Mr. Paul Mcmahon

MR. PAUL MCMAHON, AKA 108, 1990. all songs copyright Paul McMahon 1979-90 Recorded at Big Saw, Tucson, by Mark Wilsey, by Chad Smith, Steve Nani, and live on WFMU by Glen Jones and Nick Hill Musicians: Paul McMahon, Mark Wilsey, Chad Smith Cover photos: Paula Court Deep gratitude to all of the above and all others who pray for peace and for the Earth to be healed. Songs: LIGHTNING SONG, ON A HILL BY THE SEA, ARAPAHO MAIDEN, HEY JESSE HELMS, THE WORLD IS GETTING HARDER TO LIVE IN, ANYTIME, WILD GEESE, BLUISH NIGHT, THAT'S SO PROFOUND, MEN, I LOVE YOU EXACTLY AS YOU ARE, EARTHQUAKE, HUSH LITTLE BABY, THE NEXT BUS TO NYC, CAN'T LET GO, I WANT TO BE WEALTHY, ANGRY CLOWN, STRONGER HAND, MIGHTY TIME, I GET HIGH Mostly recorded by my brother-in-law the former reggae guitarist turned firefighter in Arizona in 1990. Other little bits and pieces when I could get them done during lean cuisine financial times for McMusic Industries, including a couple of live spots on WFMU. This is very basic, the most acoustic folk sounding record until WOODSTOCK WINDMILLS in 2001. It represents a flowering of many ideas and feelings more or less released in the long healing process of the previous few years. This is the favorite CD of many fans, especially yoga teachers, who have used it extensively in classes at Jivamukti and elsewhere. It is really about the meeting place of healing and spirit and personal unfolding. At this time I was beginning to get involved with Native American spiritual teachings and began the process of leaving New York City for Woodstock, where I would eventually be ordained as an Interfaith minister by a Native American shaman. Some favorite songs are ARAPAHO MAIDEN, EARTHQUAKE, I LOVE YOU EXACTLY AS YOU ARE and FULL MOON LADY. This record has the most songs on it; 22, and is a good choice for people with a preference for acoustic music. Available on CD and cassette. The cassette contains about 15 minutes of material that could not fit on the CD; THE STORY OF MY LIFE and CAN'T GET OUT OF BED. A risk-taking innovator...a probing perspective on a culture turned upside down -Jude Schwendenwein, COVER Better than an hour of MTV -Jon Pareles, NEW YORK TIMES An artist who provokes extreme thoughts and emotions -Carlo McCormick, ARTFORUM Idiocentric to the max...a doggedly postmodern proponent of La-Z-Boy recliner metaphysics.....wonderfully strange and hauntingly beautiful tunes...his lyrics are so good they occasionally obscure the fact that he's a hell of a good crooner -Mikhail Horowitz, WOODSTOCK TIMES Paul McMahon is a singer/songwriter living in Woodstock, NY since 1990. He grew up in the Club 47 in Cambridge, Ma. at the feet of Jim Kweskin, Muddy Waters, and Paul Butterfield and took guitar lessons from Elvin Bishop. A blues lead guitarist, he gave it up in favor of conceptual art in 1970 and didn't touch his guitar for 7 years. When he picked it up again at 27 it was as a conceptual artist/songwriter inspired by Jonathan Richman and the punk movement. He was a member of the 'no wave' group DAILY LIFE with Glenn Branca, who later released the 12' LP PAUL McMAHON on NEUTRAL records, 1986. It charted on WFMU-FM, where he has appeared many times since. In 1987 he helped Michael Dorf open the Knitting Factory, booking the weekends. His second album, THE SONG OF THE STATUES was recorded in 1988 with a live band at Radio City Recording Studio, six floors above the Music Hall. It's the soundtrack for a performance art piece that was reviewed in the NY TIMES and got him a job interviewing Wayne Newton for INTERVIEW. He released it as a cassette on Akashic Records and Tapes and it sold dozens. The next three albums, ADULT CHILD, MR.PAUL McMAHON and GREAT HIS TITS were all cassettes released on Akashic. In 1994 another cassette, WALKING IN THE DAYS OF THE PROPHECIES, produced by Marc Hayden was released on Akashic and Six Fans Music. As his 50th birthday loomed in summer 2000 he decided to release another LP for his own mental health. He recorded QUEEN PAUL QUIN-QUADRIO with DJ 113, a live improvisational collaboration going from recording to pressing; a finished cassette with a printed sleeve in 24 hours, available in time for his party. It leans towards hip hop and needs editing. An ongoing project with genius Shahzad Ismaily is slouching toward completion. Three songs were included in ARMY OF LOVE, Paul's first CD, released in December 2000. A compilation of part new and part old, it got play on WKZE-FM, the local alternative station out of Sharon, CT. In 2001 Paul's partner Amanda Williams, 22, started writing songs and decided to form a band and call it ARMY OF LOVE, which can be clicked on at left. It's a girl group Paul plays lead guitar in. The name thing confuses people but it's simple when you realize that Paul was channeling from the Goddess when he thought of the name and Amanda was embodying the Goddess in a playful moment when she adopted it. Later they had twins, broke up, stayed friends, share custody and still play together in the band, which is still saving the world again. His most recent CD is WOODSTOCK WINDMILLS, recorded and released in August 2001. It has been played a lot on WKZE-FM. It's title refers to the implementation of alternative energy, imagining a company that wires Woodstock with wind power. In 2002 he mastered all of the cassettes to CD and there are currently 8 available. The last one pressed is called THE RAIN....And Other Stuff, and is partly a reworking of GREAT HIS TITS, with a couple of newer things, notably 'MY LIFE!' with Harvey Sorgen (Hot Tuna) on drums. He has performed on bills with Lyle Lovett, Freedy Johnston, Michael Hurley, Marshall Crenshaw, Dan Hicks and Glenn Branca. In 1992, he won the singer-songwriter contest at the Towne Crier in Pawling, NY. Two of his songs from PROPHECIES will appear in an upcoming collection being released on ESP Disc. He also backs his sister (adopted) Lakota singer Gayle Two Eagles and appeared on 93 MILLION YEARS BC, Hugh Brodie's new CD. Hugh is Orange County's legendary bebop original going strong alto sax player at 70. When asked why he isn't more famous McMahon points out that he is very famous, but it's 'stealth' fame.