Bio
Paula Boggs Band blends jazz, rockabilly and Americana. Debut album "A Buddha State of Mind" came over decade ago and "Carnival of Miracles," followed in 2015.
Vocals/guitar/ukulele/songwriter Paula Boggs, percussionist Tor Dietrichson and banjo player/guitarist Mark Chinen are founding members of the band. Their sound is "Seattle-Brewed Soulgrass"and pre-Covid the band toured several years across America and Canada.
Four years ago Paula Boggs Band released EP "Live at Empty Sea, Songs of Protest & Hope” and 3rd album Elixir, The Soulgrass Sessions. After Elixir, the band added multi-instrumentalists Paul Moore and Darren Lucas, bassist Alex Dyring and drummer Jacob Evans. Moore, Dyring and Evans are music conservatory trained. Dyring and Evans are second generation professional musicians. “Mistletoe & Shiny Guitars,” the band’s first holiday song came in 2018. EP “Electrokitty Sessions” and single “America 2020,” produced by multi-Grammy nominated Tucker Martine followed in 2020. Paula Boggs Band is sponsored by Deering Banjos, Breedlove Guitars and Radial Engineering. Their 4th studio album, also produced/engineered by Martine and featuring Dom Flemons, releases Spring 2022.
"Boggs is like the Dylan, the Peter, Paul, and Mary, the Joan Baez of this era."
Phil King, AudioFuzz.com
“Paula Boggs Band sets themselves apart distinctly by Boggs’ stunning vocals…this Seattle band sounds the part of a bygone era and part refreshingly modern, an exciting contributor to the Pacific Northwest’s diverse music scene.” Glide Magazine
“Every now and then I’m introduced to an artist who’s music and style are so unique as to make a lasting impression. What a pleasant surprise to hear a truly different sound in the work of The Paula Boggs Band!...No labels, no niches, no fitting into standard spaces. Therein lies the creative genius of The Paula Boggs Band. Outstanding work!”
— Matthew Gillian, Retired Radio Broadcaster/Personality, Former Host of Opry Star Spotlight, 650AM WSM, Nashville, TN
Paula Boggs:
vocals,guitar,ukulele
Mark Chinen:
guitar,banjo
Alex Dyring:
bass,vocals
Tor Dietrichson:
percussion,vocals
Paul Matthew Moore:
keys,accordion,vocals
Jacob Evans: drums
Darren Loucas:
mandolin, guitar, harmonica, fiddle, lap steel, vocals
“This veteran Americana act boasts a range of influences from classic — James McMurtry and Bruce Springsteen — to more contemporary — the Drive-By Truckers. The group describes itself as “soulgrass.” An unfamiliar tag, sure, but not to be dismissed lightly in this age of microgenres.” Current San Antonio
"Mark Chinen played...banjo. I have not heard anyone play a banjo quite like that before...he made it sound like a big city brother to the banjo...when this talented man moves his finger down the strings of a banjo it is magic!”
Juanita Smith - From the Cradle to the Stave, Mobile AL
“Boggs makes...urban, jazzy music...within the structures of...folk, bluegrass, and...blues...[s]he calls... “soulgrass,” and reminds me a little of Gil Scott-Heron, if only for the razor-intensity of her words...in a croony-rich street voice...evocative and easy to like.” Dave Good, San Diego Reader