t happen until later, but you’ll find a heavy influence of that rock guitar in what I do. I DID get into STYX and QUEEN in high school, so you hear that influence for sure.
Also while in high school I spent a lot of time with musicals. I, as a general rule, am not a HUGE fan of musical theater so to speak (so the irony that I play in a LOT of pit bands is not lost on me), but it definitely influenced me more than I might care to admit. I like the story in the song… so almost all of my music takes you on a lyrical journey.
While attending Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I got to work with Dr. Paul Smoker. He was an Avant-Garde jazz trumpet player who was also the director of our jazz band. He taught me the importance of knowing the rules before you break them… but by GOD, break them! I learned the importance of improvisation… the freedom in form. The beauty found in chaos.
Being from Minneapolis, Prince played an ENORMOUS roll in influencing me as a writer, arranger, producer, etc. That Minneapolis Sound is not always top of mind when I write, but the work ethic and desire to experiment with sound and ideas is there.
But I do get influenced by what I hear today—Robyn, The Teddybears, Walk the Moon, Lizzo—all find their way into what I am writing.
Which three traits define you?
Great question… I have to think about that. I would say loyalty, openness, and bravery.
Loyalty because trust and honor are very important to me. If we are colleagues or friends, I will support you and keep using your skills in my projects as long as you are willing and able. I will defend you where I can and I am always here for you.
I would say openness because I’ll try anything once—and some things more than once! Musically, let’s see what we can do (even if it’s not my genre).
And finally, bravery, because even if I don’t know what I am doing, the answer is “yes” what’s the question? Oh, the organist didn’t show up to church today? Sure, I’ll try to play! Oh, you need a bass player today, OK, let’s go! Oh, I need to speak in front of this crowd about something? Sure!! I enjoy the new experiences.
Please tell us about your latest project.
My current single, “Artist’s Prayer”, is just that: a prayer. It’s a non-denominational vibe that is VERY chill… 55 beats a minute, which is SLOW. It’s repetitious, like a chant, on purpose. There is something that happens to the human brain when subjected to repetition—it puts you in connection with higher consciousness.
My hope is people (who give it a chance) will notice how this “prayer” that every artist says as they stare at a blank page, a blank canvas, an empty stage—whatever your discipline—“I know I am not all that I could be, inspire me just the same, oh muse of creation.”
The song then blossoms into this amazing section where the singer finds that inspiration and their overflows and spreads to the world—which is what we ALL hope our art does: touches someone.
I wrote the lyrics back in 1993 and put them in my folder of lines/lyrics/quotes that I have around and forgot about it. I was looking for something to add to a song recently—and I don’t remember which one—and I came across them again. I was moved by the thought of what “an artist’s eye” might be and what became the bridge really inspired me. So I sat at my piano and started playing and very quickly “Artist’s Prayer” emerged.
In this song, you get to hear way more of those lush vocal parts that were influenced by The Carpenters or Queen. Like 40 Paul David’s all singing in the background! LOL I mixed them higher to give a “male chorus” vibe to the piece.
I am very blessed to work with the amazing Alex Maiers (www.alexmaiers.com) on guitar. He plays on all my recent pieces. He added such a great ostinato (repeated) pattern to the beginning and those guitar flourishes, forget about it!! Very k.d. lang!
Also, on the single is “Sunrise Fanfare”. I was playing around with the changes to “Artist’s Prayer” and came up with this cool instrumental… think of it as a prelude to “Artist’s Prayer”. It’s kind of a lite Americana-vibe piece. I see this as the sunrise on a summer day… you can feel the warm dewy air and then the sun breaks the horizon, and you just KNOW today is gonna ROCK!
I also included two bonus tracks—“Sunshine (after the Rain) alt. version” and “Together We”. The second one I wrote for work as a theme for a virtual conference. …but the theme is really good—together we can change the world—so I thought that should be out there in the universe.
“Sunshine (after the Rain) alt. version” is an alternate verse and chorus to my previous single. I wrote the song in honor of my husband. Throughout the song, there are, buy construction, these cheesy little comparisons all followed by some found audio “God Bless America”. While writing it, I had this great idea to start a rhyme “You’re the hook from a killer song”. …well, the ONLY thing I could think to follow that was “You’re a hit from my favorite bong.”
My husband wasn’t thrilled with that line as we don’t smoke… so he had me change it. But it was so fun, I wanted it out in the world. I also thought about re-working the chorus, so both of those things are put together for this alt. version.
What other projects are in the pipeline?
I just finished a piece for RAV Vast drum and SATB choir called “Stardust Once Again”. I am hoping to premiere it on May 20th with ImPulse, a local Minneapolis choir. A Rav Vast is a tongue drum made out of nitrated steel. It is shaped like a UFO and has a very relaxing texture and sound. My piece, In Paradisum, is written on this drum and you can see me playing it on my YouTube page. Anyway, the text for this song is from an internet meme which I expanded upon. It’s unique, cool and funny and explores the idea of reincarnation! Right?! How wild is that?
I am also finishing up the writing of this very cool big band-influenced track, “Gotta Un-F*$% Myself” which I am hoping to collaborate with Matt Fink (Dr. Fink of Prince and the Revolution) again (we worked together on “Superhuman”) and Michael Bland from Soul Asylum.
It’s a track about how when I was younger I was more in touch with myself and my gifts and how I need to unlearn the things that made me put those things away. It’s a high-energy, up-tempo, romp with killer horn parts and the vocals done Andrew Sisters style… should be a BLAST! (clean version will be called “Gotta Unwind Myself”)
I also have been sitting on a super important song called “Affirmation.” It just needs a final mix (and maybe a few recording tweaks). It’s the most positive song in the world. VERY much inspired by Glee, it starts with just a piano but grow to the end with 100 PD’s (and a good friend Justin Vaughn) chanting “I am beautiful. I am powerful. I am loved. Nothing you say can take that away from me.”
I am very excited for that track to come out.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
You can find my website at https://PaulDavidMusic.net
Other socials are:
You Tube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpGOh9Uy0RmDOOj88xhPrw
BandCamp https://pauldavid.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/paul-david-stanko
Twitter https://twitter.com/PaulDvd69
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pauldvd69/
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/76eZM3NsGFyMOqw1c37ERG?si=G6aaYhXcQ-yXaXG1-tBibA
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/artist/paul-david/1546176735
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PaulDavidSongs
Linked IN https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-david-stanko-8729729/
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