The Brand New Album From Paul Trudeau
“Shirley Road is a super cool retro and melodic album from one of my favorite people. Great vocals and very groovy songs from Paul Trudeau. He can sing and play and write—you should hear this.”
Shirley Road is available as a digital download at iTunes and on Compact Disc or as a digital download at CD Baby. Personally autographed CDs are available by custom order here.
“There is a haunting beauty in the simplicity of the melodies in these songs... they grow in depth and dimension as you move from one well-crafted song to another, bathing the listener in light and shadows at the same time. Perfect for a cold crisp sunny day, yet regardless of what the weather is doing outside, Paul Trudeau tells stories with both his music and his lyrics.”
SHIRLEY ROAD SONG PREVIEWS
For Shirley Road album lyrics, click here.
Take a trip down Shirley Road with Paul Trudeau
A musical veteran who’s played with the likes of Rick Springfield, Billy Idol, Melissa Etheridge and Lifehouse among others, singer/songwriter Paul Trudeau delivers a transcendent collection of beautifully crafted songs that offer an intoxicating musical journey that rewards with each listen. These are songs delivered straight from the heart that resonate on a profound emotional level emboldened with a winning authenticity and contagious spirit, which lends a poignant honesty to the material found on Shirley Road (Starshot Records).
As Trudeau explains, writing songs for the album proved to be a healing process: “After suffering through many painful things--my mother dying, my marriage ending--I decided to stop writing music for a while. It was as if I was giving myself a ‘pass.’ I was simply in too much pain. I didn't give myself a specific time, I just knew that I needed to heal. It ended up being almost two years. In the summer of 2015, I was scheduled to tour Europe with Billy Idol. The first stop was Southampton, England where they parked us for five days while Billy was rehearsing with Pete Townshend for a performance of The Who’s Quadrophenia in London. I had brought a small songwriting/recording setup with me in case I felt like writing. None of the songs that I wrote during this period were for anybody else to hear other than me and the person I was writing to. I was in a very tumultuous relationship at the time and I was working through a lot of painful things and was writing to heal myself. I ended up writing and recording 18 songs. The song ‘Sunshine’ was the first one that I wrote and after that it felt as if I had opened the flood gates and it felt like I couldn't stop; I wasn't putting any attention on whether or not anybody else would ever hear these songs. It didn't matter to me; what mattered was just getting it all out and purging myself of all that I was going through. And those songs were the start of this record.”
A throwback in the best manner possible, eschewing fads, trends and gimmicky technology, the music on Shirley Road is timeless; equally hooky and heartfelt, it rides on wondrous cushions of acoustic and electric guitars, rolling keyboards, warm vocals and exquisite song craft. Songs like “California Days,” “Orange,” “Blue Green Dreams” and “Sunshine” are framed with stirring lyrics that tap into a well spring of emotions that connect and remain relatable to all generations of listeners. “My songs all come from a real place of raw emotion,” explains Trudeau. “These songs are my way of seeing things. I want people to relate and be impacted on an emotional level.”
As for the significance of the moving title track, Trudeau relates, “While on tour with Billy Idol in England, I was also attending as many 12 step meetings as I could find. I found one that was located on ‘Shirley Road’ and I ended up walking several miles to get to it. On the way back I remember looking up at the sign and thinking, ‘Hey, I should write a song called 'Shirley Road,' so when I returned to my hotel, I wrote it.”
A native of Cambridge, Massachusetts, since his early teens Paul’s life has been tethered to the art of creating and performing music. A musical prodigy who studied at the New England Conservatory of Music at the tender age of 11, for Paul a career in music was an inevitability. “I don’t have a memory of not understanding the language of music. It's as if learning to speak and learning to play happened simultaneously. And I don't remember making the conscious choice to pursue music as a career.... it's more like it chose me." Inspired by the likes of The Beatles, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Cat Stevens and Simon and Garfunkel among others, Trudeau worked hard to forge his own artistic voice.
During his formative years, he honed his musical skills gaining experience in the musical trenches playing in a series of local bands. At age 18, a trip to Los Angeles would lead to Trudeau’s first shot in the big leagues lending his keyboard prowess for Polydor recording artists Darling Cruel. And while that work with a major label group proved rewarding, he soon came to realize the importance of feeding his own musical soul and expressing his own artistic vision by balancing work with national artists like Rick Springfield and Billy Idol, Melissa Etheridge and Lifehouse and carving out time for his own creative pursuits. Since then, he’s issued two albums, his first album under the band name Radiojones and follow-up release, Pauly Trudeau, Live at the Doghouse. Over the years, Paul has also enjoyed success landing a series of songs in films and television soundtracks like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Jag and Providence.
Join us and follow the sonic footprints along Shirley Road for an unforgettable journey with an artist with an authentic and singularly distinctive musical voice. “It is the most personal and revealing work that I’ve ever done. I hope that it speaks to the listener as well.”
Renowned singer Debby Holiday has the last word: "This is the kind of record that demands you get in your car with the windows down and just ... drive. It takes you on a journey ... the kind you wanna keep reliving again and again.”
ALBUM NOTES
Paul Trudeau: Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Keys, Bass, Mandolin, Percussion
Additional Musicians:
Erik Eldenius: Drums and Percussion
Shawn Fabian: Guitars on Orange, California Days, Blue Green Dreams
Jimmy Hoff: Bass on Orange, Blue Green Dreams
Jorgen Carlsson: Bass on California Days, Right About That
Billy Morrison: Background Vocals on Right About That
Special thanks: I would like to thank my kids Lucien and Vivian, the most amazing people I have ever known. You are my light and my life.
Thank you Kelly and Lula.
I’d like to thank my Dad for truly being my biggest fan, my Mom for letting me find and keep my musical voice, my sister Kiki for all of her love, wisdom (and research), my brother Matty for all of his love and support. And my brother Rev. Dean J. Seal and my nephew Jacob Seal for all of their love.
I would especially like to thank Barbara Fabian, Shawn Fabian and Sheri Calhoun without whom this record would not have been possible. I am eternally grateful for all of your support.
Extra special thanks: Billy Idol, Rick Springfield, Jim Bullotta, Cindy Alexander, Peter Kalish, Remo Packer, Rodger Carter, Steve and Josie Stevens, Steve McGrath, David Hershey-Webb, Robert Dorion, Joel Lonkey, Amy Senstad, Kerstin Klingstedt, Kim Aberle, and the City of Southampton, England.
Artwork & Design / Digital Marketing & Production: Jim Bullotta
Photography: Cindy Alexander