Paul Whitacre

Is like the smell of your favorite pair of leather boots.

It’s familiar and sometimes beaten down, but soft in all the right places.

Paul’s solo project sounds like it took a train from Dallas to Durango and then hitch-hiked the rest of the way to Denver. We’ll call it: “not-quite-country” (and that’s a compliment). Previously the front man for Denver-based pop-folk group (and namesake), Whitacre, Paul has, like many artists, turned inward after touring and recording plans were derailed by Covid.

While he’s leaving the door open for a reunion with Whitacre, Paul is exploring a studio sound that’s more cavernous and emotional on his own. The solo work still features Paul’s roots-y voice, but with a ethos that’s much more Júníus Meyvant than Lumineers.

Paul battled through a stomach bug to give a gut-wrenching (pun intended) performance at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The space fit the mood of Paul’s new work perfectly: both empty and luminary. We incorporated archival tape to help illustrate a feeling of nostalgia and longing for a time when we enjoyed live music, ballet, and theatre in the flesh.

You can find Paul’s latest work here on Spotify.