Possessed by Paul James is the project of 36-year-old musician Konrad Wert, banjoist/guitarist/fiddlist whose music blends the down-home lyin’-in-the-grass-while-the-summer-heat-buzzes-around-you-and-you-realize-just-how-big-the-world-is-so-you-decide-it’s-time-to-go-explore-it feel of folk and bluegrass with the fiery passion of punk and blues to make a stunning set of songs collected on 2010’s Feed the Family. Raised in a small Mennonite community of pacifists, Vietnam vets, and various hangers-on, this son-of-a-preacher moves from the powerful bombast of banjos and bellows into mellow tunes straight from an old rocking chair. What doesn’t change is the passion with which he plays. No matter if it’s the profane condemnations of “Color of My Bloody Nose” or the guilty lamentations of “Take Off Your Mask” (which you can hear below), his voice powerfully carries each note into cozy bliss (please ignore the fact that “cozy bliss” sounds like a description for some kind of body butter or something, maybe a snuggie). Below are a couple videos to give you a sense of both sides of his musical personality. Take a listen and see for yourself:
Also I’m just gonna put this here, because it’s rad: