(Jason DeStratis): Paul, thanks for taking some time out of your schedule for The SoulFest Blog. My wife and I have enjoyed your music for a long time, so it’s a pleasure to get to spend some time with you… even if it is in this virtual format. Your music career got its start in Australia. Was there a big break that helped to bring you into the spotlight or did your career mature slowly?
(Paul Colman): I started my first band when I was 11. We were together until I was 18 and we wrote about 50 decent songs and did about 100 shows. From 19 to about 29 I mostly played solo with an acoustic guitar and really worked on my craft. During that time I also went to University and got a Bachelor's degree, got married, did a variety of jobs and basically grew up after a pretty slow and painful start to life. After my 30th birthday, I started going pretty hard writing, touring, promoting and networking. I formed the paul colman trio and that was when things started going faster. We worked pretty hard n Australia and New Zealand and developed a pretty faithful audience.
(JD): At some point, you decided to bring your music career to the USA. Was this a gut wrenching decision, or did it seem like the obvious choice given the success of The Newsboys and Rebecca St. James?
(PC): Third Day asked us to come and open for them in the USA in 2002. We accepted and all moved to the USA. I lived in the US when I was 18 back in 1986 and fell in love with America. I was always planning on somehow coming back and now I had my opportunity. It wasn't a tough decision for me but it was and still is for my wife. She's a saint for putting up with me and my plans. Australia is a such a small market for just about everything. If you have international aspirations you will most likely need to leave Australia for ever or at least for enough time to establish yourself internationally.
(JD): I happened to be at a Winter Jam concert in Columbia, South Carolina in early 2006. I had seen The Newsboys perform many times, so I thought that I was familiar with their lineup. I did a cartoon-like double take when I saw Paul Colman standing to the right of Peter Furler. I was shocked for a minute until I realized that you were a natural fit for The Newsboys. You had a 3 year run with the band. What was it like to be a part of a legendary band like The Newsboys?
(PC): It was a shock to be asked but I was definitely looking for a change of scenery for a while. When you've owned, run and managed everything you've done, its fun to be an employee for a while. I was always 'the' guy in everything I had done from cover bands, wedding bands, original bands, duos, trios....you name it. In the Newsboys I owned nothing, started nothing, played guitar, did backing vocals and was very happy. I needed actually to detox for a while. I had become too driven and I also had lost my intimacy with God and others. Being in the Newsboys gave me a chance to get some great input, learn some new skills and take a back seat for a while. I left with a lot of life lessons under my belt, all the relationships in tact and a new determination to not run ahead of God again.
(JD): I’m sure you get an early listen to some good new musicians while on the road and living in Nashville. Are there any up-and-coming artists that you are excited about, or new music that is in heavy rotation on your iPod?
(PC): The truth is that when I am in Nashville I pretty much stay in a 10 mile radius around my home and am very family focused. So I'm a little embarrassed to say that I don't really hear much at all.
Part 2 of my conversation with Paul Colman will run on Friday, November 20th. Subscribe to The SoulFest Blog via RSS, Email, the SoulFest Facebook page or Twitter! Jason DeStratis is a long time SoulFest fan / volunteer and can be reached at twitter.com/jdestratis
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